September 05, 2009

Yankee Stadium frieze being removed

The picking apart of Yankee Stadium for salvage continues, with the concrete frieze atop the scoreboard (what's often called the "facade," though it's not) being carefully removed by a crane this week. If you want a piece, you can buy one at auction (shipping, presumably, is extra); the Daily News also reports that two panels will be on display at Heritage Field, the new public park that's scheduled to replace the old ballpark in 2011.

Speaking of the new park, construction will apparently be able to begin next summer, which is when the News reports that demolition of the House That Ruth Built will be complete. (Serious demolition work is expected to begin this October, presumably once the Yanks' playoff run is complete and fans are no longer around to watch the carnage.) According to the News: "After the stadium's interior is stripped, the lower level will be razed by an excavator and the upper deck by a large cantilever." By a what?