Yankee Stadium (1923)

==History==

===Planning and construction===
The Yankees had played at the [[Polo Grounds]] in upper [[Manhattan]] since 1913, sharing the venue with the [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]]. However, relations between the two teams were rocky, with the Giants harboring resentment towards the Yankees. The Yankees had been looking for a new and permanent venue since at least 1909.<ref>[''New York Times'', December 24, 1909]</ref> The local papers had periodic announcements about the Yankees acquiring and developing land in the [[Kingsbridge, Bronx|Kingsbridge]] neighborhood for a new ballpark northeast of 225th and Broadway, and wrote about the park as if its construction was already in progress.<ref>[''New York Times'', November 12, 1911]</ref><ref>[''New York Tribune'', March 29, 1914]</ref> The Kingsbridge pipe dream continued with new owners Ruppert and Huston, but nothing came of it. The Yankees would remain tenants at the Polo Grounds for ten years, the same length of time they had spent at [[Hilltop Park]].

For the 1920 season, the Yankees acquired star slugger [[Babe Ruth]] and in his first year with his new team, the Yankees drew 1.3&nbsp;million fans to the Polo Grounds, outdrawing the Giants. By the middle of 1920, the Giants had issued an eviction notice to the Yankees, which was soon rescinded.<ref name="sabr">{{cite web|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/58d80eca|title=Polo Grounds (New York) &#124; SABR|publisher=sabr.org|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907072152/http://sabr.org/bioproj/park/58d80eca|archive-date=September 7, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1921, the Yankees won their first [[American League]] [[pennant (sports)|pennant]] (but lost the then-best-of-nine [[1921 World Series]] to the Giants in eight games, all played at the Polo Grounds). This exacerbated Giants owner [[Charles Stoneham]]'s and manager [[John McGraw]]'s resentment of the Yankees and reinforced their insistence that the Yankees find another place to play their home games. McGraw, always ready with a pointed quote for the sportswriters, derisively suggested that the Yankees relocate "to [[Queens]] or some other out-of-the-way place".<ref name="House">{{cite book|last=Weintraub|first=Robert|title=The House That Ruth Built: A New Stadium, the First Yankees Championship, and the Redemption of 1923|year=2011|publisher=Hachette Digital, Inc.|isbn=978-0-316-08607-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZKHQmFAMEYC&q=Queens%20or%20some%20other%20out-of-the-way%20place%20giants&pg=PT23}}</ref>
[[File:Yankee Stadium,1920s.jpg|thumb|left|Main entrance during the 1920s]]
[[Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston]] and [[Jacob Ruppert]], the Yankees' owners since January 1915, finally decided to put the club's dream into reality and build their own stadium. The owners did so at considerable financial risk and speculation. Baseball teams typically played in 30,000-seat facilities, but Huston and Ruppert invoked Ruth's name when asked how the Yankees could justify a ballpark with 60,000 seats. The doubt over the Yankees' lasting power was amplified by baseball's sagging popularity after the 1919 [[Black Sox Scandal]], in which eight [[Chicago White Sox]] players were expelled for conspiring with gamblers to fix that year's [[1919 World Series|World Series]]. Many people also felt three baseball teams could not prosper in New York City, but Huston and Ruppert were confident the Yankees could thrive amongst the more established [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]] and [[Brooklyn Dodgers]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] (their gamble eventually paid off: Both National League teams relocated to California following the 1957 season). The total bill for construction of the stadium was $2.5&nbsp;million.

Huston and Ruppert explored many areas for Yankee Stadium. Of the other sites being considered, the [[Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York|Hebrew Orphan Asylum]], at Amsterdam Avenue between 136th and 138th streets in [[Manhattan]], nearly became reality.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yankees Pick Site For New Ball Park |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/01/30/112667624.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1921/01/30/112667624.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |access-date=30 January 2021 |work=The New York Times |volume=LXX|issue=23017 |date=30 January 1921 |page=1}}</ref> Consideration was also given to building atop railroad tracks on the West Side of Manhattan (an idea revived in 1998) and to [[Long Island City]], in [[Queens]]. The area Huston and Ruppert settled on was a {{convert|10|acre|ha}} lumberyard in [[the Bronx]] within walking distance from and in sight of, [[Coogan's Bluff]]. The Polo Grounds was located on the Manhattan side of the [[Harlem River]], at 155th Street and [[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]]. Huston and Ruppert purchased the lumberyard from [[William Waldorf Astor]] for $600,000, equal to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|600000|1922}}}} today. Construction began May 5, 1922 and Yankee Stadium opened to the public less than a year later. The stadium's walls were built of "an extremely hard and durable concrete that was developed by [[Thomas Edison]]",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/the_bonus/09/18/yankee.stadium/index.html |title=Yankee Stadium, it's gone! Goodbye! |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |first=Tom |last=Verducci |date=September 18, 2008 |access-date=September 22, 2008}}</ref> with a total of {{convert|20000|yd3}} of concrete used in the original structure.<ref>{{cite book|title=Yankee Stadium: Fifty Years of Drama |url=https://archive.org/details/yankeestadiumfif00durs |url-access=registration |first=Joseph |last=Durso |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1972 |page=[https://archive.org/details/yankeestadiumfif00durs/page/40 40]|isbn=9780395140079 }}</ref>

