Apr 5, 2006 8:55 am US/Eastern
A History Of Yankee Stadium
BRONX (CBS) ―
With the City Council voting on whether to build a new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, CBS 2 presents a brief history of the House That Ruth Built.
February 6, 1921 - The Yankees announced plans to purchase 10 acres of property from the estate of William Waldorf Astor in the west Bronx. They spent $675,000 for these grounds. As tenants of the Polo Grounds for years, the Yankees had to share the stadium with the New York Giants baseball team, but this relationship was strained after the 1920 season. Babe Ruth and the Yankees doubled the stadium to 1,289,422 – over 100,000 more than the Giants' attendance. With this purchase, Yankee co-owners Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast l'Hommedieu Huston sought out a stadium of their own – in fact, the first baseball stadium to be called a "stadium."
May 5, 1922 - The construction contract for Yankee Stadium was awarded to New York's White Construction Co. The Bombers had two requirements, however: the stadium had to cost only $2.5 million and had to be completed by Opening Day in 1923.
April 18, 1923 - Yankee Stadium hosted its inaugural game against the Boston Red Sox. Construction was completed in only 284 working days. In addition to the thousands outside, 74,200 fans packed the stadium, and witnessed the Babe hit a three-run homerun as the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 4-1.
1928 -The stadium saw renovations this year, with its the triple-deck grandstand extended beyond the foul pole.
1937 - The right-field grandstand was extended, and concrete replaced the remaining wooden bleachers. This reduced the distance to center field from 490 feet to 461 feet.
1946 - Additional lights were added to the stadium.
1966-67 - Under new ownership Yankee Stadium, by now 44-years-old, received $1.5 million worth of modernization -- most of which was a new paint job. The brown concrete exterior and the greenish copper fascade were both painted white. The grandstand seats, all of them, were painted blue.
August 8, 1972 - The Yankees signed a 30-year lease with the City of New York, which set a 1976 deadline for modernization of the stadium.
1973 - The Yankees completed their 50th-Anniversary season, and moved to Shea Stadium for two seasons while their own stadium was almost completely demolished and rebuilt.
April 15, 1976 - The remodeled Yankee Stadium opened, and the Yankees blew out Minnesota, 11-4. Once again, the stadium hosted the World Series in its inaugural season.
2005 - Plans were unveiled in 2005 for a new Yankee Stadium just north of the current stadium, to be built in Macombs Dam and Mullaly parks. With the Yankees paying $800 million, and the city paying $300 million, the construction is expected to cost more than $1.1 billion.
April 5, 2006 - The City Council votes on whether or not to build a new Yankee Stadium.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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