Shea Stadium Closes - Nobody Notices

There was a big brouhaha about the closing of Yankee Stadium in New York. The "House that Ruth Built" is being demolished to make way for parking for the new Yankee Stadium. A sad time for loyal Yankee fans and one that brought lots of news coverage.

Just a couple of days ago the other major league baseball stadium in New York was shuttered as well, but hardly anyone noticed. Shea Stadium, built in 1964 adjacent to the New York World's Fair will meet the wrecking ball this month. The new Citi Stadium, where the NY Mets will play is rising in the parking lot, much like Yankee Stadium. The difference is, no one is making a big deal of this change.

Perhaps because so many people didn't care for Shea or for the Mets? Who knows? I will remember it because I attended that Fair back in 1964 and saw the stadium when it opened. All shiny and new and wreaking of the 1960's.

Though I never attended any Mets games, I will miss it. It is another reminder of my youth. Like the downtown theaters here in Dallas and the hotels along the Las Vegas Strip, these places remind me of a time long ago when life seemed very different than today. Going to the movies was an event. Visiting the World's Fair was a glimpse into the future and standing beneath the big Genii at the Dunes Hotel made me feel like I was in a fairy tale.

I guess waxing nostalgic come with growing older, but still I wonder if there might be men and women in New York who will find a piece of their past missing when they go to the new Citi Stadium. The might look at the empty lot and for a moment see the shiny new Shea Stadium. A glimpse into the future that was never meant to last. Like the buildings of the Fair, Las Vegas Hotels and much of the landmarks of my childhood, they were disposable architecture.

I wonder when someone will build something meant to last for the ages again?