===1923–1973===
[[File:Opening Day 1923 Yankee Stadium (baseball) LCCN2014715917.jpg|thumb|The raising of the American flag on Opening Day in 1923]]
Yankee Stadium officially opened on Wednesday, April 18, 1923, with the Yankees' first home game, against the Boston Red Sox. According to the ''[[New York Evening Telegram]]'', "everything smelled of&nbsp;... fresh paint, fresh plaster and fresh grass". At 3&nbsp;pm, the composer-conductor [[John Philip Sousa]] led the [[Seventh Regiment of New York#Seventh Regiment Band|Seventh ("Silk-Stocking") Regiment Band]] in playing ''[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]''. After a parade of the players and dignitaries, Babe Ruth was presented with a case containing a symbolically big bat. New York Governor [[Al Smith]] threw out the first pitch directly into the glove of catcher [[Wally Schang]] rather than the customary couple of feet wide. The Yankees went on to defeat Ruth's former team, the [[Boston Red Sox]], by a score of 4–1, with Ruth hitting a three-run home run into the right-field stands. Asked later for his opinion of the stadium, he replied, "Some ball yard."<ref>Slayton, Robert A. (2001), ''Empire Statesman: the rise and redemption of Al Smith'', [[Free Press (publisher)|The Free Press]], New York ({{ISBN|0-684-86302-2}}), pp. 229–230</ref>

Upon opening, [[Fred Lieb]] of the ''New York Evening Telegram'' dubbed it "The House That Ruth Built".<ref name="House"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Stout|first=Glenn|author2=Johnson, Dick |title=Yankees century: 100 years of New York Yankees baseball|year=2002|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=0-618-08527-0|pages=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jgEtGJQ040C&q=Yankees%20century%3A%20100%20years%20of%20New%20York%20Yankees%20baseball&pg=PA104}}</ref> The Yankees also won their first [[1923 World Series|World Series]] during the Stadium's [[1923 Major League Baseball season|inaugural season]]. Future Yankee manager [[Casey Stengel]] hit the first post-season home run in stadium history while playing with the opposing [[New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]].<ref name="go">{{cite web|url=http://espn.go.com/classic/s/series_subway_moments.html|title=ESPN Classic – Great Subway Series moments|publisher=espn.go.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name="retrosheet">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1923/B10100NYA1923.htm|title=Retrosheet Boxscore: New York Giants 5, New York Yankees 4|publisher=retrosheet.org|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> The only other teams to do so prior to the [[2006 St. Louis Cardinals]] in (the new) [[Busch Stadium]] had been the [[1909 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pittsburgh Pirates]], who won the [[1909 World Series]] in [[Forbes Field]]'s inaugural season, and the [[1912 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]], who won the [[1912 World Series]] in [[Fenway Park]]'s first year. The Yankees accomplished this feat yet again in the [[Yankee Stadium|New Yankee Stadium]] in the [[2009 World Series]].

The Stadium was the first facility in North America with three tiers, although the triple deck originally extended only to the left and right field corners. The concrete lower deck extended well into left field, with the obvious intention of extending the upper deck over it, which was accomplished during the 1926–27 off-season. As originally built, the stadium seated 58,000. For the stadium's first game, the announced attendance was 74,217 (with another 25,000 turned away); however, Yankees business manager [[Ed Barrow]] later admitted that the actual attendance was closer to 60,000. Regardless of what the figure was, it was undoubtedly more than the 42,000 fans who attended game five of the [[1916 World Series]] at [[Braves Field]], baseball's previous attendance record. However, during the 1920s and 1930s, the Yankees' popularity was such that crowds in excess of 80,000 were not uncommon. It was referred to as "the Yankee Stadium" (with the "s" in "stadium" sometimes lowercase) until the 1950s.

