New owners aim to bring back 'nostalgia' of old Ebbets Field in planned reopening

Ebbets Field is returning under new ownership, and the buyers of the business are hoping to recapture the heyday of the restaurant founded more than four decades ago.

Sydney Davis said she and husband Jerrad finalized the purchase of the Ebbets Field business and over 5,000-square-foot building on July 11 from Bryan Properties. She declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal for the 1027 E. Walnut St. restaurant, which shuttered in January 2024. 

A spring 2026 opening date is in the works, she said.

"We want to bring it back to the old Ebbets," Davis said, referencing founder Nick Russo, who started Ebbets Field in 1981. "We want to bring back the nostalgia feel." 

Davis said she's unsure where startup costs will land for the Ebbets Field revival, which will involve sourcing photos from alumni of area colleges and renovations to the back patio area. The menu, too, would look to bring back burgers and pizza that were served in years past.

"We're going to try our best to recreate the building of what it was back in the day," she said.

Davis has a history with Ebbets Field, having previously worked there and more recently at a catering company in the St. Louis area. Davis said she got to know Jerrad – now a technician for a Knoxville, Tennessee, engineering firm – when they were both working at Finnegan's Wake in downtown Springfield, and the two were married in May.

"We moved down to Springfield from St. Louis so we could do this," Davis said.

Bryan Properties spokesperson Ron Davis, who is not related to Sydney and Jerrad Davis, welcomed their plans for Ebbets Field in an email to Springfield Business Journal.

“We’re thrilled at their plans and look forward to celebrating their successes," Davis said.