A Brief History of Ballpark Design
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- čas přidán 1. 08. 2024
- If baseball is America's pastime, baseball stadiums are America's architecture.
From early Jewelbox Parks (Fenway Park, Wrigley Field), to concrete donuts and multipurpose stadiums (Oakland Coliseum, Veteran's Stadium), to retro-modern parks (Camden Yards, Busch Stadium, Coors Field), baseball stadiums reflect the changes to a sport and a people over the past century.
Let's take a look into what has shaped the design of baseball stadiums.
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I post content about the built environment. More content to come. Suggestions are welcome.
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#baseball #redsox #cubs #philles #dodgers #yankees #mariners
#ballpark #history #design #architecture #urbandesign
#chicago #boston #newyork #stlouis #seattle #losangeles #miami
I think you missed an entire generation of ballparks that encompassed three stadiums: Dodgers Stadium, the A in Anaheim and Kaufmann Stadium. They were the original suburban ballparks that were built for baseball and were designed to optimally play baseball and watch baseball in. They were (to my knowledge) the only three specifically built for baseball parks between 1958 and 1987. You mentioned Dodger Stadium but lumped it in with the municipal multi-purpose parks of the 1970's.
I'd also add two more.
Candlestick Park in San Francisco was also originally built as a baseball-only park and was later retrofitted to host football. In many ways it was similar to Anaheim Stadium in that regard, as that park was also a baseball stadium that was expanded for football. The differences are that Anaheim Stadium was only used for football for 15 years and, after the Rams' fairly forgettable tenure, the expansion was mostly demolished as the park was renovated back into baseball-only use. Meanwhile Candlestick hosted football for much longer, was home to the 49ers during the halcyon Joe Montana and Steve Young eras (making it arguable better known as a football stadium than a ballpark), and continued to host football until its demise, even after the Giants moved to McCovey Cove.
The other park is add is new Comiskey/US Cellular/Guaranteed Rate in Chicago. That last major league park to open before Camden Yards, it just missed the boat on the retro trend and was intended as a fully modern if baseball-only park. They've since renovated it to give it more retro touches (like the much-needed roof), but it was definitely intended to be in the same vein as Dodger Stadium and Kaufmann Stadium.
I agree with you, Bob - was going to say something to this effect, but you've already said better than I could. I noticed he missed something with that rolling in Dodger Stadium with the multi-use parks that followed it.
@@mglenn7092 Agreed. The only thing Dodger Stadium has in common with the multipurpose concrete donuts is symmetrical outfield dimensions. And those were used because they had the space; the thought at the time was the asymmetry of past ballparks was a flaw caused by the cramped quarters in which they were built, and having a large, symmetrical outfield was a way of showing progress. In that regard Dodger Stadium does fit with them, but that's it. Otherwise it's entirely different as it was never meant as anything other that a ballpark. The real multipurpose concrete donut trend did began the same year as Dodger Stadium opening, though, as that is also when the now-RFK Stadium in DC opened. But Dodger Stadium was and is not a donut.
Also, Dodger Stadium is hardly a "suburban" ballpark; it's one mile from the LA downtown, for pity's sake! It's main appeal was freeway access, important to SoCal folk. The "Big A" in Anaheim would have qualified when it opened in '66, it was fairly much a copy of Dodger Stadium, which the Angels had shared for four seasons with the Dodgers, and referred to it when there as "Chavez Ravine". As for Kaufmann Stadium...It was recognized that each sport needed its own stadium, but they share the parking lots and freeway ramps.
I'm a bit sad that Kansas City's stadium wasn't featured in the second section. Still, very interesting video. Glad the almighty algorithm suggested it.
The K was shown briefly when he was talking about large parking lots
That is still a great park
Kauffman isn't a multi-sport doughnut stadium.
As an old baseball fan about to enter my seventh decade of fandom, thanks for this! I kind of wish you’d briefly gone into a couple of areas that affect appreciation of the actual games of baseball being played in these ballparks. First of all, symmetry vs. asymmetry: the asymmetrical field design of the jewel boxes made play more interesting, especially outfield play, and conferred an advantage on the home club whose fielders played there half the season. This was lost with the cookie-cutter concrete donuts whose symmetry made them really boring places to watch baseball. The retro parks brought back the asymmetry and personality of a home park and along with that, the home-team advantage of knowing how and where the ball was going to bounce. Secondly, the sight lines in the modern retro parks are awesome! Although Fenway feels literally like home to me, its outfield seats face, well, into the outfield - you have to twist your whole trunk to look towards the infield and the hitter/pitcher - and if you go get food, you have to for the most part go under the stands and leave the game. I lived near DC for awhile, and I loved that Camden’s seats were all turned to face the plate and that Nats’ Park was so open and well-constructed that you can keep an eye on the field while buying your hotdogs.
