New Yankee Stadium, Home of the New York Yankees
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New Yankee Stadium replaces the original Stadium (The House That Ruth Built), which opened its doors in April 1923. The architect of the new stadium, HOK Sport, examined every detail of the old Stadium, replicating all that they could. The exterior resembles The House That Ruth Built while the interior is much larger with many more amenities.
The architects were successful in transferring a lot of the same structural designs from the old park to the new stadium, which has kept the tradition of playing in Yankee Stadium alive. Along with the old traditions, they managed to incorporate modern features as well such as the massive scoreboard in centerfield. Of course any stadium is going to look magnificent when you spend $1.5 billion on it.
During construction of the new stadium, a construction worker and avid Boston Red Sox fan, buried a replica jersey of Red Sox player David Ortiz underneath the visitors' dugout. The idea of burying the jersey was to place a “hex” on New York, much like the "Curse of the Bambino."
Unfortunately for the worker, co-workers exposed the plan and forced him to dig up the jersey. The Yankees organization then donated the jersey to a charity championed by the Red Sox. The worker has since claimed to have buried a 2004 American League Championship Series program/scorecard that was not found.
The signature of the new stadium is Monument Park located beyond the center-field fences, directly under the Mohegan Sun sports bar. Monument Park is an open-air museum containing a collection of monuments, plaques, and retired numbers honoring distinguished members of the New York Yankees.
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New Yankee Stadium Facts
- Location: One E. 161st St. Bronx, NY 10451
- Years: 2009 - Present
- Capacity: 52,325 (including standing room)
- Surface: Natural Grass
- Architect: HOK Sport
- Project Cost: $1.5 Billion
New Yankee Stadium History
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner began campaigning for financing of a new stadium in the 1980s. Allegedly, Steinbrenner considered moving the team across the Hudson River to New Jersey if he was unsuccessful in getting government funding for the construction of a new stadium.
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced before leaving office in December 2001, tentative agreements to use public funds of up to $1.19 billion to build stadiums for both the New York Yankees and New York Mets. The funding included $390 million for transportation infrastructure.
Michael Bloomberg, who succeeded Giuliani as mayor in 2002, exercised the escape clause in the agreements to back out of both deals, saying that the city could not afford to build new stadiums for the Yankees and Mets. Bloomberg stated that the New York City government would only offer public financing for infrastructure improvements. Following up his promise, Bloomberg and the City of New York provided
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$75 million for parking facilities and $135 million for parkland along the waterfront.
On August 16, 2006, the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth's death, Steinbrenner held a groundbreaking ceremony for the New Yankee Stadium. In addition to Steinbrenner, other notables participating in the ceremony included Bloomberg and then-Governor of New York George Pataki.
During construction of the
New Yankee Stadium,
the New York Yankees continued to play in the old Yankee Stadium for the 2007 and 2008 seasons.