Miller: Rare blueprints show how iconic Yankee Stadium evolved

From Greg Miller at National Geographic on May 30, 2017:

It may have been known as “The House That Ruth Built,” but the original Yankee Stadium was actually built by an engineering company from Cleveland. Between opening day in 1923 and its demolition in 2009, the stadium became an icon of American sports architecture, home to baseball greats from Babe Ruth to Derek Jeter, and 26 World Series championship teams.

Osborn Engineering, the firm that built it, was founded in 1892 and got its start on bridges, roadways, and other civil engineering projects. But the growing popularity of spectator sports created new opportunities. By 1928, Osborn had designed 75 ballparks around the country, including Fenway Park in Boston, Comiskey Park in Chicago, and the football stadium at the University of Notre Dame.

The plans and blueprints for these stadiums were works of art, says Kurt Rim, Osborn’s CEO emeritus. They were hand-drawn in pen on linen. It was painstaking work, assisted by the use of stencils and templates, but largely done freehand. Because the work was done in pen, mistakes were costly.

Read the full article here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/baseball-yankee-stadium-hand-drawn-blueprints-architectural/



Originally published: June 6, 2017. Last Updated: June 6, 2017.