The Yankees added their 27th world title three weeks before Thanksgiving, celebrating the crown in a suburban-style mall palace called “Yankee Stadium” that has Disney-like nods to the original but fits in Bronx neighborhood like the Mall at Short Hills fits Alphabet City. The amenities are stunning, but the team was far better. Now, as the Joe Girardi dons No. 28 in the true home of the Yankees corporate hierarchy – gorgeous Tampa, Florida – the real House That Ruth Built is being torn down in earnest, between the snowflakes and sleet.
There’s no more debating the history of the 1923 stadium, the single most famous and venerated venue in American sports history, for one good reason: it’s over. All that remains is anger over a needless anti-preservation crime that’s on a par with the destruction of Penn Station – kudos to Mayor Bloomberg and the Yankee corporate regime run by Randy Levine – and true sadness, even on the part of this Mets fan.
It’s appropriate that we kick off this little blog experiment with a post about the Stadium’s death. We’re interested in the wide sweep of baseball in the culture, commerce, daily life, and history of New York. No single spot means as much as that southwest corner of 161st and River. Yes, it will be a much-needed spot of parkland next year – but future generations will lose yet another important piece of history.
Here’s a shot from a few years after the 1936-38 renovations, which gave the Stadium the shape it still has today – a shape that survived the horrible 70s facelift…and a shape that is vanishes under the relentless cranes and blowtorches of Turner Construction.
And here’s a pic from the incomparable Gary Dunaier, who deserves his reputation as New York’s best ballpark photographer.
Gary’s ongoing coverage of the demolition of Yankee Stadium is highly recommended – there are literally thousands of great photos in his Flickr collection. He’s one of those fans who brings a professional’s eye and talent to his craft.
Another good source of information is the Demolition of Yankee Stadium site, which tells the whole sad story. When Shea went down, I was surprisingly sad despite its condition; but this is a bigger New York story in my book. Hard to believe it’s come to this.
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