The ballpark's rich history began with Dodger President Walter O'Malley's foresight six decades ago. In 1957, O'Malley lobbied for a new stadium to be built for his Brooklyn club, but when a deal could not be reached, the Dodgers made the unprecedented move to California. In September of that year, the city of Los Angeles agreed to give 300 acres of land to the Dodgers in exchange for the deed to Wrigley Field in Los Angeles and their commitment to construct a 50,000-seat stadium. While Dodger Stadium was being built, the Dodgers played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum through 1961, before the true Opening Day- April 10, 1962 - when the Dodgers finally played in their new home before 52,564 fans. The 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium, the first privately financed ballpark since Yankee Stadium in 1923, is a reflection of the careful study Walter O'Malley put into this seminal project. Dodger Stadium was designed by O'Malley and New York based architect and civil engineer, Emil Praeger with support from Los Angeles based Edward Fickett, FAIA, a fourth generation California native and prolific architect who brought a regional flare to the engineering feat that is Dodger Stadium. Praeger designed the stadium so that each entry is at grade -- from the Top Deck to the Field level seats. The 21 terraced entrances on the six different seating levels presents a unique vertical circulation along the landscaped plazas around the stadium perimeter and each section of seating has parking immediately adjacent the entrance . There is parking for 16,000 cars on site, carved as the stadium is, into the hillside of Chavez Ravine. Fickett's contribution of style and color gives the building a uniquely Southern California 1960's "modern" style.
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