Gas prices aren't hiked up much, but the station doesn't stay open very long after ballgames.ĭespite the closeness of the vast concrete lots outside, patrons inside the stadium are treated to panoramic views of the tree-lined Elysian hills and a silhouette of the distant San Gabriel Mountains.įans in the top deck have what is probably the best view of the Los Angeles skyline in the city available to them from their upper level concourse. The sea of parking lots, which can hold 16,000 automobiles, takes up considerable space on the 300 acres of land that the Dodger Stadium complex occupies, and traffic lights are needed within the parking lots to preserve order.įittingly, Dodger Stadium is the only Major League ballpark to have a gas station on its premises, as a Union 76 is located not too far behind the outfield bleachers. You pay an attendant $15 to enter Dodger Stadium and are then directed to park in one of 21 terraced lots. To get to the stadium automobiles traverse through Elysian Park or a local neighborhood (depending on which freeway exit you take) to ascend to one of the stadium’s many entrance points, where lines of cars await admission at theme park-like gates. Its light towers are visible from I-5 a couple miles before the Stadium Way exit and, just as Walter O’Malley imagined, the ballpark is serviced by multiple freeways. The price tag of $23 million was privately funded, making Dodger Stadium the only privately financed ballpark built in a span of 75 years.ĭodger Stadium is one mile north of downtown Los Angeles, perched atop the hillside on the edge of Chavez Ravine that overlooks the city. Neither idea ever came to fruition and Dodger Stadium opened in 1962 with 56,000 seats, same as today. Original plans for Dodger Stadium included a huge fountain in center field and the stadium was actually designed to be expandable to a capacity of 85,000 seats, which would be accomplished by enclosing the outfield pavilion. But lawsuits stemming from the displacement of local homeowners in Chavez Ravine delayed the start until September 17, 1959.Īrchitect Emil Praeger quite literally had his work cut out for him, as O'Malley’s desire to build the stadium on the side of Chavez Ravine necessitated the removal of 8 million cubic yards of earth. With land "purchased" and the team in California, construction of the Dodgers new ballpark was supposed to begin in 1958. That paved the way for the Dodgers to play at 93,000-seat Memorial Coliseum while Dodger Stadium was being built. The irony of O’Malley’s choice was that it was picked primarily because of its convenience to LA’s highway system, when the Dodgers themselves were named for the mass transit streetcars they left behind in Brooklyn following the 1957 season.īy then, O’Malley had already secured territorial rights to the LA market (he had purchased the Cubs’ minor league franchise in Los Angeles in February of 1957). The city of Los Angeles was happy to help O’Malley realize his vision and four months later an agreement was struck between the two parties whereby the mostly undeveloped plot was given to the Dodgers in exchange for the team’s commitment to build a 50,000-seat stadium on the land. While on a helicopter tour of Los Angeles on May 2, 1957, the Dodgers owner flew over Chavez Ravine and saw a plot of land where he envisioned freeway access to a ballpark from all directions. Walter O’Malley forever changed the landscape of baseball when he moved Brooklyn’s beloved bums to the West Coast after spending years trying to convince the New York City borough to replace Ebbets Field, with which he was dissatisfied because of its low seating capacity (32,000) and available parking spaces (700).Įbbets Field was crammed into the Flatbush neighborhood, which allowed no room for expansion, and O’Malley went west to find what he was looking for. Where the pursuit of baseball never ends. One of the many great items in our Dodgers Store. Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Pilgrimages