So Long, Shea Stadium: Some Old Pictures

[Radiohead]

I started a thread of old Yankee Stadium pics last month, and now it's time that Shea gets it's due before it is torn down after next season. Like the Yankees thread, I hope to add pics over the next year. Hopefully others can add some as well.

Mets vs Brewers 1973
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1218/1389419358_ae3557c6c5_o.jpg

Same photo but different lighting effect
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1228/1374840875_086126b7ae_b.jpg

Shea concourse 1964
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1130/1389444882_9cfc0b3378_o.jpg

Similar view from the mid 60's
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/1388548691_36862040ea_o.jpg

A more recent view from the same spot
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/1389446080_fb2a2fcd8d_o.jpg

Mid 60's aerial
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1211/1389445164_bfbdaa31a3_o.jpg

60's postcard
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/1389444928_9305e7f40f_o.jpg

Construction shot from early 1964
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1002/1389445506_35d852c369_o.jpg

60's B&W shot from the upper deck
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1202/1388549055_eb9c34a4bd_o.jpg

[Radiohead]

7 train from the 1970's (the heydey of graffiti)
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1278/1389446272_d2a516873d_o.jpg

A more recent shot with some vintage trains
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1274/1388549227_63daaae74c_o.jpg

1964 World's Fair with the brand new Shea in the background
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/1389446682_7f895a3fbe_o.jpg

Remember when the Jets used to play there?
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1356/1389530716_b446be9e53_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1437/1388633773_3b3ab494ff_o.jpg

"What are you doing tonight, honey"
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1310/1389530610_2beef337ea_o.jpg

1963-64 construction shots
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1421/1388634161_d04d692ee4_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1244/1388634069_83919ec6e8_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1042/1388634251_a51d9406a3_o.jpg

1964
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1158/1388635557_4207679075_o.jpg

[Radiohead]

Early 2000's
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1209/1389532614_fea9888977_o.jpg

The next 3 are from a 1964 Popular Science article
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1400/1389531406_0226a98bca_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1162/1388635077_5c57a0ac8e_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1053/1389532206_bd5ed8a573_o.jpg

Shea was a very modern stadium for it's time as evidenced by this angle. I love the vertical bars on the sides of the stadium. Future "modernizations" stripped the old Shea of some of it's charm, IMO.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1287/1388636247_66ea11cb9c_o.jpg

Probably around 1970
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1085/1389147361_74e01f9f03_o.jpg

The next 2 are of the field excavation in 2002
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1274/1390042486_a605234eeb_b.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1007/1389147885_b35e818bf1_b.jpg

An early proposal for the new NYC baseball park; the end result came pretty close to this

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1002/1390043002_c3a2931fe7_o.jpg

Shea went dark during the blackout of 1977, with a game in progress

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1167/1392912200_5a72b1ec9c_o.jpg

[Radiohead]

1965...the Beatles come to Shea (thanks to RickVg on Flickr)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/128620615_4a56172fef_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/128620664_5ac7fefa5c_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/128620703_1422ebc4fd_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/128620624_ef47fa128a_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/128620676_3dd47ec787_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/128620718_af38718a4d_o.jpg

Fireworks after a game
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/340787422_a6a9bfcc94_o.jpg

From 1977. Poor image quality, but there's no mistaking the Houston Astros loud uniforms
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1035/1390043132_141b9b8b1f_o.jpg

Another aerial post 2001
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/136/335025099_29a0647a55.jpg

1997: Pres. Clinton speaks at 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1280/1389148405_74c751643c_o.jpg

[Zephyr]

Every time I question something about the new Met stadium, I look back at these pictures and I am happy to see this old stadium in the rear-view mirror. (However, some will say that the new stadium is not really that different.)

Yes, there is much to treasure from the past, in spite of Shea. We were re-introduced to the National League again, with those old Giant colors back to boot. It is the home of many events we all remember, some of which were connected to the Metropolitans. But it was a cookie cutter at best - and maybe the most frustrating of them all - with jets disturbing both the fans and television broadcasts on a summer afternoon, The strange ritual of the apple levitating from the top hat after a homerun was charming but small time (some traditions never die even when opportunity knocks).

