Legendary Stadium

The original Yankee Stadium, with its iconic white facade, stood majestically in the Bronx for 85 years. Many fans called it “The House That Ruth Built” because of Babe Ruth, the home run machine whose prime years coincided with the stadium’s opening and the beginning of the Yankees’ winning history.

The stadium, the first facility in North America with three tiers, was built in just 284 days at cost of $2.4 million. It took more than 2 million feet of lumber to construct the stadium, the biggest in the land.

When it opened on April 18, 1923, Babe Ruth hit the stadium’s first home run, a three-run shot to the enjoyment of the hometown fans. The Times headline the next day declared, “74,200 See Yankees Open New Stadium – Ruth Hits Home Run – Record Crowd Cheers as Slugger’s Drive Beats Red Sox, 4 to 1.”

Sportswriter Fred Lieb, for a New York daily, referred to the new stadium in his column as “The House That Ruth Built,” because of the Bambino’s great ability to draw crowds with his mighty homers. The nickname quickly stuck.

In this photo, 68,680 spectators crowded into the big ballpark in the Bronx for a doubleheader between the Yankees and Cleveland Indians on June 21, 1959. The Indians swept the doubleheader, including a 14-inning victory in the second game. The games started during the day and went nearly eight hours into the night. The Times wrote, “No record has been kept for the longest elapsed time in a doubleheader, but yesterday’s program is certainly high on the list. No record was kept, either, on the countless dinners that were missed by the rabid fans.”