Yankee Stadium (1923)

Yankee Stadium (1923)

Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The South Bronx in New York City. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees, one of the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York Giants football team. The stadium's nickname, "The House That Ruth Built", is derived from Babe Ruth, the iconic baseball superstar whose prime years coincided with the stadium's opening and the beginning of the Yankees' winning history.

The venue was constructed for $2.4 million (equal to $32,737,500 today) between 1922–1923 specifically for the Yankees, who had been sharing the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants baseball team for 10 years. Yankee Stadium opened during the 1923 MLB season, and at the time, it was hailed as a one-of-a-kind facility in the country for its size. Over the course of its history, it became one of the most famous venues in the United States, having hosted a variety of events and historic moments during its existence. While many of these moments were baseball-related—including World Series games, no-hitters, perfect games, and historic home runs—the stadium also hosted boxing matches, concerts, Conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses (see record attendance), and three Papal Masses. The stadium went through many alterations and playing surface configurations over the years. The condition of the facility worsened in the 1960s and 1970s, prompting its closing for renovation from 1974–1975. The renovation significantly altered the appearance of the venue and reduced the distance of the outfield fences.

In 2006, the Yankees began building a new $1.5 billion stadium in public parkland adjacent to the stadium. Many of the iconic features of the original stadium, such as the frieze and Monument Park, were incorporated into the design of the new venue. Yankee Stadium closed following the 2008 baseball season, and the new stadium opened in 2009, adopting the "Yankee Stadium" moniker. The original facility was not demolished until 2010, nearly two years after it closed. The site has been converted into parkland. The name of the park is Heritage Field, and is located within Macombs Dam Park.