Dodgers Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is the largest ballpark by seating capacity with 56,000 seats. The Dodgers Stadium had a troubled history in the beginning. The land acquisition for the stadium did not go off smoothly, leaving bitter memories to the residents of Chavez Ravine, on whose acquired lands, the stadium was built. The residents of Chavez Ravine were pressured into selling and some holdouts stayed till the end, resulting in what is called the “Battle of Chavez Ravine”, immortalized by the song “Chavez Ravine” by Ry Cooder in his 2005 album. The final holdout Manuael Arechiga accepted the city’s compensation at the end of the fifties. The building of the Dodgers Stadium was started on September 17, 1959 and took about three years to complete.
Between 2003 and 2005, the Dodgers Stadium was upgraded with LED video displays and the main display measured 27 feet height by 47 feet width. The Dodgers Stadium underwent a major seat renovation after the season in 2005. All the seats were replaced with the original seat colors of yellow, light orange, turquoise and sky blue. In 2008 a major expansion project of $500 million was undertaken. A museum, shops and restaurants were added around the stadium. The Dodger Way was a tree lined entrance leading to a landscaped plaza. The Green Necklace was a beautiful walkway around the perimeter of the stadium. The Top of the Park was connected by the Green Necklace to a large outdoor plaza offering a panoramic 360 degree view. The Dodgers Stadium offered several innovative design features. It had a covered, screened section of dough out level seats behind the home plate. Two of the stadium’s distinguished features are the wavy style rooftops on the outfield pavilion and on top of a ten story elevator shaft, which bears the Dodger logo. The Dodgers Stadium had a unique terrace styled parking lot, built behind the main stands, which allowed the ticket holder to park almost at the level of his seat. The strobe lights which were installed in 1999, flashed when the Dodgers took to the field, after they scored a home run or after a win. The Dodgers spend significant amounts on the stadium upkeep. It is repainted every year and a whole host of gardeners maintain the site.
The Dodgers Stadium has earned the reputation of being a pitcher’s park. It has relatively deep outfield dimensions and the power alleys were 380 feet. In 1969, the Home Plate was moved 10 feet towards the center which also expanded foul ground by 10 feet, a trade off, which helped in scoring home runs, due to decreased field dimensions. In 1969, the pitcher’s mound was reduced due to new MLB rules.
The Dodgers Stadium is steeped in history. The Dodgers won the finals of the 1963 World Series played here. In 1988 the Dodgers won Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. The stadium has witnessed many no hitter games. In 1962, the foul poles were discovered to be entirely in foul territory and the National League permitted it for the 1962 season. Thereafter the home plate had to be moved to conform to the rules.
The Dodgers Stadium has many facilities. It has many restaurants and also an All-You-Can-Eat section in the Right Field Pavilion. It has a unique terraced parking lot. A perimeter walkway enables the fans to walk around their stadium. The museum showcases the history of the Dodgers in an interactive way. There are lot of shops to buy Dodger memorabilia. The Dodgers Stadium, the home of the Dodgers, is a magnificent edifice and home to one of the greatest teams in MBL.
