Yankee Stadium [I] Demolition

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

Built a couple decades prior to Yankee Stadium, this structure, or part of it, should remain standing as a tribute to the worst - and best - chapters in the history of mental health care!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkDAQscs6A0

(I'm in a silly mood tonight and just finished watching "OFOTCN")

[Rob R]

Built a couple decades prior to Yankee Stadium, this structure, or part of it, should remain standing as a tribute to the worst - and best - chapters in the history of mental health care!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkDAQscs6A0

(I'm in a silly mood tonight and just finished watching "OFOTCN")

Ahhh...Juicy Fruit.

[Cool Papa B.]

In addition to getting the Lou Gehrig speech wrong, you also got the Ernest Hemingway quote wrong too. It should be, "... They say his father was a fisherman ..." The way your signature is now, it is not proper grammar.

What a joke. I actually feel sorry for you. Have you figured out when I jumped down your throat?

Cool Papa B, I'm with ya. But no matter what you say, if you're on record as saying you prefer NYS to RYS, they'll continue to break your balls in this thread, no matter the topic. Say that you are devastated, that destroying RYS is like your family getting cancer AND that you hate NYS, and they'll help you re-write Gehrig's speech.

I should be the last one to give advice, because I took the bait from this TINY minority (what are there like 6-7 of them, including Mets fans, here?) and wound up getting suspended a couple of times.

Thanks Rob. Boy, this thread has relly gone out of control hasn't it?At least there's you and a few others who know where I'm coming from.

[locke40]

What a joke. I actually feel sorry for you. Have you figured out when I jumped down your throat?



Thanks Rob. Boy, this thread has relly gone out of control hasn't it?At least there's you and a few others who know where I'm coming from.

Why do you feel sorry for me? I'm doing just fine, thank you. A typo is a typo; I just don't understand why you wouldn't want to be accurate. Oh, and by the way, the first time I brought up the incorrect Lou Gehrig quote in your signature was in the Target Field Thread, chief.

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

Ahhh...Juicy Fruit.

Very historic structure my friend - the Oregon State Hospital. From the air the original structure resembles a giant backwards letter J. Supposedly parts of it will be renovated and incorporated into a new OSH built on the site.

<crackling sound, slight feedback of a microphone> . . . "Medication time, Medication time!" <cue elevator music>

UPDATE: Geuss who's listed as contractor for ROSH: http://www.aeieng.com/markets/projec...tate_hospital/ Compare that rendering to what originally existed: http://thomas-industriesinc.com/Misc...egon_State.jpg How ironic! Only now they're called Populous.

Point? If they could save & incorporate that much of a mental hospital into its replacement - they could save - literally - about 5%(Gate II) of the total mass of RYS!

[Cool Papa B.]

Very historic structure my friend - the Oregon State Hospital. From the air the original structure resembles a giant backwards letter J. Supposedly parts of it will be renovated and incorporated into a new OSH built on the site.

<crackling sound, slight feedback of a microphone> . . . "Medication time, Medication time!" <cue elevator music>

LOL LMPO LOL

Awesome!!! Best response of the day
....."medication time!" LOLOL. How fitting for this thread.

[NYFan1stYankFan2nd]

LMPO? Sorry some of these net acronyms elude me!

[JoeDOYS]

Posted up some new ones from today. Also made a few changes on the front page that will make the thumbing through pics a lil easier.

[Cool Papa B.]

LMPO? Sorry some of these net acronyms elude me!

Laughing My Pants Off

[shaneslatts]

What's most ironic is that NYS, love it or hate it, is far more representative and reminiscent of OYS than RYS! As Mel Allen would say, "How about that!?!"

This of course comes from a person who never stepped foot in 'old' Yankee Stadium.
Too funny

[Rob R]

What's most ironic is that NYS, love it or hate it, is far more representative and reminiscent of OYS than RYS! As Mel Allen would say, "How about that!?!"

This of course comes from a person who never stepped foot in 'old' Yankee Stadium.
Too funny

I also never stepped foot in the Roman Colosseum but have formed opinions on it.

