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Shea Stadium

Queens, New York · Stadium

The Mets' home from 1964 through 2008 and the Jets' through 1983, Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows was dismantled in 2008-09 and its footprint became parking for Citi Field.

Opened
1964
Closed
2008
Demolished
2008–2009
Capacity
57,333
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Replaced by Citi Field

History

Ground was broken in October 1961 in Flushing Meadows, and the stadium opened in April 1964. Its official name honored William A. Shea, and the Mets and the AFL's Jets shared it from 1964.

The Yankees played there in 1974 and 1975, and the football Giants used it in 1975. The Beatles drew a record 55,600 in August 1965, and the stadium hosted World Series games in 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000.

The Mets built Citi Field in the lot beyond center field. After the final game on September 28, 2008, crews took Shea apart piece by piece because city law ruled out an implosion, finishing in February 2009. Markers in the Citi Field parking lot show where the bases, mound and home plate stood.

Why it matters: It was the home of both Mets championships and was one of the era's signature multipurpose stadiums in New York.

Timeline

  1. October 28, 1961
    Groundbreaking[1]

    Construction began in Flushing Meadows.

  2. April 17, 1964
    Stadium opens[1,2]

    The Mets opened their new home.

  3. August 15, 1965
    Beatles concert[1]

    The Beatles played to a then-record crowd of 55,600.

  4. 1969
    Mets win World Series[1]

    The Mets won the World Series, with games hosted at Shea; they won again in 1986.

  5. September 28, 2008
    Final game[1,2]

    The Mets lost 4-2 to the Florida Marlins in the last game at Shea.

  6. October 14, 2008
    Demolition begins[1,2]

    The stadium was dismantled rather than imploded; work finished on 2009-02-18.

The site today

Physical statusDemolished[1,2]
Current useParking lot for Citi Field[1,2]
Surviving remnantsHome plate, pitcher's mound and base locations are marked in the Citi Field parking lot; the original Home Run Apple was relocated outside Citi Field in 2010[1]
Mapped locationFormer venue parcel

Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)

Teams & events

New York JetsAFL / NFL · 1964–1983
New York MetsNational League · 1964–2008
New York YankeesAmerican League · 1974–1975 · tenant
New York GiantsNational League · 1975 · tenant

Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.

Venue facts

Official nameWilliam A. Shea Municipal Stadium
Other namesFlushing Meadow Park Municipal Stadium (1961–1962); William A. Shea Municipal Stadium
Location123-01 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, New York City, Queens, New York[1]
Venue typeStadium
SportsBaseball, Football
LevelMLB, AFL, NFL, NCAA
OpenedApril 17, 1964[1,2]
Last used for sportsSeptember 28, 2008[1,2]
DemolishedOctober 14, 2008 – February 18, 2009[1,2]
Physical statusDemolished
Original capacity57,333[1,2]
Capacity notes57,333 for baseball; 60,372 for football (Wikipedia).
ArchitectPraeger-Kavanagh-Waterbury[1]
Construction cost$28.5 million (Wikipedia); Ballparks of Baseball lists $25.5 million[1]
SurfaceNatural grass (Kentucky bluegrass)[1]
Owner / operatorCity of New York (owner); NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Mets as operators
ClosureReplaced by Citi Field, built next door for the Mets, which opened in 2009.

Documented details

  • New York City law required the stadium to be dismantled rather than imploded.[1]
  • The Manhattan skyline piece from the old scoreboard is preserved at Citi Field.[1]

Connected venues

Sources

  1. Shea Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19
    Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, remnants, surface, teams
  2. Shea Stadium, Ballparks of Baseball. Accessed 2026-10-19
    Supports: capacity, closed, current land use, demolished, opened

Research confidence

Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.

Where sources disagree (1)
  • Construction cost: $28.5 million (Wikipedia) vs $25.5 million (Ballparks of Baseball).

See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.

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