stadium question

[seahorse]

This is a picture of the Stadium during the 1926 World Series against the Cardinals. You can see that the stands end not too far from third base. Or maybe it just appears that way. They certainly don't wrap around the outfield as they do today, but I don't see the bullpen either. As a matter of fact the sections are labeled 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 down that side. Was the stadium finished by 1926? Anyone know what's going on here? Thanks.

[#1Coneyfan]

The dimensions of the Stadium were always being tinkered with throughout the years:

Capacity: 58,000 (1923); 62,000 (1926); 82,000 (1927); 67,113 (1928); 62,000 (1929); 71,699 (1937); 70,000 (1942);67,000 (1948); 67,205 (1958); 67,337 (1961); 67,000 (1965); 65,010 (1971); 54,028 (1976); 57,145 (1977); 57,545 (1980).

As originally constructed, from May 5, 1922, to April 18, 1923, three concrete decks extended from behind home plate to each corner, with a single deck in left-center and wooden bleachers around the rest of the outfield.

[#1Coneyfan]

In the winter of 1927-1928 second and third decks were added to left-center and several rows of box seats were removed in left, extending the foul pole from 281 to 301 feet.

During the 1936 season, the winter of 1936-1937, and continuing through the 1937 season, the wooden bleachers were replaced with concrete ones. During the 1937 season second and third decks were added in right-center. The bleacher changes shortened straightaway center from 490 to 461 feet and reduced seating capacity from the 80,000s to the 70,000s.

As the outfield bench seats were gradually replaced with chair seats in the 1930s and 1940s, the seating capacity gradually dropped from over 70,000 to about 67,000.

Check out this great website for more Stadium history:

http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/yankee.htm

and this wonderful book filled with old photos and history:

Yankee Stadium: 75 Years of Drama, Glamor, and Glory by Ray Robinson, Christopher Jennison

[seahorse]

Thanks #1!

[CalifYanksFan]

Yankee Stadium

Until the early 1920's the Yankees home ballpark was the Polo Grounds, which they shared with the New York Giants. It had been widely known that the Yankee's were unhappy with this arrangement and were seeking a real Yankee home. In 1921, the Yankees announced the purchase of 10 acres of property in the west Bronx for $675,000, directly across the Harlem River from the Polo Grounds.

Having acquired Babe Ruth, the greatest "long ball" hitter of his time in 1920, the team's owners had found the drawing card that would justify a stadium exclusively for the Yankee's. Because of the Babe's reputation, the Yankee owners Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast l'Hommedieu Huston, decided to build a stadium large enough to accommodate the crowds that they anticipated from Babe Ruth's presence in the lineup. At a time when most ballparks seated 20,000 to 30,000 fans, the Yankee's announced that the new stadium would accommodate an incredible 70,000. As a result, Yankee Stadium quickly became known as "The House That Ruth Built".

Built at a cost of $2,500,000, construction began in May of 1922 and remarkably was completed in less than one year in time for opening day on April 18, 1923. Fittingly, Babe Ruth inaugurated the first game with a three run homer leading to the Yankee's first win in their new home.

Yankee Stadium has retained its distinctive look for the past three quarters of a century although lights were added in 1946 to allow for increasingly popular night baseball. The stadium was given a major facelift during the 1974 and 1975 seasons during which the Yankee's played their home games at the Met's Shea Stadium. Over the years, Yankee Stadium has been the site of religious conventions, college football, and was the home of the NFL's New York Giants from 1956 to 1973. A number of boxing's "Fights of the Century" took place here, including the June 22, 1938 heavyweight title fight between Joe Louis and Germany's Max Schmeling.

One of the most distinctive features of Yankee Stadium is Monument Park, filled with monuments and plaques to honor Yankee greats and other non-player notables in the organization. Two of the legends who played during the early days of the Stadium were among the first honored. Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Man of Baseball " who was stricken by the ALS, the neurological disease that has come to bear his name, had a monument dedicated to his memory added to Monument Park in 1941. Gehrig's teammate, Babe Ruth was likewise remembered in 1949. Among the many other honorees are Casey Stengel, Roger Maris, Billy Martin, Yogi Berra, and the "Voice of the Yankees", Mel Allen.

Amazingly, in the first years of the stadium the monuments and plaques were part of the playing field along with the flagpoles that sat between the monuments. This meant that outfielders sometimes dodged around the monuments to pursue long fly balls. Even though Monument Park has been moved behind the center field wall (or more accurately the walls were moved in front of Monument Park) a long standing tradition of allowing fans to exit through the center field gates to view and reflect upon the plaques and monuments endures today.

[Slippery Elm]

It was given a helluva lot more than a "facelift" in '74.

The actual facelift came years earlier when the greenish color was repainted, as were the seats.

You all know so much answer this quiz:

What year (between 1965 and 1974) was Yankee Stadium repainted, spruced up, and what color was it (and the seats) repainted? Bonus question: what color were the seats before the new re-painting?

[Gehrig]

Originally posted by Slippery Elm

What year (between 1965 and 1974) was Yankee Stadium repainted, spruced up, and what color was it (and the seats) repainted? Bonus question: what color were the seats before the new re-painting?

I remember when it was painted because my dad was in a fit !!
It was the winter of 1966-1967.The exterior was painted white and blue. The seats went from green to blue...

[Gehrig]

Originally posted by CalifYanksFan
Yankee Stadium

Until the early 1920's the Yankees home ballpark was the Polo Grounds, which they shared with the New York Giants. It had been widely known that the Yankee's were unhappy with this arrangement and were seeking a real Yankee home. In 1921, the Yankees announced the purchase of 10 acres of property in the west Bronx for $675,000, directly across the Harlem River from the Polo Grounds.

The Yankees original home ballpark was Hilltop Park which opened on April 30, 1903. In 1911 the Highlanders shared the park with the New York Giants for the first two months of the 1911 season while the fire damaged Polo Grounds were being rebuilt. When the lease expired after the 1912 season, the Giants extended an invitation to the now New York Yankees to move in and share with them the Polo Grounds. That lasted for ten seasons....Tensions began to mount between the two clubs due to the Yankees ever growing popularity in NY and their abilty to draw larger crowds...Thus their "unhappiness" at thier co-habitation of the Polo Grounds...The Giants served an eviction notice after the 1921 season for after the 1922 season and set off the "scramble" for a hastily built park which became "The House that Ruth Built..."

Hilltop Park was demolished in 1914 and the site has been occupied by Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center since the 1920s.

[Slippery Elm]

Originally posted by Gehrig


I remember when it was painted because my dad was in a fit !!
It was the winter of 1966-1967.The exterior was painted white and blue. The seats went from green to blue...

Yep! Dark green to dark blue. The outside was now white; it originally was a sort of light green.

[Patrick Walden]

Originally posted by Gehrig



Hilltop Park was demolished in 1914 and the site has been occupied by Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center since the 1920s.

Does any type of historical marker exist at the site? if so do you have a pciture?

Thanks

[bagger015]

I really like this forum. Can't believe what I have learned in such a short time. Thanks all...

[seahorse]

Patrick Walden - There is no historical marker although I've tried to identify other buildings in the old pictures I think most of them haven't survived. I think it was right where the main old building of Columbia Presbyterian is, bordered by Broadway between 165th and 169th streets. There supposedly is a marker for the Polo Grounds which I'll take time out find one of these days.