As a Sox fan I'm once again disappointed on being left out of historic baseball video. Comiskey was the original jewel box stadium and the standard for how the rest would be built.
I agree , it should’ve been included..My family attended many games there .. my sons love of baseball began there.. so many memories
Assuming you're a white Sox fan.
@@nethunsoc3771 I mean it was the first thing I said
I am an avid White Sox fan .. my family is split among the Mets and Tigers .. and Cubs unfortunately.. but I am and always be a White Sox fan .. want Tony out and Ozzie back ..
He could have also mentioned Navin Field in Detroit, League Park in Cleveland, the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, and Braves Field in Boston.
Love old parks and retro designs… very good concise overview of MLB’s stadium metamorphosis.
Nevertheless, there was one park of significance that was overlooked:
The 1990-91 new Chicago White Sox park (originally named the new Comiskey Park, now Guaranteed Rate Field) they simply missed the boat just before the O’s built their ingenious architectural beauty !
I especially appreciated that this CZcams post mentioned Buffalo’s 1989 Pilot Field ( now Sahlen Field ) as creating a footprint for retro👍 Ironically, the White Sox were not paying attention.
Thank you for the insightful CZcams post 😀
you only got two origanal parks left wigley and fenway so you better go visit them as soon as you can who knows how long they got left.
@@joelawson3638 Even those two parks will come tumbling down one day.
Sure am glad MLB got rid of Astroturf-that did more harm than good when it was in use-turf toe, turf burn, etc.
Missing from this is the most important feature of modern parks, the addition of luxury suites and other facilities that make modern parks a stadium/shopping mall hybrid. The need for suites often has adverse effects on the stadium, pushing upward the higher seating levels putting fans far away from the action. Chicago White Sox, the late Turner field, and Jacobs field in Cleveland are great examples of modern stadium that have upper level seating far away from the field in order to provide in-between levels of suites. Turner field has already been replaced by the latest generation of parks, the 'Downtown Disney' approach where teams build an entire shopping and entertainment district around their stadiums. Or in the case of Wrigley, purchase all the real-estate around the park and combine it into an entertainment district.
Tiger Stadium in Detroit was one of the oldest and one of the classic old school parks. I grew up in that park basically and 4 generations of my family attended games there including my son. I miss it terribly.
Saw many games there. Also, 1970 & 1971 Thanksgiving games there.
So do I. Detroit wanted a downtown ballpark when we already had one!
I build a ballpark every morning when I put on my boxers. Sadly, no one is flocking to visit. Anyway, there’s a reason the most beloved stadiums/ballparks are all ones which have unique designs that were shaped organically by their surroundings PS - I like your videos. Hopefully, you continue to produce them.
Thank you. Everyone who makes videos such as these always forgets that Pilot/NorthAmeriCare/Dunn Tire/CocaCola/Sahlen Field (it’s had way too many names for something 33 years old) was the catalyst for the retro boom.
The Dodgers (and the Giants) came west in 1958….just sayin’.
Dodgers Stadium was so brilliantly designed and built….lending it to longevity and being altered and upgraded….and the setting is like no other.
It’s somewhat odd to think that it’s the third oldest park in the league and probably will remain so for the foreseeable future.
Thank you for posting this - was thinking about his lightly skipping over Dodger Stadium during his presentation, and here's your post setting him straight.
It works. Why fool with it?
I think the Dodgers need a new stadium. I find the current Dodger Stadium to be pretty bland and boring compared to newer parks. I don’t enjoy watching games there, either on TV or at the park itself. And parking is a nightmare, it could take you 3 hours to get out of that mess. Just my opinion.
Love this! Jewel Box Parks! Nicely written!
To be fair, SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) is in downtown Toronto and didn't open until 1989.
I'm not really into the music in this video, but I appreciate your enthusiasm in describing everything and this video was quite informative.
This is really fascinating to watch
A plus! I have followed base ball (2 words) since 1966 and learned a lot! Thank you.
You think baseball is two words?
@@jeremymccommons7741 It was in the 1910’s. Many words have been combined Over the years; nothing used to no thing; everyone used to be every one.
@@BillMorganChannel Language changes dumbass that's why it became baseball.
You missed something MAJOR in design history. Kansas City had revolutionary insight to construct baseball only/football only venues simultaneously in the late 60s'. The original design included a retractable roof that failed an initial referendum.
I mentioned Kaufmann in a comment as one of three parks revolutionarily designed for baseball. As I understand it,' the architect sat in every seat in the park to be sure the seats were optimally placed .
