Yankee Stadium

New York Yankees, a Major League Baseball team, that mostly everyone hates (unless you are from New York) and Yankee Stadium is one place that everyone wants to see, even when you hate the team or you are a tourist. It is famously known as ‘Cathedral of Baseball’.

Opened in 1923, Yankee Stadium New York was the largest baseball stadium that was home to many celebrity players like Alex Rodriguez, Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and many more. For more than eight decades Yankees baseball was played at this stadium. In the late 1960s, the stadium started deteriorating and was renovated between 1974 and 1976. However, the team demanded a new stadium that could offer more amenities to the fans and in return could generate additional revenue. There was a nostalgia among the public for the old stadium. And then, began a new era for baseball in New York with new and iconic Yankee Stadium that was opened in 2009. The construction started in 2005 adjacent to the old Yankee Stadium across East 161st street in Bronx. It was reported that the City of New York had spent $220 million for infrastructure and improvements while the Yankees financed major part of the project amounting to $1.6 billion. It is considered as one of the most expensive stadiums ever built.

The first Yankees game on the new stadium was played in April 2009 against the Cleveland Indians and that year the team accomplished the same result that of 1923 Yankees when the stadium opened to the public – winning the World Series.

The Yankee Stadium New York has a seating capacity of 52,000. The first two levels from the main grandstand hosts about 30,000 seats, the third level contains 56 luxury suites and the fourth level has a split-level upper deck. Fans who enjoyed the benches from the old Yankee Stadium have the same feature in the new stadium along with the added advantage of a food court. The new construction had many upgraded elements and features that were missing in the old Yankee Stadium. To provide a sense of belongingness, the external construction of the new stadium of limestone and granite was a replica of the original Yankee Stadium. Known as the Great Hall, a 31,000 square feet concourse is setup before entering the magnificent stadium. The stadium also has an open-air new Monument park that boasts of plaques of distinguished members, Yankee’s retired numbers and collection of monuments.

Want to see the House that Babe Ruth built? Take our Bronx tour and check it out!