Once it was an affordable alternative to take the family, with places to spread out during the game. I suspect that those days are long gone too ... but some of that is not a bad thing.

[lofter1]

When was the last time those moveable sections of seats on tracks were rolled about?

[Radiohead]

I would guess not since the Jets left for East Rutherford in '84. I don't know of any other reason. And that's assuming they still move:D

[TallGuy]

I never knew that's how they worked! thanks for these great photos. Shea was never a beautiful park, but it looks so much better with its' orginal colors than the later prmary colors, especially the blue.

[DMAG]

I was there today watching the my poor Mets get swept by the Phillies.

Citi Field is getting HUGE.

[BrooklynRider]

Great photos, Radiohead! Thanks-

[Radiohead]

1987. Look at the railings. Shea was starting to look it's age even then.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/1435755672_8aef28bc65_o.jpg

Dave "Kong" Kingman Mid 70's
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1168/1435757176_8780d51c54_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1230/1435757122_760d2bcc0e_o.jpg

Yanks played there in '74-75 while their home was being gutted and modernized.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1345/1435757466_5e6626448f_o.jpg

1986 Mets vs Cubs
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1067/1435757316_5c37411ce7_o.jpg

Jets vs Broncos 1964. First Jets game at Shea
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1137/1434886631_3d685133e9_o.jpg

Scene after the Mets defeated the Orioles to win the 1969 World Series. The crowd was generally well behaved
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1329/1435058377_8fa804e67f_o.jpg


This was the scene after the Mets clinched the 1973 NLCS. These fans were not as well behaved, and caused considerable damage to the field. As a result, there was no standing room only seating for the World Series games at Shea against the A's.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1399/1435058051_6b1c20db31_o.jpg

Mid 60's exterior shot
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1055/1434887003_3cb617b1ac_o.jpg

[Radiohead]

Some more Beatles pics, these from their 1966 concert. They quit touring in '66, so this may have been one of their last shows

Rare intact ticket
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1155/1435756430_f4a2badcdd_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1120/1435756098_ba460c6f6c_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1392/1435755980_df5a2bec81_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1090/1435755870_b625c9daf5_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1359/1435755770_f2eed7cf31_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1384/1435756328_9c42d04161_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1156/1435756182_355c443842_o.jpg

Here's a link to a short video about the concert. Cool aerial footage of Manhattan and some shots of Shea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h2qpqJwW0o

1976 Mets program
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1150/1434886815_69fa109f1d_o.jpg

1973 World Series program
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1181/1434886741_9fc3d706ee_o.jpg

By the way, here's a great, continually updated site about the last days of Shea, called Loge13. Some great video and info.
http://www.loge13.com/

[Jim856796]

The photos of Shea stadium taken during the 1960s must be digitally restored or something. And when was Shea's exterior painted from white to blue?

[BPC]

great photos. Never reaized it was originally white. MUCH better looking. The only thing I tbink they should preserve from the current Shea are the neon guys on the side.

[Wrightfan]

Never knew those seats moved like that. In that case then at least the place had one redeeming feature.

[pjc1961]

The team & date in the caption are wrong in the very first photo at the top of this thread. The Milwaukee Brewers were an American League team from 1970-1997 & did not join the National League (via realignment) until 1998. The visiting team depicted in the photo - (at a "pre-1998" Shea Stadium) - as indicated on the scoreboard would be the Milwaukee Braves, which played in the National League through 1965 until the franchise moved to Atlanta for the 1966 season. Through research (using some of the info on the scoreboard: Mets uniform numbers/lineup, Braves lineup, American League out-of-town scoreboard while using boxscores from Mets/Milwaukee Braves games from 1964-1965), the photo would be from Tuesday, May 12, 1964 @ approximately 9:45PM. Milwaukee batting, top of the 9th inning, 2 outs, runner on first (Hank Aaron), Joe Torre batting, Al Jackson pitching for the Mets. The Mets would go on to lose the game, 2-0.

[GordonGecko]

Unfortunately this thread is mostly a ripoff of
http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?t=61224

[Alonzo-ny]

Get a life.

[GordonGecko]

Wow what a jerk, do you tell everyone who takes all your hard work and puts its on his own thread without attribution to get a life?