Yankee Stadium underwent more extensive renovations from 1936 through 1938. The wooden bleachers were replaced with concrete, shrinking the "death valley" area of left and center substantially, although the area was still much deeper than in most ballparks; and the second and third decks were extended to short right center. Runways were left between the bleachers and the triple-deck on each end, serving as bullpens. By 1938, the Stadium had assumed the "classic" shape that it would retain for the next 35 years. In April 1945, Yankees president [[Larry MacPhail]] announced that after the [[World War II|War]], the Yankees would install an additional tier of bleachers to increase stadium capacity to 100,000. In addition to the bleachers, he also planned to add 2,000 additional box-seats by lowering the field and shortening the distance from the backstop to home-plate from {{convert|82|to|60|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Enlarged Stadium to Seat 100,000 Planned by Yanks |first=Joe |last=Reichler |newspaper=Evening Independent |date=April 15, 1945 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QKULAAAAIBAJ&pg=4927,4654160&dq=phillies&hl=en }}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> However, the plans fell through and the expansion did not take place.

[[File:Yankee Stadium Color 1959.jpg|thumb|260px|A pre-renovation Yankee Stadium in 1959]] Many sources incorrectly state that prior to the [[1955 Major League Baseball season|1955 season]], Yankee Stadium's [[Ballantine Brewery|Ballantine Beer]] scoreboard was sold to the Phillies for use in [[Shibe Park]]. Although the two scoreboards possessed some superficial resemblances, they differed in many details and the Yankee Stadium scoreboard remained at Yankee Stadium until 1959 when it was replaced, two years after a different Ballantine scoreboard was installed at Shibe (by then renamed Connie Mack Stadium).<ref name="Lowry">{{cite book |title=Green Cathedrals |last=Lowry |first=Philip |year=2006 |publisher=Walker & Company |isbn=978-0-8027-1608-8 |page=178 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Afo5vtVTz4wC&q=green%20cathedrals&pg=PP1 }}</ref>

The stadium was owned by the Yankees until [[December 17]], 1953 when the ballclub's co-owners [[Dan Topping]] and [[Del Webb]] sold it and [[Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)|Blues Stadium]] for $6.5 million ($57,676,180 in 2016 dollars) to [[Arnold Johnson (industrialist)|Arnold Johnson]], who also dealt the land under the ballpark to the [[Knights of Columbus]] for $2 million ($17,746,517 in 2016 dollars).{{sfn|Kauffman|1982|p=378}}<ref>[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1953/12/18/page/61/article/yankees-net-2-700-000-in-park-deals "Yankees Net $2,700,000 In Park Deals"] ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', Friday, December 18, 1953</ref> After he purchased the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] and transferred the franchise to [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] on [[November 8]], 1954, Johnson sold Yankee Stadium to John W. Cox on [[March 22]], 1955.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19550323&id=D8QwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4moDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1567,6452061&hl=en "Yankee Stadium Sold To Chicago Businessman"] Associated Press, Tuesday, March 22, 1955</ref> Cox, a 1927 graduate of [[Rice University]], donated the ballpark to his alma mater on [[July 19]], 1962.<ref>[http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1962/07/20/page/45/article/yanks-park-given-to-rice-by-chicagoan "Yanks' Park Given To Rice By Chicagoan"] ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', Friday, July 20, 1962</ref>

In the 1966–67 offseason, during the period in which Rice owned the stadium, the concrete exterior was painted white, and the interior was painted blue.<ref>Adcock, Catherine; ''Sallyport'' (Winter 2006) [http://www.rice.edu/sallyport/2006/winter/features/Fact_Fiction2.html Rice University] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211125551/http://www.rice.edu/sallyport/2006/winter/features/Fact_Fiction2.html |date=February 11, 2012 }}</ref> The metal frieze circling the upper deck was painted white.

===1974–75 renovations and beyond===
In 1970, newly reelected [[Mayor of New York City|Mayor]] [[John Lindsay]] approached team president Michael Burke of [[CBS]], which owned the Yankees, with an offer to spend $25&nbsp;million on improvements to Yankee Stadium. (Six years earlier, the Mets' new home, [[Shea Stadium]], had opened in Queens at a similar public cost.)  By this time, it was obvious that the stadium had significant structural issues; concrete chunks were seen by several fans falling from the stands.

