Yankee Stadium (1923)

===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.]]