I suppose that anyone who hasn't stepped foot in OYS should not comment or express their opinions on Yankee Stadium period, or should be prevented by law to make any comparisons to OYS. Such hypocrisy.

You're a barrel of laughs, shaneslat. As an aside, when you express your thoughts on the demolition of RYS, do you always color it with rip-roaring, hilarious, drama and hyperbole? Do yourself a favor and spare us your "angst" because it only comes across as contrived and comedic.

[JoeDOYS]

What's most ironic is that NYS, love it or hate it, is far more representative and reminiscent of OYS than RYS! As Mel Allen would say, "How about that!?!"

This of course comes from a person who never stepped foot in 'old' Yankee Stadium.
Too funny

Is Lonn Trost posting here in disguise?

[DN4L]

Well I walked into the same ballpark that housed Babe Ruth's body in 1948. The same ballpark that my father walked through on that very day. I walked through those very same concourses for the last time in November 2008.

Does this concourse look familar to anyone?

Barely...
Which is a lot more than I can say about the rest of RYS...

[locke40]

Is Lonn Trost posting here in disguise?

If he had any sense (and in no way does that imply anything, Lonn), he would be on these boards. In discussion with the "true" fans (baseball-fever), he would discover the real deal.

[Gary Dunaier]

I hope to have all my photos from Thursday up on Flickr soon, but here's one I wanted to share with you guys as soon as I could...

[DN4L]

I hope to have all my photos from Thursday up on Flickr soon, but here's one I wanted to share with you guys as soon as I could...

I think I better start buying some Rogaine.. lol

[locke40]

I hope to have all my photos from Thursday up on Flickr soon, but here's one I wanted to share with you guys as soon as I could...

Gary (and DN4L), one of your most haunting photographs yet.

[410 FT]

Driving home from the Bronx at 11:45 P.M. The Last Saturday Night Photo of Gate 2. Work today was just a lot of the grapler pulling small items out from the inside walls of The Stadium.

[Gary Dunaier]

My photos from the 25th are finally up on Flickr... and I’ve got so many that I want to share here that it’s going to take three posts to do it... so let’s get started...


We’re going to begin at the beginning, with this view of Gate 6 as seen from a moving uptown #4 train... you can see the doomed upper deck facade at the top...




With the removal of the upper deck, you can now see some of the nearby Manhattan high-rises from the subway platform...




Here's a truck chock full of ballpark rubble...




...and here’s a demo worker standing on top of that ballpark rubble...




Here’s a shot of a demo worker on the roof...




Money Shot #1: the last rows and exterior facade of Tier sections 29 and 31 are just seconds away from crashing into the ground. This was not an easy photo for me to take, because I wasn’t able to see the screen on my camera. You can see someone in the foreground also holding a camera... all I could do was take a number of test shots ahead of time, but in the end all I could do was hope my aim would be true... in this case, faith was rewarded...




Tier Reserved section 35, row X, seat 12 - the very last seat in the very last row of the right field stands. A great vantage point for taking pictures of the neighborhood, as well as some unique images...




Here’s a street view showing the last remaining portion of the upper deck...




...and we’ll close out this first segment with a look at some dangling portals. Someone here at the Baseball Fever once said the portals on the Tier level were essentially nothing more than enclosed catwalks, and it looks as though that fella may have been on to something...




More to come...

[Gary Dunaier]

We’re back with more of my photos from the 25th...

At some point nobody’s going to care... but right now it’s still strange to look from Babe Ruth Plaza and be able to see the River Avenue storefronts...




Joe DiMaggio’s quote on the facade has been defiled...




A Gary Dunaier favorite... the view from directly behind home plate...




The last remaining section of the upper deck, as seen from 157th Street. As one might imagine, there was a very short window of time in which a photo like this could be taken... just a few hours...




I was on 158th Street near River Avenue when I noticed they were starting to dig into the concrete on the right field edge... wonder if anyone got any shots of the stands coming down from this vantage point...




Speaking of vantage points, here a shot of someone taking pictures from a window on the 5th floor of 825 Gerard Avenue. Don’t know if it’s a resident, a friend, or even a stranger who got permission to go into the apartment and film from the window. Doesn’t really matter... the important thing is that a video from that vantage point exists...