Burke floated two proposals to build a new stadium on the same site in the Bronx; one included a dome. CBS also asked for 10,000 additional parking spaces and road improvements to alleviate traffic. In August 1971, the [[New York Giants]] football team announced that it would leave Yankee Stadium for [[Giants Stadium|a new football-only stadium]] in the [[Meadowlands Sports Complex]] under development in New Jersey. In 1971, the city of New York forced (via [[eminent domain]]) Rice to sell the stadium for a mere $2.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|2500000|1971}}}} today). That December, after significant lobbying by Lindsay, the [[New York City Board of Estimate]] approved $24&nbsp;million ($140&nbsp;million in 2014 dollars) for the city to renovate Yankee Stadium. The figure included $3.5&nbsp;million for the purchase of the stadium and the {{convert|8|acre|adj=on}} piece of land from [[Rice University]] and the [[Knights of Columbus]].<ref>Sullivan, Neil. The Diamond in the Bronx: Yankee Stadium and the Politics of New York (Oxford; 2001)</ref> At the time, New York City was on the brink of bankruptcy.<ref name="nymag">{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/news/features/48290/|title=What Might Happen If New York City Defaulted -- New York Magazine|date=June 30, 2008 |publisher=nymag.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> In January [[1973 New York Yankees season|1973]], CBS sold the Yankees to a group led by [[George Steinbrenner]] for $10&nbsp;million. Yankee Stadium closed for renovation on September 30, 1973. The Yankees played their home games in [[1974 New York Yankees season|1974]] and [[1975 New York Yankees season|1975]] at Shea Stadium (The [[National Football League|NFL]] [[1973 New York Giants season|Giants]] played their last Yankee Stadium game on September 23 (a tie),<ref name="setftie">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HusgAAAAIBAJ&pg=2704%2C3326689 |work=The Day |location=(New London, Connecticut) |agency=Associated Press |last=Lowitt |first=Bruce |title=Giants take Eagles lightly and settle for tie at end |date=September 24, 1973 |page=21}}</ref> then went to the [[Yale Bowl]] through [[1974 New York Giants season|1974]], Shea in [[1975 New York Giants season|1975]], and the new [[Giants Stadium]] in [[1976 New York Giants season|1976]]). When the renovated stadium opened in [[1976 New York Yankees season|1976]] on April 15, the cost had ballooned to $160&nbsp;million (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|160000000|1976}}}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars); originally borne by New York City, it is now being paid off by New York State.

[[File:Yankee Stadium view from upper deck 2007.jpg|thumb|left|The post-renovation interior of the stadium, pictured in August 2007.]]

The outside shell of the stadium remained the same, with its original concrete walls painted over. Among the more noticeable changes after the renovation was the removal of 118 columns reinforcing each tier of the stadium's grandstand. The stadium's roof, including its distinctive {{Convert|15|ft|m}} metal [[frieze]], was replaced by the new upper shell and new lights were added. A white painted concrete replica of the frieze was added atop the wall encircling the bleachers. The playing field was lowered by about {{convert|7|ft}} and moved outward slightly. Escalators and ramps were added in three sections to make the upper deck more accessible. The original wooden stadium seats were replaced with wider plastic ones and the upper deck expanded upward nine rows, excluding the walkway. A new upper concourse was built above the old and original concourse exits were closed in by new seating. A new middle tier was built featuring a larger press box and 16 luxury boxes. About one-third of the bleacher seats were eliminated, their middle section converted to a blacked-out [[batter's eye]]. A wall was built behind the bleachers blocking the views from Gerard Avenue and the elevated subway platform above River Avenue. On this wall, the Yankees erected the first [[instant replay]] display in baseball, referred to in literature as a "telescreen". All told, the Stadium was reduced to a listed capacity of 57,545. The Stadium's playing field was drastically altered. "Death Valley" was reduced by more than {{convert|40|ft|m}} while the right-field home-run porch was moved out. Monuments once in play were moved to a newly created [[Monument Park (Yankee Stadium)|Monument Park]]. In 1985, the left field fence was moved in and the stadium assumed its final dimensions in 1988. Although it was essentially the same structure, the renovations were significant enough that some sources consider them two different stadiums. The ESPN Sports Almanac, for instance, calls the original stadium "Yankee Stadium I" and the renovated stadium "Yankee Stadium II".

