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Home of the Los
Angeles Dodgers for over a half century, Dodger Stadium remains one of
the classic ballparks in baseball. Originally located in Brooklyn,
Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley began lobbying for a new stadium to be
built for his club, even though
Ebbets Field was still in excellent shape. After a deal could
not be completed to build a stadium, the Dodgers along with the
Giants moved to California after the 1957 season. With the move to
Los Angeles from Brooklyn, a new stadium for the Dodgers was built.
In September 1957, Los Angeles agreed to exchange 300 acres of land
in Chavez Ravine to the Dodgers in return for the Dodgers’
commitment to build a 50,000-seat stadium. Construction began on
September 17, 1959. While
Dodger Stadium was being constructed the Dodgers played at the
L.A. Coliseum. Dodger Stadium was suppose to been completed by
1961, but lawsuits and landslides pushed the opening ahead one year
later. Opening day at Dodger Stadium was on April 10, 1962 when
52,564 fans packed the five level multicolored structure. The Los
Angeles (Anaheim) Angels also began playing at Dodger Stadium in
1962, playing there until 1965. Dodger Stadium was designed to be
expandable to seat 85,000 people. However, the Dodgers never
expanded their home. Also in the original plans of the stadium was a
picturesque fountain in center field in which vari-colored
spotlights would have played on the cascading waters if a Dodger
player had hit a homerun.
Dodger
Stadium, just miles away from downtown Los Angeles, is located in
the valley of Chavez Ravine. The stadium is built into the hillside
with massive parking lots surrounding the Dodgers home. Upon
entering Dodger Stadium, fans encounter a massive stadium with
stunning views. Four of the five seating decks stretch from foul
pole to foul pole at Dodger Stadium. The top upper deck stretches
from the first base side to the third base side. A wavy top roof
hangs over the back of the bleachers that are located behind both
left and right field. Two scoreboards are above the bleachers. For
more than three decades there were few changed at Dodger Stadium.
However in recent years that has changed. After the 1999 season, new
field level seats down the foul lines beyond the dugouts and a new
expanded dugout section, known as the Dugout Club, with an
 adjacent
club area were added. The luxury suites were also upgraded to
provide the same amenities that ones in newer ballparks provide.
After the 2002 season, the Dodger installed a new video board,
DodgerVision replacing the previous one in left field. Out of
town scoreboards are incorporated as part of the outfield fence in
left and right field. More improvements to Dodger Stadium occurred
after the 2004 season. These included the dugouts being pushed
forward allowing for several additional rows of Dugout Club seats to
be added and additional seating down the foul lines. This project
added roughly 1,500 seats to Dodger Stadium. The seating capacity
remains at 56,000. With new ownership in 2012, Dodgers fans hope
that the team returns to its former glory and can bring a World
Series Championship back to Los Angeles.
After the 2005 season, the Dodgers announced plans
to replace all the seats at Dodger Stadium. The
seating bowl returned to its original color seating
color from 1962: yellow, light orange, turquoise,
and sky blue. Additionally, box seating was added to
the baseline area and the stadium bowl concrete was
repaired, resurfaced and refinished. This $20
million renovation project also included the terrace
picnic area that seats 500 people outside the Loge
level seating entrance. In August 2007, the Dodgers
announced the next phase of renovations to Dodger
Stadium that widened the concourses and expanded the
number of concession areas and restrooms. Before the
2008 season, renovations were completed on the field
level that included two new Baseline Box Clubs.
Prior to the start of the 2013 season $100 million
was spent by Dodger ownership upgrading Dodger
Stadium. These improvements include new HD
video/scoreboards in right and left field, a
new
sound system, wider concourses, new restrooms and an
upgrade home clubhouse that includes new batting
cages and weight rooms.
Since it's opening,
Dodger Stadium has remained one of the cleanest and nicest ballparks
in the country. In 1978, the Dodgers became the first team to draw
three million fans to the ballpark. Every off season, it is given a
fresh coat of paint. Stepping into Dodger Stadium today is almost
like stepping into it as if it were 1962 again. The stadium has been
the home to four Los Angeles Dodgers Championship teams and 11
National League West Division title teams. Hall of Fame manager,
Tommy Lasorda, along with Sandy Koufax, Don Sutton, Orel Hershiser
and Mike Piazza are just a few of the greats that have called Dodger
Stadium their home. The atmosphere found at Dodger Stadium is hard
to find anywhere else in baseball and although it is more than 50
years old, Dodger Stadium still ranks as one of MLB's top ballparks.
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