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LOS ANGELES COLISEUM
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LOS ANGELES, CA
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Home of the Los Angeles Dodgers for four
years, the L.A. Coliseum was the most inadequate place for
baseball to be played at. When Walter O’Malley decided to move the
Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles, three playing sites were waiting. The sites included L.A. Wrigley Field, the Rose Bowl or
the L.A. Coliseum. Until a new stadium could be constructed, O’Malley
chose the L.A. Coliseum. Originally
constructed for the 1932 Olympics, the stadium served mainly as a
football stadium and continues to today. However, in
order for the stadium to be suitable for baseball three banks of
lights were added, dugouts were built, a press box was constructed
and two screens were put into place. One screen was placed behind
home plate and the other was located from the left field foul pole
to centerfield because it was only 251 feet from the foul pole to
home plate.
The
Dodgers played their first game in Los Angeles at the coliseum on April 18, 1958. A massive one tier grandstand circled the
entire playing field. The main entrance was at the opposite end of
home plate. With a capacity over 90,000, the coliseum became the
largest stadium ever to host baseball. The Dodgers attracted more than 1.8
million fans in 1958. In 1959, a football game between USC and Ohio
State was played at the coliseum. A hour after its completion, the
first World Series game in California was played. While the Dodgers
played at the coliseum, a new ballpark was being built at Chavez
Ravine. The last Dodgers game at the coliseum was on September 21,
1961. The
Dodgers moved into
Dodger Stadium the next year. The L.A. Coliseum still stands
today and is the home of the USC football team. In celebration of
their 50th year in Los Angeles, in November 2007 the Dodgers
announced they would play an exhibition game at the coliseum. The
Dodgers spent $250,000 to build temporary dugouts, construct a
baseball diamond and fences in left field. Renovations to the LA
Coliseum since the Dodgers left in 1961 have added more seats closer
to the field. Therefore, for the Dodgers exhibition game, the left
field fence was 201 feet from homeplate with a 60 foot fence. On
March 29, 2008 the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Boston Red Sox at
the coliseum. A new baseball record was set as over 115,000 fans
attended the game.
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-Tenants:
Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB), Numerous College/NFL Teams, USC
Trojans (current)
-Capacity:
92,572
-Surface:
Grass
-Cost:
$954,000
-Opened:
April 18, 1958 (MLB) |
-Closed: September 21, 1961 (MLB)
-Demolished:
Still Standing
-Dimensions:
250-L, 425-C, 301-R (original) 252-L, 420-C, 300-R (final)
-Architect:
Donal |
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All Star Game: 1959
World Series: 1959 |
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