The House That Ruth Built

The exhaust tower shaped like a Louisville Slugger in front of gate 4, Aug-1992.

The classic view from the upper deck of Yankee Stadium includes the Bronx County Courthouse.

• Location: 161 Street & River Avenue, Bronx, N.Y.
• Opened: 1923 (renovated 1976)
• Home team: New York Yankees, American League (1923-73, 1976-2008)
• Capacity: 57,545

Rating: 4 baseballs

This is still the House That Ruth Built, the outfield Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle roamed, the pitcher’s mound where Don Larsen fired a perfect game in the 1956 World Series against Brooklyn.

But it’s also a modernized facility. The biggest upgrade in 1976 was to eliminate the pillars that obstructed many of the views for 51 years (the Yanks played at Shea Stadium while the renovations took place in 1974 and 1975, and also played a home game at Shea when a support beam in the seating bowl broke loose during the late 1990s).

However, several other features were altered, including a significant shortening of the outfield fence (it’s been shortened more since), and moving the flag pole and monuments from in play 467 feet from the plate in dead center to an area behind the fence in left-center. Upon seeing the revamped park for the first time, former shortstop Phil Rizzuto remarked, “The bullpen used to be in the bullpen.” Now both are behind Monument Park, in the old power alley. Last, but not least for many fans, the old facade was eliminated, with an ersatz one put in place only in the outfield.

Still, there’s something about visiting the Big Ballyard in the Bronx, home of the most successful franchise in the majors, a club that has won the World Series 26 times through 2000. Especially since they don’t play football there anymore – the New York Giants moved across the river in 1976.

A plan to build a new Yankee Stadium in nearby Macombs Dam Park was postponed in early 2002 by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg in the wake of a budget crisis resulting partly from expenses relating to the 11-Sep-2001 terrorist attacks. However, the new park was approved in 2005; ground broke in 2006 in the city park, across River Avenue from the current facility. The new Yankee Stadium is scheduled to open in 2009.