APRIL 1, 2009 --

Representatives of the New York City Department of Parks briefed a community meeting in The Bronx, March 25, on the progress of development on the site of Yankee Stadium and the immediate vicinity.

Renderings of development plans were screened at the meeting and images, taken by LPR of these renderings accompany this report.

Yankee Stadium is to be “deconstructed” (the term used by the Parks Department), by June, next year, and replaced by “Heritage Field, ” The renderings indicate that no part of Yankee Stadium will remain standing.

“Deconstruction” began that day – March 25 – one Parks Department representative said at the meeting, and he noted that “demolition” methods will not be used. (LPR can understand why the term “dismantled” was not used, as well.) Apparently Yankee Stadium will be taken down – respectfully.

A new look ...

Yankee Stadium into Heritage Field

LPR was interested to learn that “Heritage Field” will include areas for discus and javelin Events. It is not clear to LPR what heritage is honored by javelin and discus events on the site of “The House that [Babe] Ruth built.”.

This thought is, admittedly, fanciful, but LPR has a notion that Babe Ruth and all the Yankees of the past who constructed the team’s heritage are not amused.

Yankee Stadium coming down; Freedom Tower – now to be called One World Center --going up – at the site of Ground Zero: Expressions, perhaps, of the spirit of the New York establishment:: “Moving ahead without sentiment.”

Cross Bronx Expressway

Half a century ago, that spirit demolished Bronx communities for construction of the Cross-Bronx Expressway (shown here looking east from the Grand Concourse).

Black Smoke

The day these images were taken, LPR noticed black smoke belched, from an apartment building into the Bronx skies – as an expression of mourning, perhaps?