Dodger Stadium also known as the “pitchers” ball Park is a world-class baseball park situated in Elysian Park near the city of Los Angeles in California. It is the home field for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, as well as, a venue for other National and Major League games (DeFrank, 2016). The origin of Dodger stadium dates back to 1957 with the Dodger president Walter O’Malley in Brooklyn, New York (Podair, 2018). President O’Malley was advocating for a new stadium to be built in New York in support of the Brooklyn baseball team (Lucas, 2018). Terms of constructing the stadium could not be agreed upon, which triggered his move to California where his visions seemed to agree with those of Kenneth Hahn (Podair, 2018). Hahn was a county supervisor, and was sourcing for teams for Los Angeles. The city had not established any major league sports team for itself and President O’Malley made a deal with the officials of Los Angeles for 300 acres and the promise to put up a new stadium on the Chavez Ravine’s land (DeFrank, 2016).
Chavez Ravine was once home to a generation of Mexican Americans. Prior to the public housing proposal in the 1950s, Chavez hosted over 1800 Mexican inhabitants in the rural area, which relied on farming (Lucas, 2018). Families had found their way there due to racial discrimination housing in New York City (Ravine, 2018). Once again, they were targeted by the legislation such as the National Housing Act of 1949. Chavez Ravine was portrayed as an equivalently poor community with broken down houses that was better off gone. By the start of 1951, Chavez Ravine had been slated for development by the New Housing Act targeting to build houses, schools and colleges. By 1953, nearly all inhabitants had been sent away. Los Angeles purchased the Chavez Ravine from the Federal Housing Authority with an agreement that the land would be put into public use. In 1953, there were political changes with Norris Poulson being elected as the Lawyer for Los Angeles and the construction of the public housing projects received a blow after being opposed by the new regime (Lucas, 2018). What followed was a new referendum that barred the “Elysian Park Heights” project from constructing housing for the public, and instead the land was set aside for public use.
In June 1958, voters in Los Angeles approved the taxpayers’ committee on baseball in a referendum and the Dodgers were allowed to acquire at least 352 acres of Chavez Ravine. O’Malley, Emil Praeger, and Edward Fickett did the design of Dodger stadium. Construction of the baseball park began in September 1959 and ended in 1961 having taken three years to complete. The construction of the stadium cost $23 million, which was fully funded by private investors, becoming the first major baseball stadium to be constructed through private investment. The design and colors selected by Fickett created a unique Southern California appearance for the stadium, and gave it a modern outlook for the 1960s.
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The stadium was opened 57 years ago on April 10, 1962 with 52,564 fans finding their way into the stadium to watch the first game. The stadium was a huge accomplishment by O’Malley, the owner of the Dodgers. In the United States, the presence of a major sporting league team is the requirement for recognition as a city of status. Baseball, football, and basketball are the most desired games, and they help play a significant role in the rise of any city (Podair, 2017). For example, in 2009, Dodger stadium recorded 57099 fans, the highest record ever recorded in baseball history. The stadium was designed by architect and civil engineer, Emil Praeger, and O’Malley, with additional support from architect Edward Fickett. The stadium was designed so that every entrance was at a grade. The twenty-one entrances on six different levels presented a unique vertical circulation along the beautifully landscaped plazas around the stadium border and each seating section had parking directly across from the entrance. Another benefit of the stadium was that it would create new jobs, entertainment experiences and would generate property tax revenues for the City. In addition, it was envisioned that the presence of Dodger stadium was a vital step of revolutionizing the City as one of the cultural amenities that spearheaded the emergence of a wonderful modern city.
Dodger Stadium is currently recognized as the largest baseball stadium in the world holding a sitting capacity of 56,000. Originally, the Dodgers purchased more land than they needed because they had intended on expanding the stadium to 85,000 seats. The stadium is also one of the oldest ballparks following Wrigley and Fenway and it is the third most continuously used park in all of Major League Baseball.
