Inside Dodger Stadium’s Fascinating History—Including 5 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

The third-oldest MLB stadium, known to LA Dodgers fans as “Blue Heaven on Earth,” is a nostalgic example of midcentury modern architectureThe Brooklyn Dodgers once played in a small ballpark in the borough’s Flatbush neighborhood. So how did the team end up in the Dodger Stadium of today—a midcentury modern structure with sweeping views of Los Angeles?“The city of Los Angeles was the ultimate Plan B for the Brooklyn Dodgers,” Mark Langill, the team’s historian, says in a new installment of AD’s Inside History video series. However, when team president Walter O’Malley saw the freeway access leading to the canyon of Chavez Ravine, just north of downtown LA, the sports exec thought it’d be “the perfect place” for a stadium that would be in a league of its own.Dodger Stadium, which opened in 1962 and seats a whopping 56,000 fans, has now hosted games in 12 World Series, including in 2024 and 2025 when the Los Angeles Dodgers won the championship. Though the team hoped for a historic three-peat this year—a third consecutive World Series win would have marked the first time a team achieved this since the New York Yankees came out victorious in 2000—they were eliminated by the Milwaukee Brewers in the playoffs.Ahead of this year’s World Series, AD visits the third-oldest Major League Baseball stadium behind Fenway Park (home to the Boston Red Sox) and Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs) to learn more about its history. Below are a few highlights.The pastel seat colors mimic the sun setting in the skyDodger Stadium is known for its colorful seating—but there was a specific reason architect Emil Praeger arranged the stadium’s chairs with yellow ones at field level followed by orange, turquoise, and sky blue at top. “The choice of the colors was selected to mimic the sunset,” says Janet Marie Smith, executive vice president of planning and development for the LA Dodgers.It’s almost impossible to forget where you parkedEvery entrance of Dodger Stadium “is marked by something different,” says Smith, adding that landmarks like oversized Dodgers bobbleheads can be especially helpful when getting back to your car after a game. And of course, the stadium wouldn’t be complete without paying tribute to Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball’s color line in 1947. Alongside a bronze statue of the baseball great are some of his profound quotes chosen in consultation with his widow, Rachel Robinson, and his daughter, Sharon. They are displayed out front because his “power and impact on America wasn’t just on the playing field,” says Smith.Part of Dodger Stadium was inspired by Los Angeles International AirportPlayers heading straight to Dodger Stadium from LAX may think they ended up exactly where they started. A hallway that serves as the entrance to the clubhouse is inspired by the tile mosaics at the airport that have appeared in movies like 1967’s Point Blank and 1997’s Jackie Brown. “We wanted to give honor to Janet Bennett, who designed the mosaics at LAX,” says Smith.The hexagonal signs that surround the stadium all started with the scoreboardBecause Dodger Stadium was in need of advertisement space, hexagonal signs bordering the field were created to “mimic the scoreboard,” says Smith. The six-sided polygon is found in various places at the venue—though some didn’t take shape until 2013, when additions to the venue were crafted from old sketches laid out in 1959. “We’re really pleased to have finally finished things that were authored half a century ago,” says Smith.The LA Dodgers are the only MLB team to have a botanist on staffThe outside of Dodger Stadium is just as important as the inside. In 1963, O’Malley invested in landscaping that would grow into lush botanical gardens just outside of its gates. “We’re so proud of having the only botanist on staff of any Major League team,” says Smith, noting that the green grounds have become one of the stadium’s “defining” features. Outside are more than 100 concrete planters shaped like oversized martini glasses, or “champagne bowls,” that the Dodger landscaping crew “lovingly restored” over the years.Not a subscriber? 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