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City of Dreams: Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles
On the sixtieth anniversary of the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles, the full story of the controversial building of Dodger Stadium and how it helped transform the city.
When Walter O'Malley moved his Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1957 with plans to construct a new ballpark next to downtown, he ignited a bitter argument over the future of a rapidly changing city. For the first time, City of Dreams tells the full story of the controversial building of Dodger Stadium--and how it helped create modern Los Angeles by transforming its downtown into a vibrant cultural and entertainment center.
In a vivid narrative, Jerald Podair tells how Los Angeles was convulsed between 1957 and 1962 over whether, where, and how to build Dodger Stadium. Competing civic visions clashed. Would Los Angeles be a decentralized, low-tax city of neighborhoods, as demanded by middle-class whites on its peripheries? Or would the baseball park be the first contribution to a revitalized downtown that would brand Los Angeles as a national and global city, as advocated by leaders in business, media, and entertainment?
O'Malley's vision triumphed when he opened his privately constructed stadium on April 10, 1962--and over the past half century it has contributed substantially to the city's civic and financial well-being. But in order to build the stadium, O'Malley negotiated with the city to acquire publicly owned land (from which the city had uprooted a Mexican American community), raising sharply contested questions about the relationship between private profit and "public purpose." Indeed, the battle over Dodger Stadium crystallized issues with profound implications for all American cities, and for arguments over the meaning of equality itself.
Filled with colorful stories, City of Dreams will fascinate anyone who is interested in the history of the Dodgers, baseball, Los Angeles, and the modern American city.
When Walter O'Malley moved his Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1957 with plans to construct a new ballpark next to downtown, he ignited a bitter argument over the future of a rapidly changing city. For the first time, City of Dreams tells the full story of the controversial building of Dodger Stadium--and how it helped create modern Los Angeles by transforming its downtown into a vibrant cultural and entertainment center.
In a vivid narrative, Jerald Podair tells how Los Angeles was convulsed between 1957 and 1962 over whether, where, and how to build Dodger Stadium. Competing civic visions clashed. Would Los Angeles be a decentralized, low-tax city of neighborhoods, as demanded by middle-class whites on its peripheries? Or would the baseball park be the first contribution to a revitalized downtown that would brand Los Angeles as a national and global city, as advocated by leaders in business, media, and entertainment?
O'Malley's vision triumphed when he opened his privately constructed stadium on April 10, 1962--and over the past half century it has contributed substantially to the city's civic and financial well-being. But in order to build the stadium, O'Malley negotiated with the city to acquire publicly owned land (from which the city had uprooted a Mexican American community), raising sharply contested questions about the relationship between private profit and "public purpose." Indeed, the battle over Dodger Stadium crystallized issues with profound implications for all American cities, and for arguments over the meaning of equality itself.
Filled with colorful stories, City of Dreams will fascinate anyone who is interested in the history of the Dodgers, baseball, Los Angeles, and the modern American city.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2017
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348 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 4, 2022
I enjoyed this book so much that as I neared the end I started reading it more slowly because I didn't want want to finish it. For a diehard Dodger fan and a native Angeleno who loves her city, this book is pure Nirvana. It is the story of Walter O'Malley, who left his native New York after being thwarted by the powerful Robert Moses in his dream of building a stadium in Brooklyn, for Los Angeles, a city whose leaders promised to sell him land where he could build a stadium, only have opponents raise legal and political obstacles that nearly derailed the project on which he had staked his entire fortune and the future of his team. It is the story of Los Angeles, then the third largest city in the United States, without a downtown or civic center or civic identity, and its struggle to become the world-class city its size indicated it should be, with the old guard in downtown and Pasadena allying with the Westside liberals and southside African Americans against the middle class whites from the Valley and Latinos still smarting from removal of Mexican-Americans in Chavez Ravine to allow construction of the stadium to support O'Malley and the building of Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. It's the story of the boys in Blue, the Dodgers of the 50s and 60s, with young new stars such as Drysdale, Wills and Koufax and a dulcet-toned broadcaster named Vin Scully who had fans at games in the Coliseum who could not see the field and their counterparts across the city listening to his inspired play by play, leading the team to its first championship in Los Angeles in 1959 and to the birth of the Dodgers as a Los Angeles institution (my only complaint is that the author left out Wally Moon and his moon balls hit over the shortened Coliseum fence from his narrative). The history of California and Los Angeles, the history of the Dodgers, the politics and economics of sports teams and sports stadia--this book has it all. It is a great read. I only regret that my father, who inspired my love of the Dodgers through the many hours we spent together at Dodger Stadium, was not alive to read it and discuss it with me. I thought of him throughout my reading of the book, which made it even better. This is truly an outstanding book.