Concrete removal...




Fallen Tier level portals...




The mist machines are up and running...




Time for a break, but we’ll be back very, very soon...

[Gary Dunaier]

And we’re back. Did you miss me? Yes you did.

Oh, who am I fooling? It’s my photographs you missed... well, I’ve got one last batch from the 25th to share here, and we’ll start with a view of fans on the 161st Street subway platform keeping watch... unfortunately, as you can see from here, there’s really only one particular spot where you can get a good shot of the right field stands, at least if you want to be able to see the screen on your camera as you’re taking pictures... it's at the very right end of the fence...




Here’s a view that, to the best of my ability, is directly lined up with home plate...




By the way, all of the photos in this post, including the two you just saw, were taken from the roof of 845 Gerard Avenue. Let me tell you someting about 845 Gerard... this is the rooftop all of the Yankee greats from Ruth to Mantle were aiming for when they stepped up to the plate. Should I pause for applause or just continue with the pictures?

All right, all right, I’ll just continue...

Here’s a zoom-lens view of demolition men using blowtorches to weaken the steel...




The “Bat” will not be demolished, it will remain as part of Heritage Field...




Here’s an awesome view in between 831 and 845 Gerard Avenue... I love this shot...




Money Shot #2: the last part of the upper deck comes down...




...ashes to ashes, dust to dust... I'm sure the people who live here appreciate the "dust" part...




Finally, let the historical record show that this Manhattan-bound #4 train was the first to pass by the newly “topless” Yankee Stadium... two minutes after the upper deck fell...




And there you have it! All 124 photos from the 25th are up on Flickr and can be seen here.

[RichardLillard1]

I hope to have all my photos from Thursday up on Flickr soon, but here's one I wanted to share with you guys as soon as I could...

A sad picture indeed, but does anyone else see what I see? Some of the decorative pieces have been exposed to light for the first time in more than 30 years.

Interestingly, these ones appear to be black and white (or greyish?), which is interesting because the ones over Gate 6 were different.

Could someone get some closer pictures of them?


Richard

[Mike Wagner]

Lindsay and Burke did a great job refurbishing Yankee Stadium. They're heroes.

I disagree with all the Bloomberg criticism. I don't think he had a grand plan to destroy Yankee Stadium. I think he could care less about baseball and Yankee Stadium and he has probably never given where the Yankees play a thought. Bloomberg's an unhappy man whose clout has diminshed because of his embarrassing performance in last year's Mayoral election. He's been Mayor of New York for a decade and hasn't achieved much politically other than bought and paid for longevity which he almost screwed up barely defeating an unknown and under-funded candidate. He wanted to run for President in 2008 desperately but the mainstream media became so enamored with Obama Bloomberg had no choice but to put the brakes on his candidacy. And now he wants to run again. In fact a film crew is documenting his public events.

Dear scooterfan,

From what I've read numerous times, NYC owns the Stadium and the land. And, people trying to Save Gate 2 met with NYC officials, and were rebuffed, although they presented marvelous plans. That's how I come to the Bloomberg conclusion.

The guiltiest party of all is George Steinbrenner, who we know has wanted a new Yankee Stadium for years. But, to leave NO trace of the original as a permanent monument is totally unforgivable of this icon that has been so important to the American culture since 1923. I was hoping Hank and Hal would not follow in their father's footsteps in this regard. Sadly, they seem to be. That would condemn them for life as the destroyer of America’s greatest field of dreams. I hope they will VERY QUICKLY realize that they can avoid this terrible tragedy. People will thank them forever if they do.

I wouldn't want to be around to see the fan reaction on Opening Day when the fans see what has happened to old Yankee Stadium.

George Steinbrenner and Saddam Hussein were of the same mentality. Their egos could never be quenched. At least George never killed anyone. He killed a stadium, but no people, although he did destroy careers.

As Yankee fans, we are indebted to George Steinbrenner for pennants and World Series wins. For that I thank him. But, to destroy all vestiges of the original Yankee Stadium and leave none of it for a permanent monument is inexcusable!!! History won't forgive the Steinbrenners, Trost , Levine, Bloomberg, Stuckey, Benepe, or anyone associated with that sad act. They must save Gate 2 or a decent portion of the exterior wall of the original Stadium before it's too late. To deny keeping such an original monument will haunt their names forever. I don't want that.

