Yankee Stadium 1923 Brick







Yankee Stadium 1923 Brick




























Dubbed "The Cathedral of Baseball" and "The House that Ruth Built" or simply "The Stadium," Yankee Stadium was the home to New York's baseball team for 85 years, witnessing some of the most incredible moments in the history of the sport.
This specimen is a piece of brick material from the original 1923 Yankee Stadium. It was retrieved during the stadium's demolition in 2008, making way for the new Yankee Stadium that hosts the team today.

THE CATHEDRAL OF BASEBALL
For nearly a century, Yankee Stadium was one of the most beloved baseball stadiums across the sport, the home to its namesake New York Yankees. Across its 85 years, Yankee Stadium hosted some of the most memorable moments in the sport, cementing baseball as America's national pastime.
This specimen is a piece of a Goldrick Brick from the original 1923 construction of Yankee Stadium, recovered from demolition. The stadium hosted iconic players from the team's history, like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe Dimaggio. The brick was originally manufactured by Philip Goldrick & Sons in upstate New York and shipped to the Bronx in the 1920s.

All specimens are enclosed in an acrylic specimen jar with a removable top which arrives in a handsome, glass-topped riker box case measuring 4x3x1". It comes complete with a 3x4" display card with photos of the original Yankee Stadium and the specimen, as well as information about the field. The larger cards also serve as the certificate of authenticity and feature the official Mini Museum Seal of Authenticity.
In addition to the larger card, we have also included our standard photo card, in case you wish to keep a unified look with the other Mini Museum items in your collection.

📸 THE ORIGINAL STADIUM IN 1923
MORE ABOUT YANKEE STADIUM

📸 THE STADIUM UNDER CONSTRUCTION
THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT
In the 1920 season, Babe Ruth's home run hits drew 1.3 million fans to see the New York Yankees play at their home park, Polo Grounds. Despite breaking the million season record, this posed a problem to the Yankees, as the stadium was owned by their fierce rivals, the Giants. After a notice of eviction and the fiery 1921 World Series game between the teams, the Giants' owner Charles Stoneham and manager John McGraw made it clear: the Yankees had to go.
Much to the Giants' dismay, the Yankees did not go far at all. In 1922, construction began on the new stadium directly across the river from Polo Grounds in the Bronx. With a capacity of 58,000 fans, nearly double the usual 30,000 seats, Yankee Stadium opened to the public on April 18, 1923. A crowd of over 60,000 watched the Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 with a three-run homer from Ruth in the third inning.

📸 "BABE RUTH BOWS OUT," June 13, 1948
Yankee Stadium witnessed some of the most memorable events in baseball history. During the 1956 World Series game, the Yankees' Don Larsen pitched a perfect game, striking out 27 batters against the Dodgers. Mickey Mantle joined the 500 Club in 1967, the first time the stadium hosted a 500th homerun. It was at Yankee Stadium in 1939 that Lou Gehrig called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth” after retiring from baseball following his illness. In 1948, Babe Ruth returned to the stadium to attend his jersey retirement ceremony.
Beyond baseball, Yankee Stadium hosted other incredible moments in sports. In 1936 and then again in 1938, boxer Joe Louis faced off against Max Schmeling for the title of heavyweight champion of the world. The 1958 NFL Championship Game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts was later dubbed "the Greatest Game Ever Played" and is credited with the ascendency of football’s popularity. The stadium has also hosted papal visits, a speech given by Nelson Mandela, a Pink Floyd concert, and countless weddings, birthdays, and other celebrations by its devoted fans.

📸 THE ORIGINAL STADIUM
Yankee Stadium had three tiers of stands, the first of its kind in the country. Throughout the 20th century, it was renovated and updated several times to add more seating, repair damages, and improve bleachers. In the 1970s, the stadium closed for two seasons to allow for more intensive renovation work, such as escalators to help climb to the higher stands. By 2005 the team announced a new modern stadium would be built next door.
On September 21, 2008, the Yankees played their final game in the original stadium against the Baltimore Orioles. The next year, it was demolished and transformed into a public park. The new Yankee Stadium hosted its first game on April 3, 2009, an exhibition match-up that saw the Yankees triumph over the Chicago Cubs. While not quite as beloved as its predecessor, the new Yankee Stadium did much to replicate the original, including its iconic white facade, a nod to the stadium that truly transformed baseball into America’s pastime.
Further Reading
Plasse J. The Stadium: Images and Voices of the Original Yankee Stadium. State University of New York Press; 2011. doi:10.1515/9781438440071
Rader BG. Baseball: A History of America’s Game. 1st ed. University of Illinois Press; 2025.


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