February 21, 2017
When the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles following the 1957 baseball season, little did anyone predict the long protracted process it would take for owner Walter O’Malley to construct Dodger Stadium. That process, with all of the political battles and conflicting visions of what type of city Los Angeles would be with the new ballpark, is captured in this well-written and balanced book by Jerald Podair.
Every step of the process from the announcement that the Dodgers were moving to Los Angeles to the opening of Dodger Stadium in 1962 is covered from many points of view. All of the various disputes that O’Malley encountered from citizens, local politicians or other officials are discussed in a manner that presents all sides of the argument fairly and offers some facts to dispute some myths, such as stating that despite the popular belief, it was not Walter O’Malley that ordered the eviction of residents from Chavez Ravine to make way for the ballpark.
Information that is new to the reader may be surprising, such as the amount of rent that the team had to pay the organization that ran the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as that was the location for the team from 1958 to 1961. The court battles for Proposition B, the case by a family who wanted to keep its residence in Chavez Ravine and the dispute over building the roads to provide access to the ballpark are just a few of the topics covered in great detail in this book. These details are key to presenting this balanced picture of these events and because of them, it is a book that must be read slowly and carefully in order to absorb all of the information.
Readers who are interested in learning about the building of Dodger Stadium, as well as the team, the city of Los Angeles or even just a glimpse into the political conversations at the time will enjoy this book.
I wish to thank Princeton University Press for providing an advance review copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
Every step of the process from the announcement that the Dodgers were moving to Los Angeles to the opening of Dodger Stadium in 1962 is covered from many points of view. All of the various disputes that O’Malley encountered from citizens, local politicians or other officials are discussed in a manner that presents all sides of the argument fairly and offers some facts to dispute some myths, such as stating that despite the popular belief, it was not Walter O’Malley that ordered the eviction of residents from Chavez Ravine to make way for the ballpark.
Information that is new to the reader may be surprising, such as the amount of rent that the team had to pay the organization that ran the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as that was the location for the team from 1958 to 1961. The court battles for Proposition B, the case by a family who wanted to keep its residence in Chavez Ravine and the dispute over building the roads to provide access to the ballpark are just a few of the topics covered in great detail in this book. These details are key to presenting this balanced picture of these events and because of them, it is a book that must be read slowly and carefully in order to absorb all of the information.
Readers who are interested in learning about the building of Dodger Stadium, as well as the team, the city of Los Angeles or even just a glimpse into the political conversations at the time will enjoy this book.
I wish to thank Princeton University Press for providing an advance review copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/201...
June 20, 2024
(2.5/5) - it was informative, but very repetitive. Like literally at the end of every chapter the author re-hashed all the same points there were trying to make about the owner of the Dodgers and the political nature of their move to LA. Could’ve saved 50 pages without repeating himself endlessly.
August 9, 2017
Compared to many people I know, I am not a well-travelled person. I unfortunately have never made it out of North America. Hopefully, one day I can explore more continents. However, I have been fortunate to visit a lot of major cities in the United States: New York, Portland, Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Orlando and a few others but to me, nothing compares to Los Angeles.
Cue Randy Newman.
No doubt about it, Los Angeles is different. It does not have the edge, vibe, or feel of a major city. There is a downtown area, but there really is not a city center. Los Angeles really is a collection of different neighbors, ideas, and constructs. Los Angeles is city only a mother could love; if you didn’t grow up with it, then you probably won’t love it.