No doubt a desire for brevity and simplicity contributed to the identification of only three generations of ballparks. I'd raise the following quibbles:
1. No serious discussion of how the original Yankee Stadium altered the architectural and economic potential of baseball venues. It opened less than a decade after Fenway and Wrigley, but it was no jewel box. It was concrete and steel, and its capacity dwarfed the jewel boxes. Cleveland Stadium fits the same mold. Note how Fenway is a park, Wrigley is a field, but Yankee is a Stadium. The double whammy of Depression and War delayed the retirement of the jewel boxes, but both styles of 1960s park are heirs to the House That Ruth Built.
2. The video equates Dodger Stadium and the cookie cutter parks. The multipurpose stadiums overlap in time with Dodger Stadium, but they really represent different styles. It is possible for two trends to occur together and for audiences to hold two ideas in our heads. I'd have distinguished these styles more strongly. Facilities built for two sports versus the more rare single sport venue.
3. The true cookie cutters are all gone, but the mid-century parks that both predate retroclassic and also are not "doughnuts" survive: Dodgers, Anaheim, Oakland (not originally doughnut like), Kauffman, Comiskey 2, Skydome. The video mostly gave this group short shrift (aside from LA). I think this helps build the argument that we saw two distinct styles of ballpark at mid-century, not one.
Really great content! Keep doing what your doing
Couple things. First, 6:25 unfortunately, this park in Iowa has since built a modern style seating section completely destroying it's charm all for the almighty buck. #2, you are partly right on the multi-purpose stadiums that started to spring up in the late 60's/early 70's. Dodger Stadium was never meant to be a multi-purpose park as the Rams never played there. They played in the Colosseum which is where the Dodgers played until Chavez Ravine was built. As for the others like Busch, The Vet(where I saw countless Eagles/Phillies/Stars games as well as concerts), Three Rivers, Riverfront...the cookie cutter stadiums(which is what they were called and not "Concrete Donuts"). They were true multi-purpose stadiums. They not only hosted baseball and football(the Vet, for example, hosted the Phillies/Eagles/original USFL Stars/Temple football) but many other events from wrestling(WCW Great American Bash in 1986), to tractor pulls to concerts to NASL soccer(Atoms and Fury played there) to a Billy Graham crusade. The other cookie cutter stadiums did the same. The problem with these parks wasn't just the artificial turf(the Vet ended many a career) but the lack of intimacy with the fans was an issue. I know at the Vet if you were in the 700 level(the old yellow seats) you were almost in another time zone from the field. It was cool for football but sucked for baseball. I saw a football game at Busch in 1987 and even though we were in the first level we were so far removed from the field it would have been better to watch the game on TV.
Thanks Carl very cool
I liked when baseball teams played in stadiums that didn't have phony corporate names.
How cool to play baseball in a place called "The Polo Grounds."
Not sure I would have included Forbes Field as a “small” park. I believe center field was 475 feet
Nicely done!
For other's comments:
I think the Houston Astros made a huge mistake in not keeping the Houston Astrodome.
Like Fenway in Boston and Wrigley in Chicago, the venue sometimes attracts fans as much as the game.
The attraction would have been sitting in the first and oldest domed stadium.
I believe the Astros and city of Houston could have put some money into the Astrodome and provided theteam with such a unique venue.
I'm not a fan of artifical surfaces, but technology has come a long way since "astroturf" and the junk used in other stadiums such as I saw in Royals Stadium (Kaufmann).
Sad this unique and historical structure (Astrodome) will probably soon torn down.
As far as "suburban" parks go, you missed the original one. Met Stadium was originally built in 1956 when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. Met Stadium was built in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington.
Met Stadium first hosted the NY Giants minor league team, the Minneapolis Millers. Before moving to San Francisco, the NY Giants were planning on moving to Met Stadium.
The stadium was expanded and the Washington Senators moved to the Twin Cities and became the Minnesota Twins. Later the NFL expanded to Minnesota & Dallas. The Met expanded again to accommodate the Minnesota Vikings. Who just happened to have their best years being an outdoor team.
Great video! Nice music, too!
Wow, no mention of Yankee Stadium,which was the first triple decked stadium.
Beautifully written. Brilliant description of how society affects architecture, balancing practicality and beauty in its many forms.
P.S. You forgot to mention Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. :-)
The exterior of Citi Field is identical to Ebbets Field. I'm surprised you didn't mention that.
Wow! That was interesting.
Great work.
Great video!
thank you!