From the opening date, Dodger Stadium has hosted four championship teams and seventeen title teams from the National League West Division. The stadium was also home to the semifinals and finals of the world baseball classics in 2009 and 2017. In addition, Dodger stadium also hosted exhibition baseball for the summer Olympic Games in 1984. Besides baseball, the stadium also hosted soccer tournaments in 2013 featuring several European football teams. Dodger stadium is scheduled to host the MLB all-star games in 2020 and Olympic summer baseball and softball competitions in 2028.
Since its initial construction, Dodger stadium has undergone several structural renovations and upgrades. After the end of the 2005 baseball season, the Dodgers upgraded the stadium by changing the seats into the new retro- box style, which created more legroom and provided a table. New upgrades were introduced between 2003 and 2012 by mounting video screens for increased visual display, adding Wi-Fi, wider concourses, a new sound system, a fun zone for kids, and new bathrooms. The Dodger clubhouse was also upgraded by adding a weight room and batting cages. A dodger museum, shops and restaurants were also put up around the stadium. Other innovations include a dodger way, green necklace landscape that links the perimeter of the park so fans can walk around the park, and a top view made available to the field level seats. In 2009, the United States Postal Service issued Dodger Stadium its own zip code. If you look up the zip code 90090, it comes up as Dodgertown, USA. Many of the design touches that add uniqueness to Dodger Stadium have been repeated in the new additions, and they were driven by studying the venue and the original well kept, archives of Walter O’Malley.
The Dodgers baseball park has also overseen various events and games like no-hitters, visits by the pope, motocross, monster truck events, and live music concerts and performances from artists such as the Beatles, Michael Jackson, ACDC, and Elton John. Over time, the stadium continues to be a wonderful ballpark that has gone through several innovations and renovations to usher the park into an ultra-modern facility with the latest seats, internet access, mounted display screens and a new scoreboard. The stadium has been outstanding in adapting to the changing landscape and demands of Los Angeles and innovative technologies. However, even with the changes, the park has retained its traditional origin and glory as one of the oldest ballparks of America. Just like the Chavez Ravine, Dodger Stadium remains adaptive to change, but remains the home of the Dodgers and a thrilling atmosphere of baseball for the Los Angeles landscape.
Since the stadium opened, it has remained one of the most beautiful and cleanest ballparks in America. It is given a new coat of paint each year, and they staff a full time arborist to maintain the picturesque landscaping around the stadium. Baseball is one of America’s favorite pastimes and whenever a new season comes, there is always a new hope from fans that sparks debates on the potential of their home teams winning the World Series (Campbell 2013). Dodger Stadium continues to be a big part of the history and tradition of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is the home of one of baseball’s most storied franchises, a destination for worldwide fan base and a monument for a bustling, multicultural city. Dodger Stadium has been a home for a team and a city for fifty-one years and it will continue to live on. When you step into Dodger Stadium today, it is like stepping into 1962 again. The atmosphere that is found is hard to find anywhere else in baseball and it will continue to be an American gem that needs to be preserved.
References
- Death at Dodger Stadium Sure To Raise Further Discussions of Fan Protection. (2019, February 5). Retrieved from https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/02/05/death-at-dodger-stadium-sure-to-raise-further-discussions-of-fan-protection/
- How the Dodger baseball stadium shaped LA? And revealed its divisions. (2018, May 11). Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/apr/12/dodger-baseball-stadium-shaped-la-and-revealed-its-divisions
- Lucas, A. E. (2018). Chavez Ravin: Culture Clash and the Political Project of Rewriting History. Theatre History Studies, 37(1), 279-301. doi:10.1353/ths.2018.0014
- Podair, J. (2017). City of Dreams. doi:10.1515/9781400884704
- Dodger Stadium. (2002, October 12). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodger_Stadium
- DeFrank, D. (2016, December 12). A Brief History of LA’s Dodger Stadium. Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/a-brief-history-of-las-dodger-stadium/
