Yankee Stadium under construction (digital)
© Brian Rose

Went up to the Bronx to scout a building for an upcoming photo shoot. The 4 train goes up by Yankee Stadium, and I got out and did a couple of snapshots of the nearly completed new stadium. The old edifice still stands across the street, but it will soon be dis-Mantled and de-Ruthed.

Yankee Stadium under construction (digital)
© Brian Rose

I’m not sure about retaining the neoclassical facade of the original stadium, though I don’t think a techie steel and glass approach would make sense here in the Bronx. What I do like is that the stadium will, like the old one, remain a building on the street hugging the elevated subway. Not a stadium machine, like so many others. Glimpses of the field will still be possible from the windows of the passing trains, and a replica of the famous frieze will wrap around the upper deck. My understanding is that it is essentially a modern stadium inserted into the envelope of a more traditional exterior.

Bronx apartment building entrance. (digital)
© Brian Rose

The new stadium, designed by HOK Sport echoes the design of the original ballpark, but it has a more monumental feel, cleaner, but with deeper cut arches. Although it doesn’t reflect Art Deco, the dominant Bronx style, it does remind me of other monumental buildings of that era, like 30th Street station in Philadelphia, which manages to incorporate both classicism and deco design. My guess is that it will wear well here on 161st Street. Fans will gather on the plaza as before, and the nearby bars and souvenir shops will flourish as always. And the ghosts of Mantle and Ruth will hover a while in confusion, but eventually decide that new stadium is nicer, and has better restrooms, among other amenities.