On April 13, 1998, an {{convert|18|in|cm|adj=on}} long beam fell onto a seat before a scheduled game causing the postponement of two games and the relocation of a third to nearby [[Shea Stadium]] while the stadium was inspected.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Randy |title=BASEBALL; Yankee Stadium Closed as Beam Falls Onto Seats |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/14/sports/baseball-yankee-stadium-closed-as-beam-falls-onto-seats.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 14, 1998 |access-date=October 7, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Yankee stadium exterior.jpg|thumb|right|The post-renovation exterior of the stadium, as it appeared in 2006.]]

===Replacement, closing, and demolition===
[[File:ALE-NYY-YankeeStadium.PNG|thumb|100px|left|Logo to commemorate the stadium's last season.]]
After years of speculation that the Yankees would build a new stadium to replace Yankee Stadium, construction began on August 16, 2006, with a groundbreaking ceremony across the street in [[Macombs Dam Park]]. The Yankees played their final two seasons in the stadium in [[2007 New York Yankees season|2007]] and [[2008 New York Yankees season|2008]] while the new venue was being built.

{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=right|image1=Yankee Stadium demolition.JPG|image2=Yankee Stadium 002.JPG|width=180|caption2=Demolition in February 2010 (top), and 3 months later, the remains of the original stadium (middle left) next to the new Yankee Stadium (middle right)}}
After the final game in the Stadium's history was played on September 21, 2008, public tours of Yankee Stadium continued until November 23, 2008. November 9, 2008 was the last day the public tours included Monument Park and the retired number area. On November 12, 2008, construction workers began removing memorials from Monument Park for relocation to the new facility.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monument of Babe Ruth Removed |first=Anthony |last=DiComo |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081112&content_id=3676342&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |publisher=MLB |date=November 12, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010}}</ref> On November 8, 2008, former Yankees [[Scott Brosius]], [[Paul O'Neill (baseball)|Paul O'Neill]], [[David Cone]] and [[Jeff Nelson (pitcher)|Jeff Nelson]], all members of the [[1998 World Series|1998 World Series championship team]], joined 60 children from two Bronx based youth groups Youth Force 2020 and the ACE Mentor Program in ceremoniously digging up [[home plate]], the [[pitcher's mound]] pitching plate (rubber) and the surrounding dirt of both areas and transporting them to comparable areas of new Yankee Stadium.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former Yanks Help Lay Dirt in Stadium |first=Anthony |last=DiComo |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081108&content_id=3671715&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb |publisher=MLB |date=November 8, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010}}</ref>

An official closing ceremony was reportedly discussed to occur in November 2008, but was scrapped when the organization decided the final event should be a baseball game.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yankees Stadium Closing Ceremony Scrapped |url=http://www.1010wins.com/Yankees-Stadium-Closing-Ceremony-Scrapped/3102452 |work=1010 WINS |agency=Associated Press |date=October 8, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011030051/http://www.1010wins.com/Yankees-Stadium-Closing-Ceremony-Scrapped/3102452 |archive-date=October 11, 2008 }}</ref> Yankee officials said that while the team had contemplated a final ceremony (with any proceeds going to charity), talk of a concert was just media speculation.<ref>{{cite news |title=No Final Concert at Yankee Stadium |url=http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/86899/no-final-concert-at-yankee-stadium/ |work=NY1 |date=October 8, 2008 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929235150/http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/86899/no-final-concert-at-yankee-stadium/ |archive-date=September 29, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The front office staff vacated the premises on January 23, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Old Yankee Stadium Will Come Down Slowly |first=Anthony |last=Rieber |url=http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spystad0922,0,1036231.story |newspaper=Newsday |date=September 21, 2008 |access-date=September 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924232744/http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spystad0922,0,1036231.story |archive-date=September 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Demolition began in March 2009 with the removal of the playing field.<ref>{{cite news|title=Photo Gallery: Taking Off the Turf at Old Yankee Stadium |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4029323.php?imageGalleryXRefId=987324 |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=March 16, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420140530/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4029323.php?imageGalleryXRefId=987324 |archive-date=April 20, 2009 }}</ref> On May 13, 2009, the process of removing seats began and was completed on June 8.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Seat Removal Begins |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4396869.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=May 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517061010/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4396869.php |archive-date=May 17, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Standing Room Only at Old Yankee Stadium |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4572308.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=June 8, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803034006/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/4572308.php |archive-date=August 3, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> On September 3 and 4, the iconic white facade was dismantled.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Facade Removal |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5143336.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=September 3, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731084055/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5143336.php |archive-date=July 31, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Facade Removal |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5152211.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=September 4, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802001424/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5152211.php |archive-date=August 2, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

