Thanks to John Pastier for sharing the following info.  – Rod Nelson

 

 

The Museum of the City of New York will present a Ballparks Panel next week in conjunction with its current exhibition on New York baseball during the last decade of the three-team era. 

 

Here is their outline of the event.  My portion will probably depart a bit from this statement, and deal with the parks themselves during that era, and some of the dramatic plays that grew out of their unique geometries.

 

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Take Me Out to the Brand-New Ball Park

Thursday, September 27th

6:30 PM

 

Museum of the City of New York

1220 Fifth Avenue at 104th St.

 

 

Participants

 

MCNY host: Sarah Henry

Moderator: Frank Deford

Panelists: John Pastier, Janet Marie Smith, Andrew Zimbalist,

 

 

Schedule

 

6:00 Panelists arrive

6:30 Sarah Henry welcomes audience and speakers introduces Mr. Deford

6:35: Frank Deford introduces panel and panelists

6:40-7:10:  Seven-to-ten-minutes remarks by each panelist

7:10-7:25:  Roundtable discussion led by Mr. Deford

7:25-7:45:   Q&A from audience

7:45:  Sarah Henry thanks the panel

7:45-8:00:   Book signing and reception; exhibition will be open for visitors

 

 

Overview

 

The panel will focus on the impact of baseball parks on neighborhoods and cities, using the era examined in the exhibition The Glory Days: New York Baseball, 1947-1957 as a springboard for discussion.  Topics to be covered include:

 

- stadium design and the architectural features of some of the old and new baseball parks

- the financing of new parks

- the impact of new baseball parks on the local economy

 

Suggested order of introductory statements by each panelist and questions and issues that each might consider addressing. 

 

John Pastier (an architecture critic and author of Historic Ballparks: A Panoramic Vision): New York City ball parks of the 1947-1957 era, their architectural and cultural significance.   What was unique about the designs of these stadiums?

 

Janet Marie Smith (Senior Vice President of Planning and Development for the Boston Red Sox and architect behind the redesign of Fenway Park): contemporary issues in ballpark design; changes in ball parks since the Glory Days; a behind-the-scenes perspective on the design process.

 

Andrew Zimbalist (professor of economics at Smith College, stadium consultant, and author of In The Best Interests of Baseball? and Equal Play: Title IX and Social Change): financing ball park construction; economic impact of parks their neighborhoods and cities.