Clem's Baseball home

Yankee Stadium II
Home of the
New York Yankees
(2009- )




Yankee Stadium II

DYNAMIC DIAGRAM:
Mouse rollover.

lower deck upper deck baseball (2009) baseball (2017) football
My proposed alternative

PREVIOUS:

Yankee Stadium I

ACROSS TOWN:

Citi Field
Key to diagrams

Vital statistics:
Lifetime Seating capacity Seating rows
(typical)
Overhang / shade % Territory
(1,000 sq. ft.)
Fence height  CF
orien- tation
Back-stop Outfield dimensions The Clem Criteria:
Built Status Lower deck Mezz. Upper deck Lower deck Upper deck Fair Foul LF CF RF Left
field
Left-center Center field Right-center Right field Field
asym- metry
Arch.
design
Seat
prox- imity
Loc- ation Aesth- etics Over- all
2009 NEW 50,291 28 23 7+14 20% 55% 108.8 19.7 8 8 8 ENE 52 318 (382) 408 (360) 314 5 7 6 4 6 5.6

(Numbers in parentheses are estimated actual distances to the true power alleys.)

BEEN THERE: Oct. 2, 2008, prior to a tour of the old Yankee Stadium with Brian Vangor.

WORLD SERIES: 2009 (win)

After many years of rumors, the New York Yankees front office announced in June 2005 that Yankee Stadium was going to be replaced. NYC Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, George Steinbrenner, and Steve Swindal were at the press conference. Personally, I was disappointed, because of my strong traditionalist leanings and because I thought they could have refurbished the existing structure in such a way as to rake in more revenue. I fully acknowledge, however, that the post-1976 Yankee Stadium lacked the authentic character of the pre-renovation original version, so perhaps it's just as well. In any case, groundbreaking ceremonies took place in August 2006, and construction was completed in time for Opening Day, on April 16, 2009.

thumbnail The architects who designed the new stadium were no doubt under huge pressure to make it look suitably grand, having "big shoes" to fill, metaphorically speaking. It is one of the few neoclassical stadiums whose design was not significantly influenced by the "retro" style pioneered by Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Like every other recent stadium since Citizens Bank Park, however, the new Yankee Stadium has a split upper deck, allowing concourse patrons to see at least part of the field. The new version consciously imitated several design elements of the old Yankee Stadium, especially the exterior, but also including the outfield dimensions. The outfield fences in the power alleys are perpendicular to the foul lines, however, making the distances to right center shorter than in the old stadium, contrary to what the Yankees front office claims. The extraordinary number of home runs hit there in April 2009 confirms my assessment. There will be pressure to rebuild at least part of the outfield fence, hence my proposed alternative redesign shown above, with longer dimensions from left center to right center field. Oddly, there is a fairly close correspondence in terms of outfield dimensions with the Metrodome, except for the left and right field corners.

One notable aspect of "NYS" is that the second deck is larger than the original version, while the lower level is smaller. It is one of the very few stadiums to resemble Dodger Stadium in this manner. Also, there is very little overhang by the second deck, in stark contrast to "OYS." The third deck does hang quite a few rows over the second deck. One new design feature is the multi-story "Grand Hall" between the exterior wall and the stadium itself. It is a very impressive entrance for fans, filled with super-sized Yankee banners and memorabilia, much like the perimeter concourse at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

Getting an up-close look during the latter phase of construction did give me a better appreciation for the lengths they went to make the new stadium live up to its predecessor. The granite (?) exterior walls and the gilded "Yankee Stadium" lettering tell you right away this is a singular sporting venue, "in a league of its own." Together with the arched frieze that adorns the roof inside, these design elements hark back to the way the original Yankee Stadium looked. I was surprised that the new stadium is squeezed so tightly into the surrounding street grid. There are brick apartment buildings across the street not far from the third base side, and beyond the bleachers in right field are the same elevated train track as in the old Yankee Stadium. Keeping the Yankees in the same Bronx neighborhood where they have resided since 1923 ensures that the team will retain at least some of its championship identity for years to come, even as "the House that Ruth built" is demolished. "Yankee Stadium II" may fall short in terms of design uniqueness, but the more I study it, the more I appreciate its qualities. I will reserve final judgment, however, until I see it for myself!