Astroturf was developed for the Astrodome in an odd way. Initially, the Astrodome had natural grass. But it also had a roof with tiles designed to let in the light to keep the grass growing. Unfortunately, that roof made it impossible to play baseball since you could not see a ball against it. So, the park painted the tiles an opaque color. But that killed the grass. Thus, Monsanto came in with "Astroturf," an artificial surface. The tragedy is that many outdoor stadiums created during that time--Three Rivers, Veterans, Riverfront, and others--also adopted it, even though they played outdoors. A notable exception: San Diego Stadium, which never went to artificial turf.
Wouldn’t Citi Field count as a retro classic park?
Did anyone else get teary eyed
I loved sports as a kid and seeing the baseball dirt during football games at a lot of stadiums on TV..🏈⚾🚜🏟💺I'm 34 now..
I honestly don't see anything wrong with Globe Life. It's a beautiful modern take on the classic jewel box/retro-classic architecture.
One thing is that It didn't have a roof
That may have been true of "old" Globe Life Park (which isn't really old at all). The recently opened Globe Life Park looks like an overgrown airplane hanger.
2:22 Does anyone have any answer on why so many people have their shirts off in the photo? I’m very curious to know
They should return back to jewel box design ball parks again and build the new ball parks that way.
As a White Sox fan, I've always wondered where New Comiskey/US Cellular Field/Guarantee Rate Field fits in here.
Built in 1989/1990, it seems to straddle between the "Multi Purpose Biggest-is-Best" and the "Retro" eras of ballparks. It's a baseball-only field. It's got unobstructed views from every seat. And it's right in an urban setting, with three rail stations nearby. Unfortunately its design retained some elements of the "concrete donuts". It turns it's back on the surrounding neighborhoods. Once inside, there's no external views--no sense of space. It's upper deck was way too high and way too steep. Part of the upper deck was eventually removed, thus giving the place more of a ballpark look. Despite many modification over the years, it's still not a great place to see a game.
I’m a Jays fan and have been to many games at the Skydome. I can admit that it might have been seen as revolutionary back in the day, but now it’s dated and lame. Would love to see the Jays get a retro classic park within the next few decades. A city as beautiful as Toronto is practically begging for one.
The Jays used to play on natural grass at Exhibition Stadium and if you think Rogers Centre is dated and lame, you would have been crying if you had to go to games at Exhibition Stadium. Lol. It was a dump but it was where the Jays started and I saw a lot of games there and had a lot of fun there when I was your age. Rogers Centre is a jewel compared to Exhibition Stadium. And they're going to put millions of dollars in renovations in the next couple years so I'm looking forward to seeing the changes.
@@travisazzopardi8024The Blue Jays play on Astro Turf at Exhibition 1977-1989 Exhibition was a grass field from 1959 to 1971
0:37 The guy behind home plate with the megaphone must be the P. A. announcer! 😀
Not even a photo or mention of Comiskey Park.
Excellent video!
I wonder what style of ballpark the soon-to-be-real Las Vegas A's will use? :)
Whatever it is, it's going to need a roof. Caught an Aviators game in Summerlin this spring and it was almost unbearably hot, with good seats exposed to the sun all day.
@@JRobelen Yup
I thought sure riverfront stadium would be mentioned as part of the multiplex Roman Colosseum type facilities. And then I thought for sure that Great American ballpark would be mentioned when the video started talking about modern retro ball parks.
Fairly interesting. Millennial narration. The T is silent in...often.
Also, it’s dilapidated, not dilapitated. Drives me nuts when people say it that way.
No need to make it a millennial thing. Lots of us boomers and Xers got things wrong. And pronunciation, like much grammar, comes from usage, and changes over time.
I'm not so sure you can give Dodger Stadium the credit--or the blame--for the second phase. It was--and remains--a field dedicated to baseball. Every other park built in that era--Royals Stadium being an exception--was dual-purpose, starting with Candlestick.
Candlestick was a baseball only stadium from 1960-71 when it was enclosed, much like Anaheim Stadium, for the 49ers.
Left out KC and Cincy in the second part
4:40 Seattle Kingdom implosion.
New sub! Liked 🤗🤗🙏😛
nIcely done. I enjoyed that.
The first true built for baseball jewel box stadium was Connie Mack or Shibe park.
Most modern ballparks the owner want more fans in
If fans loves old school stadiums that's great
Then let's bring back
Old school baseball
NO MORE GARBALETHICS
I've been to a lot of stadiums and the 'best' is an easy call for me. There's no place like Dodger Stadium.
I'm old enough to remember when Dodger Stadium was built and praised for its modernity. Now it's the third oldest.
Carving out a whole Latin community. Place is a dump. They should’ve done better and went more urban
For my money Royals' Stadium aka Kaufman Field is the best stadium to come out of the disastrous cookie cutter donut era.
