History
The Yankees had been tenants of the Giants at the Polo Grounds. They built their own stadium in the Bronx, designed by Osborn Engineering, and opened it on April 18, 1923, with a Babe Ruth home run. SABR describes it as the first ballpark with three levels of seating.
The stadium was the setting for Lou Gehrig's 1939 farewell, Don Larsen's 1956 World Series perfect game, NFL Giants football, championship boxing and papal Masses. It also hosted more than 200 Negro league games.
The stadium closed after the 1973 season for a major reconstruction, and the Yankees played at Shea Stadium in 1974 and 1975. It reopened in April 1976 with a much-changed interior.
The last game was played on September 21, 2008, and the team moved to a new stadium one block north in 2009. Demolition ran from March 2009 to May 2010 and left no original structure. The site became Heritage Field, a public park, in 2012.
Why it matters: It was the Yankees' home for 85 years and the setting for many of the best-known moments in baseball history.
Timeline
- April 18, 1923
Babe Ruth hit a three-run homer as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 4–1.
- July 4, 1939Lou Gehrig's farewell[1]
Gehrig gave his farewell speech on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day.
- October 8, 1956Larsen's perfect game[1]
Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history, in Game 5.
- September 30, 1973Closed for reconstruction[1]
The stadium closed for a major renovation; the Yankees played 1974–75 at Shea Stadium, and the rebuilt park reopened on 1976-04-15.
- September 21, 2008
The Yankees beat Baltimore 7–3 in the last game before moving across 161st Street.
- March 16, 2009Demolition begins[1]
Demolition began after the new stadium was finished nearby.
- May 13, 2010
The last remaining structure, including Gate 2, was gone.
- April 2012
A public park with ballfields opened on the former stadium site.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,4,5] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Heritage Field, a public park with ballfields (opened 2012) on the former stadium footprint[1,4] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| New York Yankees | American League · 1923–1973 |
|---|---|
| New York Yankees | American League · 1976–2008 |
| New York Giants | National League · 1956–1973 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Yankee Stadium (1923); The House That Ruth Built |
|---|---|
| Location | E. 161st St. and River Ave., Concourse, the Bronx, New York (Bronx), New York[1,6] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Baseball, Football, Soccer, Boxing & wrestling |
| Level | MLB, NFL |
| Opened | April 18, 1923[1,2,3,6,7] |
| Last used for sports | September 21, 2008[1,3,6,7] |
| Demolished | 2009–2010[1,5] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[4] |
| Original capacity | 58,000[1] |
| Final capacity | 56,936[1] |
| Capacity notes | 58,000 at opening per Wikipedia. 56,936 is the last listed figure (2005). SABR notes the inflated 1923 opening-day crowd claims (74,200, later revised to 62,200). |
| Architect | Osborn Engineering (1923); Praeger-Kavanaugh-Waterbury (1974–76 renovation)[1] |
| Construction cost | $2.4 million per Wikipedia; $2.5 million per SABR (1923)[1,2] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Owner / operator | New York Yankees |
| Closure | It was replaced by a new Yankee Stadium built on adjacent former parkland. Under the city agreement, the old site became a public park. |
Documented details
- SABR's account says the Yankees first announced an opening-day crowd of 74,200, then cut it to 62,200, which was likely still an overstatement.[2]
- Preservationists asked the Landmarks Preservation Commission to save Gate 2, the most intact fragment of the 1923 structure. It was demolished anyway.[1,5]
- Heritage Field keeps the old playing field's location and is joined by two more ballfields.[4]
- SABR says the stadium hosted more than 200 Negro leagues games.[7]
Connected venues
- Replaced by: Yankee Stadium (2009) · The new stadium opened in 2009, one block north on former Macombs Dam Park land.2009–present
- Related venue: Polo Grounds · The Yankees were Polo Grounds tenants from 1913 to 1922 before moving here.1911–1963
- Related venue: Shea Stadium · The Yankees played their 1974–75 home games at Shea during the renovation.1964–2008
- Related venue: Polo Grounds · The Yankees were Polo Grounds tenants through 1922 and opened Yankee Stadium in 1923.1911–1963
Sources
- Yankee Stadium (1923), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened, teams
- April 18, 1923: Babe Ruth homers in Yankee Stadium's grand opening, hinting at franchise's dynastic future, Society for American Baseball Research (Frederick C. Bush). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: construction cost, opened
- Yankee Stadium hosts its final baseball game, HISTORY.com (A&E Television Networks). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, opened
- Heritage Field opens on old Yankee Stadium site, Ballpark Digest. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: current land use, physical status
- Last of Yankee Stadium seating bowl demolished, Field of Schemes. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: demolished
- Yankee Stadium, Encyclopaedia Britannica. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, closed, opened
- Introduction: Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America's First Modern Ballpark, Society for American Baseball Research (Tara Krieger). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, facts, 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 (3)
- Construction cost: Wikipedia $2.4 million vs SABR $2.5 million.
- 1976 renovation cost: Wikipedia's infobox says $167 million and its text says $160 million.
- Exact demolition start and finish dates (2009-03-16 and 2010-05-13) are from Wikipedia only. Field of Schemes (March 27, 2010) confirms the seating bowl was gone by late March 2010 with the outer wall and Gate 2 still standing.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.