Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in the borough of Queens in New York City. Opened in 2009, the stadium has a capacity of 44,466 and is the home field of the New York Mets. Citi Field was built to replace the Met’s former home ground Shea Stadium.
Aesthetically, the stadium was designed to pay homage to the former home grounds of the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, both of which relocated to the West Coast in the 1950s to become the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers respectively. The stadium’s exterior replicates the design of the Brooklyn Dodger’s Ebbets Field, whilst the green seats that fill Citi Field, are intended to recall the same seats that used to fill the New York Giant’s Polo Grounds.
The over 70-year history of the New York Mets is also present throughout Citi Field. The former Home Run Apple that used sit in centre field at Shea Stadium is now located outside the home base rotunda. A new Home Run Apple, twice the size of the old apple, now occupies the same spot at Citi Field, continuing the tradition of rising whenever the Mets score a home run. A Met’s Hall of Fame and Museum is also located inside the stadium containing memorabilia from the team’s history.
Although not as historic as Shea Stadium, Citi Field is still an impressive modern baseball stadium in its own right. Through its clever use of New York baseball nostalgia and modern stadium design, Citi Field is a venue that is sure to remain at the top of the league for many years to come.
