Shea Stadium
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| Location | Flushing, Queens, New York |
| Opened | April 17, 1964 |
| Capacity | 55,601 |
| Owned By | City of New York |
| Architect: |
Praeger-Kavanaugh-Waterbury |
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Posted Dimensions:
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William A. Shea Stadium is a baseball stadium in Flushing, New York where the New York Mets play.
Shea is the longtime home of the New York Mets and the historic site of the world's first stadium concert (which featured the Beatles on August 15, 1965). Shea Stadium's first game on April 17, 1964 was the culmination of a project that cost $28.5 million and took 29 months to build. It was originally to be called Flushing Meadow Park – similar to the name of the public park that's south of Shea – but a movement was launched to name it in honor of William A. Shea, the man who brought National League baseball back to New York. It was also the first stadium capable of being converted from baseball to football and back using two motor-operated stands that moved on underground tracks.
Shea has been the home of the Mets since its opening in 1964. The New York Yankees played their home games in Shea Stadium during the 1974 and 1975 seasons while Yankee Stadium was being renovated. The Yankees also played one "home" game at Shea in 1998 after a beam collapsed at Yankee Stadium, destroying several rows of seats. The NFL team, New York Jets, played at Shea from 1964 to 1983. The New York Giants played at Shea in 1975.
The stadium, which cost $25.5 million, was intended to be expandable to 90,000 seats by extending the middle and upper decks around the outfield and building a dome above the stands. During the 1960s, there was a move to accomplish this, but the idea was dropped after structural studies concluded that the stands would be unable to support the weight of the dome after all.
The stadium is generally regarded as one of the loudest in the Major Leagues, not necessarily because of the crowd noise, but because of its proximity to LaGuardia Airport.
A giant red apple representing the City of New York emerges from a giant upside-down black top hat and flashes whenever a Mets player hits a home run. The apple features the Mets logo and the words HOME RUN in big letters. It is located behind the center-field wall.
For 40 years, the Mets' theme song, Meet the Mets, has been played at Shea before every home game. As of the home game played on the night of June 10th, 2005, the Mets have played more games at Shea Stadium than the Brooklyn Dodgers did at the legendary Ebbets Field.
New Mets Stadium
Sheastadiumfromtheair.jpg
On June 12, 2005 a plan for a New Mets Stadium in Willetts Point, Queens in the parking lot of Shea Stadium was announced. If approved it is to be completed for the 2009 baseball season. The plan would be to use the stadium for the 2012 Olympics while the Mets would play at the new Yankee Stadium in The Bronx for the 2012 season. This would put the Mets in much the same situation as the Yankees were in 1974-1975 when they played in Shea Stadium while Yankee Stadium was renovated.
External Links
Google Maps view of Shea Stadium (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.755565,-73.847930&spn=0.007296,0.010664&t=k&hl=en)