[[File:Yankee Stadium and Heritage Field, September 2012.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Heritage Field in 2012, with the new Yankee Stadium in background]]
On November 4, 2009, construction workers began tearing down the outfield bleachers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Old Yankee Stadium's rise and fall: Complete story of 'The House that Ruth Built' 100 years after its opening |url=https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/old-yankee-stadiums-rise-and-fall-complete-story-of-the-house-that-ruth-built-100-years-after-its-opening/ |website=CBSSports.com |access-date=16 November 2023 |language=en |date=18 April 2023}}</ref> On November 12, demolition work began on the field level grandstand.<ref>{{cite news|title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Destruction Update |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5668694.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1512624#imgXR |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=November 12, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119080413/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5668694.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1512624 |archive-date=November 19, 2009 }}</ref> By the end of November, most of the grandstand and bleachers at field level were gone.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photo Gallery: Yankee Stadium Destruction Update |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5780484.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=November 30, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803043752/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5780484.php |archive-date=August 3, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> By the first week of December, demolition of the midlevel loge seats had begun.<ref name="stadiumpage">{{cite web|url=http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/yankee_demo120309.html|title=Yankee Stadium Demolition – 12/03/09|publisher=stadiumpage.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name="stadiumpage2">{{cite web|url=http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/yankee_demo120409.html|title=Yankee Stadium Demolition – 12/04/09|publisher=stadiumpage.com|access-date=September 17, 2015}}</ref> By January 2010, the loge level was gone and demolition began on the left field escalator bank adjacent to Gate 2. In February 2010, demolition work began on the upper deck and the outfield wall; the final part of the outfield wall (the Continental Airlines ad, the out-of-town scoreboard and the remaining part of the advertising panel to its right) was taken down February 24, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|title=Photos: Yankee Stadium Destruction Update |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/6380901.php?imageGalleryXRefId=1697078#imgXR |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=February 17, 2010 |access-date=May 16, 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> By March 25, the entire upper deck was taken down.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to save Gate 2 (the only portion of the original Yankee Stadium that mostly remained unaltered after the venue's renovation), demolition of the outer walls of the stadium began on March 29. Demolition of the original Yankee Stadium was completed on May 13, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photos: All Structures Gone at Site of Old Yankee Stadium |first=Tom |last=Kaminski |url=http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/7049159.php |work=WCBS Newsradio 880 |date=May 13, 2010 |access-date=May 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516214438/http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/7049159.php |archive-date=May 16, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="nationalgeographic">{{cite web|url=http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/150403-yankee-stadium-demolition-vin|title=See Yankee Stadium Vanish in 30 Seconds|date=April 4, 2015|publisher=video.nationalgeographic.com|access-date=September 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906060024/http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/150403-yankee-stadium-demolition-vin|archive-date=September 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

A {{convert|10|acre|m2|adj=on}} park complex called Heritage Field was constructed on the old stadium site, accounting for 40% of the original parkland that is now occupied by the new Stadium.<ref name="nycgovparks.org"/> The groundbreaking ceremony for Heritage Field took place on June 29, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Groundbreaking Held For Field At Original Yankee Stadium |url=http://bronx.ny1.com/content/top_stories/121262/groundbreaking-held-for-field-at-original-yankee-stadium |work=NY1 |date=June 29, 2010 |access-date=June 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714220130/http://bronx.ny1.com/content/top_stories/121262/groundbreaking-held-for-field-at-original-yankee-stadium |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Heritage Field was officially opened in April 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Public Park to Rival the Yankees' Playground |first=Winnie |last=Hu |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/06/nyregion/heritage-field-opens-near-yankee-stadium.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 5, 2012 |access-date=April 8, 2012}}</ref> At its opening, a blue outline showing the location of the original Yankee Stadium diamond was interwoven into the grass, showing that second base on the new field is at the approximate location of home plate of the original diamond.<ref>{{cite news|title=Yankee Stadium Opening Day 2012 – Photo Galleries |url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2012/04/13/yankee-stadium-opening-day-2012/#photo-415414 |work=CBS New York |date=April 13, 2012 |access-date=April 9, 2013}}</ref>