In the inaugural game on April 16, 2009, the home team lost to the Cleveland Indians, 10-2. The Yankees came back the next day and won, 6-5, as Derek Jeter and four other Yankees hit home runs. During the first two and a half months of the inaugural season, nearly twice as many home runs were hit in the New Yankee Stadium than in its predecessor last year. After a series of lame excuses from the Yankees front office, it became obvious to most people what anyone can see from the diagrams above -- that the distance to right center field is at least 15 feet less than before. The old annual tradition of a college football game between Notre Dame and Army was revived in New Yankee Stadium on November 20, 2010, and in late December the "Pinstripe Bowl" was inaugurated. Both of those special football events have been repeated each year since then.

After the 2016 season, work began on removing several hundred obstructed-view bleacher benches beyond center field, and building new party decks in their place. There will also be new party decks seats in the 300 (Terrace) Level, but it is uncertain whether any existing seats will be removed. The 2017 diagram above reflects some of these changes, and is only preliminary.

SOURCES: Lowry (2006), Washington Post, MLB.com

FAN TIP: Mike Zurawski


Yankee Stadium II

PHOTO #1 (click to see)
View from the right field upper deck. (BV)

PHOTO #2 (click to see)
Bullpen, bleachers, and scoreboard, with a glimpse of the new Monument Park. (BV)

PHOTO #3 (click to see)
The "split-level" upper deck, featuring a replica of the frieze that adorned the original Yankee Stadium. (BV)

PHOTO #4 (click to see)
The Great Hall on the south side, showing some of the Yankee greats from the glory days of yore. (BV)

PHOTO #5 (click to see)
The ceremony marking the official opening of the new Stadium, as the Yankees hosted the Cleveland Indians. (Photos #1 - #5 were taken April 16, 2009, courtesy of Brian Vangor.)

PHOTO #6 (click to see)
Aerial view of the new AND old Yankee Stadiums, displayed on the video screen. (BV, Apr. 2009)

PHOTO #7 (click to see)
Gate 4, at night. (Aug. 2009, courtesy of Brian Vangor)


PHOTO #8 (click to see)
Grand view from the upper deck behind home plate. (Zoom image of factual goof on the video screen. (Apr. 21, 2009, JC)

PHOTO #9 (click to see)
The infield and right field beyond, at night. (Apr. 21, 2009, JC)

PHOTO #10 (click to see)
The infield and grandstand, from the third base side. (Aug. 2009, JC)

PHOTO #11 (click to see)
The outfield and profile view of the grandstand in right field. (Aug. 2009. Photos #8 - #11 courtesy of John Crozier.)


PHOTO #12 (click to see)
North side exterior, by the left field corner. (Oct. 3, 2008)

PHOTO #13 (click to see)
Northeast side exterior, behind the center field bleachers. (Oct. 3, 2008)

PHOTO #14 (click to see)
Distant view of the southwest side, with old Yankee Stadium on the right. (Oct. 3, 2008)

PHOTO #15 (click to see)
Aerial view, courtesy of Brian Vangor. (Sept. 2010)



Yankee Stadium II

PHOTO #16 (click to see)
Southwest side exterior, behind home plate. (Oct. 3, 2008)

PHOTO #17 (click to see)
Southeast side exterior, by the right field corner, seen from the elevated train platform. (Oct. 3, 2008)



Yankee Stadium II:
Chronology of diagram updates


 



NOTE: The diagram thumbnails have been continually replaced since 2008, so the images seen in the older blog posts do not reflect how the full-size diagrams looked at that time. Roll your mouse over the adjacent thumbnail to see the original 2008 version.

ColtStadium
 
11 Mar 2008 02 Jan 2009 16 Apr 2009 16 Jun 2009 21 Jul 2009 07 Nov 2009 31 Dec 2011 12 Aug 2013 11 Feb 2016

Vox populi: Fans' impressions

Have you been to this stadium? If so, feel free to share your impressions of it with other fans! (Registration is required.) Also, I welcome submissions of original stadium photos that fans have taken, and will make sure they get properly credited. Just send me an e-mail message via the Contact page.


Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional

Copyright © Andrew G. Clem. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your agreement to the Terms of Use.