I know that when I go to the new Yankee Stadium, I will visit the site of the old one out of memories, love, and respect for what happened within its hallowed walls. If no part of the original Yankee Stadium structure is left to pay my respects to, I will curse all of these mentioned names. And, I know many others will too. I'm only a common person. But, as Abraham Lincoln said, God must like us since he's made so many of us. We think and feel the same. I'm not asking for too much. Nor are others. We just want a little piece of our pie.

I want to bless the names of Steinbrenner, Bloomberg, and the others for having enough of a heart to care about the fans. There's enough room for the new Yankee Stadium and a section of the original as a monument. Don't let egos get in the way. If you let egos get in the way and you destroy all of this sacred structure, you may win the battle, but you'll lose the war. History will see to that. It has happened time and time again. Nobody will win.

It's sad to think that one George is known for "The House That Ruth Built" and another George will be known as "The House That George Destroyed." It’s also sad that the ego of one man/family can destroy a national treasure that has brought pride and joy to so many for so long.

-Mike Wagner

[giantsean]

A couple of random thoughts.

The beauty of what now remains of Yankee Stadium is a sad reminder of how they destroyed the stadium during the renovation-- not only aesthetically, but spiritually. They literally took gutted the heart and soul from OYS, and I don't care what % of the original remained. To me, THIS, was a bigger crime than NYS, by far. It's like defacing the Mona Lisa - putting a party hat on her - and saying, "But 90% of her is original!" Only with RYS the % is far less the original. It doesn't matter. Even if 99.9% of the original remained, the finished product of RYS remains a travesty.

Still, it's sad to see the only Stadium of my childhood disappear. The same stadium that my late father took me and eventually bought season tickets. A place where we "broke the ice" and didn't feel awkward to express affection for one another, as so often happens between father and son, even if just a wink, or better a hug. A place where memories of all the Yankee glory and some heartbreak will always remain part of my life. But, also a place that lost most of it's charm from the original, even though I never stepped foot in OYS. Such a disgrace that we should point finger to all of the decision makers involved, including the designers and architects.

Regarding the demolition of RYS, NYS and "fandom," thankfully, the 5-6 dissenting, loudest voices in this thread, including 2-3 Mets fans, do not represent Yankee fans. Their opinions are so insignificant numbers-wise, that it's probably a waste of my time even bringing it up. Go to NYYFans.com, the largest Yankee site on this planet (or any huge Yankee site), and you'll see that the overwhelming majority of Yankee fans (of all ages) share my opinion, that although we'll miss RYS, mostly for the memories, that NYS is the FAR superior venue. I'm talking a 99+% majority.

Regarding someMets fans here, there are a couple of Met fans in the forum that are actually more rational when it comes to the Yankees than the 2-3 Yankee fans, who I consider as part of the "lunatic fringe." Unfortunately, you get them in all walks of life. Then, of course, you get some Mets fans who delight in trolling Yankee threads, because simply, not much good is happening on their side of the river.

What's most ironic is that NYS, love it or hate it, is far more representative and reminiscent of OYS than RYS! As Mel Allen would say, "How about that!?!"

I was with you until the last line Rob-man... a plastic lawn-chair lookin' frieze does not an OYS make. Actually I think it looks more like a cross between RYS and whatever they call New Comiskey Park now. I was more than a little disappointed to see them scrap from the original design the facing on the top of the stands in favor of that weird vented look. On the other hand I'm sure that helps keep the HR numbers high. They could still re-face the tops if they really wanted, especially with today's materials.

[MoonlightSinatra]

A sad picture indeed, but does anyone else see what I see? Some of the decorative pieces have been exposed to light for the first time in more than 30 years.

Interestingly, these ones appear to be black and white (or greyish?), which is interesting because the ones over Gate 6 were different.

Could someone get some closer pictures of them?


Richard

I'm not seeing what you're seeing. Which photo are you referring to?