[ZippyTheChimp]

^
I've checked both threads, and see no evidence of this one "basically being a ripoff" of the other.

I looked at a few identical photos from both threads, and they are hosted at different websites.

Do you hold copyright for any of the photos, or are any hotlinked from your site. If so, identify them I'll have them removed.

Other than that, what's your complaint?

Also, calling someone an a-hole isn't tolerated.

[GordonGecko]

It's not the images that are copyrighted from the other thread, it's the collection of them that was assembled by several people which ethically should require some sort of attribution. I just had a look at the Yankee Stadium thread Radiohead started, and in that one he does give credit to baseball-fever. I guess he just neglected to mention it on this thread.

Sorry about the word I used, I just edited my previous post

[BrooklynLove]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1278/1389446272_d2a516873d_o.jpg


I love this shot.

[DarrylStrawberry]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/sports/baseball/19shea.html?_r=1


The Final Goodbye: Shea Rests in Pieces

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/02/18/sports/baseball/18shea-600.jpg
The last piece of Shea Stadium was brought down on Wednesday morning in Flushing, Queens.

By JOSHUA ROBINSON
Published: February 18, 2009

Shea Stadium (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/shea_stadium/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier), the site of the Mets’ two World Series victories, their many seasons of futility and a few historic concerts, met the fate of Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds on Wednesday morning. At 11:21 a.m., a demolition crew pulled down the final section, and what remained of the old blue stadium was gone in a cloud of dust: the final collapse at Shea. It was 45.


Besides several months of work by a wrecking crew, what killed the stadium was the need for a sprawling parking lot for the Mets’ gleaming new home, Citi Field. Shea is survived by a team that would prefer to forget its most recent memories of the place, two seasons that ended in mind-boggling failure.

From about 9 a.m. on, about three dozen fans gathered around the fences of the demolition site to pay their respects despite a bitter February chill and funereal gray skies over Queens. All they had to look at was the column of ramps that used to lead to the press gate towering over the piles of rubble.

Wearing Mets gear, many chronicled the proceedings on video cameras and cellphones. They cheered when the ramps suddenly pitched forward, as if bowing to Citi Field, and started a brief chant of “Let’s go, Mets” as the dust settled.

But a few treated it with far more solemnity. Tears were shed, and one fan even crossed himself as he walked away from the fence and into the arms of a loved one.

Word of Shea’s agony had spread over a few Mets blogs and even on Shea Stadium’s Wikipedia (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/wikipedia/index.html?inline=nyt-org) page. Peter McDonnell brought his 7-year-old son, Jason, and stood for about two hours to watch the 30 seconds it took for the last section to crumble. That moment was originally scheduled for Tuesday. The McDonnells, who attended the final game at Shea and have tickets for opening day at Citi Field, had been there for three hours then.

“It’s one last chance to say goodbye and let my son witness history,” McDonnell said. “Maybe someday he’ll bring his son to watch Citi Field being torn down.”

Joe DeAngelis, a construction worker who has been a Mets fan for 40 years, fought back tears as he stared at the pile of rubble. Even though he believed the stadium’s last moments were fairly anticlimactic — there were no explosions or wrecking balls as in some other stadium demolitions — they felt just as painful.

“It’s like watching a slow death,” DeAngelis said. “All we can do now is reminisce.”

[Deadoriole]

Can anyone confirm the approx. time and the team the Mets are palying in the first two photos?

DO

[gored82]

The title Mets vs Brewers, 1973 has 2 errors...

1. The Mets never played the Brewers until 1998, when the Brewers switched from the AL to the NL...thus, that couldn't have been a Mets-Brewers game in 1973, and...

2. That photo actually was taken c. 1965, before the OF fence was painted green and transparent panels were installed in front of the bullpens...

[pjc1961]

Can anyone confirm the approx. time and the team the Mets are palying in the first two photos?

DO

The title Mets vs Brewers, 1973 has 2 errors...

1. The Mets never played the Brewers until 1998, when the Brewers switched from the AL to the NL...thus, that couldn't have been a Mets-Brewers game in 1973, and...

2. That photo actually was taken c. 1965, before the OF fence was painted green and transparent panels were installed in front of the bullpens...

