Original Yankee Stadium

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The stadium was built from 1922 to 1923 for $2.4 million (equivalent to $45.4 million in 2025). Its construction was paid for entirely by Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, who was eager to have his own stadium after sharing the Polo Grounds with the New York Giants baseball team the previous ten years. Yankee Stadium opened for the 1923 season and was hailed at the time as a unique facility in the country. Over the course of its history, it became one of the most famous venues in the United States, hosting a variety of events and historic moments during its existence. Many of these moments were baseball-related, including World Series games, no-hitters, perfect games, and historic home runs, but the stadium also hosted boxing matches, the 1958 NFL Championship Game, college football, concerts, and three Papal Masses. Its condition deteriorated in the 1960s and 1970s, prompting its closure for renovation after the 1973 season, remaining closed for the 1974 and 1975 seasons, and reopening in 1976. The renovation significantly altered the appearance of the venue and reduced the distance of the outfield fences.

In Their Own Story

In 1923, the Yankees moved to their new home, Yankee Stadium, which took 11 months to build and cost $2.5 million (equivalent to $40,000,000 in 2021). The team announced that 99,200 fans showed up on Opening Day and 25,000 were turned away. In the first game at Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth hit a home run. The stadium was nicknamed "The House That Ruth Built," due mainly to the fact that Ruth had doubled Yankees' attendance, which helped the team pay for the new stadium. At the end of the season, the Yankees faced the Giants in the World Series for the third straight year.

Reader's Guide

In 2006, the Yankees began construction on a new $2.3 billion stadium in public parkland adjacent to the existing stadium, which included $1.2 billion in public subsidies. The design included a replica of the frieze along the roof that had been part of the original Yankee Stadium. Monument Park, a Hall of Fame for prominent former Yankees, was relocated to the new stadium. Yankee Stadium closed following the 2008 season and the new stadium opened in 2009, adopting the "Yankee Stadium" moniker. The original Yankee Stadium was demolished in 2010, two years after it closed, and the 8-acre (3.2 ha) site was converted into a public park called Heritage Field.

Did You Know?

• The stadium's nickname "The House That Ruth Built" was coined by Fred Lieb of the New York Evening Telegram upon its opening.
• The Yankees won their first World Series during the stadium's inaugural season in 1923.
• The original Polo Grounds (after its 1911 rebuild) was the first facility in North America with three tiers.
• The original construction cost was $2.4 million, equivalent to $45.4 million in 2025.