American Family Field

The ballpark was built with $290 million of public funds from a 0.1% sales tax across Milwaukee County and four surrounding counties, which began on January 1, 1996 and ended on March 31, 2020, totaling $609 million in taxpayer contribution over that period; the state senator George Petak cast the deciding vote for the funding and subsequently lost a recall election over that vote. Groundbreaking took place on November 9, 1996, in a parking lot behind Milwaukee County Stadium. On July 14, 1999 the Lampson Transi-lift crane nicknamed "Big Blue" collapsed while lifting a 450-ton roof section during windy conditions, killing three construction workers and delaying the opening. Total construction cost was $392 million, and the project became one of the largest construction projects in Wisconsin history. The stadium was originally named Miller Park under a $40 million naming-rights deal with the Miller Brewing Company that expired at the end of 2020; American Family Insurance then purchased naming rights under a 15-year agreement, and the venue became American Family Field in 2021. Milwaukee County Stadium, the Brewers' previous home, was demolished on February 21, 2001, and most of its former site is now covered with parking for the current ballpark. The franchise itself began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and relocated to Milwaukee in 1970, adopting the Brewers name for the city's association with the brewing industry.