The answer to above questions below; previously posted on Aug. 20, 2008. Boxscore for the game: http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN196405120.shtml

The team & date in the caption are wrong in the very first photo at the top of this thread. The Milwaukee Brewers were an American League team from 1970-1997 & did not join the National League (via realignment) until 1998. The visiting team depicted in the photo - (at a "pre-1998" Shea Stadium) - as indicated on the scoreboard would be the Milwaukee Braves, which played in the National League through 1965 until the franchise moved to Atlanta for the 1966 season. Through research (using some of the info on the scoreboard: Mets uniform numbers/lineup, Braves lineup, American League out-of-town scoreboard while using boxscores from Mets/Milwaukee Braves games from 1964-1965), the photo would be from Tuesday, May 12, 1964 @ approximately 9:45PM. Milwaukee batting, top of the 9th inning, 2 outs, runner on first (Hank Aaron), Joe Torre batting, Al Jackson pitching for the Mets. The Mets would go on to lose the game, 2-0.

[pjc1961]

Referring to the earlier photos of The Beatles concert at Shea Stadium on August 23, 1966:

There would be 3 more concerts on the North American tour after New York, the last one being on August 29, 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco (their last public performance; not including TV appearances & the impromptu "concert" on the roof of the Apple Corps Headquarters in London, England on January 30, 1969).

The list of The Beatles 1966 tour dates & venues (from Wikipedia):

TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA, 1966
12 August International Amphitheatre (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Chicago_International_Amphitheatre), Chicago
13 August Olympia Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Olympia_Stadium), Detroit
14 August Municipal Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Cleveland_Municipal_Stadium), Cleveland
15 August D.C. Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/D.C._Stadium), Washington DC
16 August Philadelphia Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Philadelphia_Stadium), Philadelphia
17 August Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto
18 August Suffolk Downs Racetrack (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Suffolk_Downs), Boston
19 August Mid-South Coliseum (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Mid-South_Coliseum), Memphis
21 August Crosley Field (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Crosley_Field), Cincinnati (afternoon)
21 August Busch Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Busch_Stadium), St Louis (evening)
23 August Shea Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Shea_Stadium), New York
25 August Seattle Coliseum, Seattle
28 August Dodger Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Dodger_Stadium), Los Angeles
29 August Candlestick Park (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Candlestick_Park), San Francisco

Referring to the earlier photos of The Beatles concert at Shea Stadium on August 15, 1965:

This was the first concert ever held at a stadium of this size, thus the lack of knowledge about staging, sound, lighting, audience seating, crowd control & field preparation that is now become common practice with outdoor/stadium concerts/events over the past 30 years or so. Now even grass fields can be covered with seats placed on top without ruining the turf during a sports season - not to mention the bonus of added revenue that's obtained via the extra seating.

The list of The Beatles 1965 tour dates & venues (from Wikipedia):

TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA, 1965
August 15 - Shea Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Shea_Stadium), New York City (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/New_York_City)
August 17 - Maple Leaf Gardens (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Maple_Leaf_Gardens), Toronto (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Toronto)
August 18 - Atlanta Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Atlanta_Stadium), Atlanta (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Atlanta)
August 19 - Sam Houston Coliseum (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Sam_Houston_Coliseum), Houston (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Houston)
August 20 - Comiskey Park (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Comiskey_Park), Chicago (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Chicago)
August 21 - Metropolitan Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Metropolitan_Stadium), Bloomington (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Bloomington,_Minnesota)
August 22 - Memorial Coliseum (Portland) (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Memorial_Coliseum_(Portland)), Portland (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Portland,_Oregon)
August 28 - Balboa Stadium (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Balboa_Stadium), San Diego (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/San_Diego)
August 29 - Hollywood Bowl (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Hollywood_Bowl), Los Angeles (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Los_Angeles)
August 30 - Hollywood Bowl (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Hollywood_Bowl), Los Angeles (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Los_Angeles)
August 31 - Cow Palace (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/Cow_Palace), San Francisco (http://wirednewyork.com/wiki/San_Francisco)

[Ed007Toronto]

Odd that both Toronto dates were August 17.

[BrooklynRider]

On the DVD of McCartney's concert at Citifield, he stated that the sound was routed through Shea's PA system.