They Moved Mountains to Build Dodger Stadium

[DodgerKing]

They Moved Mountains to Build Dodger Stadium

They literally moved mountains to create Dodger Stadium. Between 1959 and 1962, an army of construction workers shifted eight-million cubic yards of earth and rock in the hills above downtown Los Angeles, refashioning the rugged terrain once known as the Stone Quarry Hills into a modern baseball palace.
Controversy surrounds the stadium's origins. First, a never-realized public housing project erased an entire Mexican American community from Chavez Ravine. Later, the city of Los Angeles enticed Walter O'Malley's Dodgers to the site with what council member Ed Roybal called a "sweetheart deal." But once ground was broken on September 19, 1959, the construction of Dodger Stadium -- a project overseen by O'Malley and architect Emil Praeger and executed by Alhambra-based Vinnell Constructors -- was a relatively straightforward project of muscle and machinery.

Look at some of these pics. Notice that the skyline of downtown had no skyscrapers during this time?

The original plans had drive-in parking above the reserve level. There were spots for people to drive their cars up into a section and watch the game in their car

Look at how little development there was

 

[osu1991]

I've seen pics like this before and enjoy that peak back in time, to what was before. I have a collection somewhere of Memorial Stadium/Owen Field at OU , from the 1900's when it just had a couple of wooden bleachers up to the modern day behemoth it is now