It was not a cookie cutter and it belonged in its own era.
Turner Field was designed to host Olympic track and field before being modified for baseball. Arguably the ugliest Olympic stadium ever.
Joe Robbie built his stadium for the Dolphins but with sideline seats far from the field to accommodate a wider soccer field. The arrival of the Marlins forced modifications to accommodate baseball. Post Marlins, a remodeled lower bowl brought fans closer to the field. They also removed the upper corners to make room for video displays under a needed roof over the seating areas. Hard Rock Stadium was constructed with no public financing. The Dolphins don't have a lease, but if the did, it would be far less than their property taxes.
Oracle Park's right field is cut off by the San Francisco Bay.
And has the best ballpark food ever. I need some garlic fries right about now!!!!!!!!!!! And an ice cold Sierra Nevada pale ale 👍
Never heard concrete donuts
0:37 - The Phillies took forever to get past stage one with their long residence at the fabulous Baker Bowl. Wooden bleachers collapsed once and burned down once. Goats grazed there. The right field fence made the Green Monster look tame; it was Heaven for left-handed pull hitters and Hell for pitchers.
I could go in....I will. The outfield had a bank so a wooden track could be set up for bicycle races. Not sure they ever played a night game; given what I know about the neighborhood that may have been for the best. Trains roared all around The Hump 24/7. The Phillies finally went down the street to Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium during the 1938 season. Not exactly a classic.
I've been to a few cookie cutters and only shea and rfk stadiums looked nice
Too bad they didn't age particularly well. I've been to both too.
@@JRobelen kinda wish they made shea stadium 2.0 a baseball specific stadium with sheas aesthetic, citi field is really awesome though :)
@@rileyvonbevern4652 If I had to guess I'd say Steve Cohen probably has one new ballpark in his future and it will probably be more like Shea and less like Ebbetts Field. I wouldn't mind a concept like that although Shea itself should have been replaced in the 1990s.
@@JRobelen tbh citi field is awesome and really should be here for generations to come
@@rileyvonbevern4652 could be, I'm just saying.
I moved to La last year and I love Dodgers stadium once your inside. but my god it’s a crime against the sport
You forgot Three Rivers
I have to say living in south florida this guy had one thing wrong, pro player stadium or as i like to call it still Joe Robbie stadium was a football stadium that was converted to be also a baseball park from 1 million dollard of florida tax payers when the then florida marlins started to play in the early 90s.
Yeah.. No one cried when those doughnut shaped stadiums were torn down.
And yet they were lauded as modern 'space age' facilities when they opened. Akin to the Brutalist architecture of the 60s and early 70s.
@@kenkur27 more like a waste of space and an eyesore.
Interesting video, but the Dodgers moved to LA in ‘58, not ‘57.
Lack of Tigers Stadium makes this list null and void.
As lousy as they are, you should be happy they weren't mentioned.
No mention of Yankee stadium?
Fun video but a lot of misses.
new yankee stadium is terrible
Yep. I went in 09’ and haven’t and won’t go back.
Why??????
Camden killed the multi-use stadium. Good riddance!
Jewel Box Parks are the best, close & on top of the action.( Old Comiskey, Tiger Stadium, Ebbets Field). All of these new fake retro classic parks suck and are no different than the concrete donuts of the 70's. Look from foul pole to foul pole from the view of center field & they are the same. Lower seats, a 2-story complex of boxes & suites, & an upper deck on top pushed further up & farther back. And just because you build your outfield all messed up on purpose does not give your ballpark history or character.
Most jewel boxes "were take it or leave it" propositions because in most cities, urban planning didn't include sporting venues or just wasn't in place at all. As a result there were many inconveniences that don't often get mentioned, like tiny concourses, obstructed view seats and little to no parking. So a little contrivance like a straight wall in front of a warehouse is not much of a tradeoff for the access, the atmosphere, and the intimacy.
I liked how the older stadiums were able to let in more light by putting windows or just omitting the exterior wall in between decks. The seats behind the pillars weren’t so great but they were better stadiums overall.
Baseball is on life support. The electronic strike zone will pull the plug.
The electronic strike zone is already here--on every broadcast of every game. People are complaining more because they know when an umpire makes a blown call than they will when there's a uniform strike zone. People will accept it, but not every rule change has been a good idea. Banning the shift is just asinine. And if any rule "pulled the plug," it's the so-called Ohtani Rule. That was unforgivable.
A lot of seats were far away from the actual field in the old multipurpose stadiums⁉🏈⚾💺🏟I loved sports as a kid and teenager though..I'm 34 now..