Los Angeles has the best weather in the entire country, yet you would not catch an Angeleno proudly walking anywhere or boastfully taking public transportation. Los Angeles is traffic, tall fences, and home of the Dodgers.
The history of the Dodgers has been well documented, especially the tumultuous move from Brooklyn. But in the City of Dreams, you get the story of Los Angeles when the Dodgers arrive.
Looking back it is seems ludicrous that a Major League Baseball team would run into any resistance from a major city. At this time, a city was defined by their fandom, so why would any citizen fight the Dodgers? The short answer: politics.
If you are interested in the history of Los Angeles, you will love this book. I found it fascinating how events unfolded during the move. It is tough to imagine that Dodger Stadium or LA any differently, but it was very close. Arguments concerning public use and private benefit, eminent domain, referendums, and court cases; a recipe for a classic book if you love Los Angeles.
Obviously, I look back and see that wisdom prevailed. Today, we see taxpayer built stadiums as big goose eggs. Candlestick Park and Shea Stadium, built around this time, were immediately outdated and no one seemed to shed a tear when they were demolished. Dodger Stadium, however, sits beautifully into Chavez Ravine as baseball’s now third oldest stadium. It stands the test of time.
I love Dodger Stadium. I love LA.
Cue Randy Newman.
No doubt about it, Los Angeles is different. It does not have the edge, vibe, or feel of a major city. There is a downtown area, but there really is not a city center. Los Angeles really is a collection of different neighbors, ideas, and constructs. Los Angeles is city only a mother could love; if you didn’t grow up with it, then you probably won’t love it.
Los Angeles has the best weather in the entire country, yet you would not catch an Angeleno proudly walking anywhere or boastfully taking public transportation. Los Angeles is traffic, tall fences, and home of the Dodgers.
The history of the Dodgers has been well documented, especially the tumultuous move from Brooklyn. But in the City of Dreams, you get the story of Los Angeles when the Dodgers arrive.
Looking back it is seems ludicrous that a Major League Baseball team would run into any resistance from a major city. At this time, a city was defined by their fandom, so why would any citizen fight the Dodgers? The short answer: politics.
If you are interested in the history of Los Angeles, you will love this book. I found it fascinating how events unfolded during the move. It is tough to imagine that Dodger Stadium or LA any differently, but it was very close. Arguments concerning public use and private benefit, eminent domain, referendums, and court cases; a recipe for a classic book if you love Los Angeles.
Obviously, I look back and see that wisdom prevailed. Today, we see taxpayer built stadiums as big goose eggs. Candlestick Park and Shea Stadium, built around this time, were immediately outdated and no one seemed to shed a tear when they were demolished. Dodger Stadium, however, sits beautifully into Chavez Ravine as baseball’s now third oldest stadium. It stands the test of time.
I love Dodger Stadium. I love LA.
January 29, 2018
A deserving winner of SABR’s Seymour Medal for the best book on baseball history published in 2017, “City of Dreams” sheds new light on the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles in 1958 and the subsequent building of Dodger Stadium. This book focuses on the political drama and the behind-the-scenes decisions that put team owner Walter O’Malley in the right place at the right time to build a state-of-the art ballpark in Chavez Ravine that transformed the city of Los Angeles and set in motion a half-century of progress in downtown L.A.
The author capitalizes on his access to the rarely seen O’Malley family archives to deliver a clear, fast-paced, well-researched account of the Dodgers owner’s decision to move his team to the West Coast — almost sight unseen — and work within the confusing and decentralized Southern California political apparatus to get his stadium approved, funded, and built.
The book doesn’t shy away from the controversial elements of O’Malley’s story, including the city’s forced evacuation of Mexican-American families living in the Ravine (on live television, no less), the many lawsuits surrounding the move, and the referendum vote that nearly derailed the ballpark project before ground was even broken. It’s enlightening, six decades later, to learn just how close Dodger Stadium came to not being built at all.
“City of Dreams” asks who gets to decide how a city should define itself — who matters, who makes the decisions, who prioritizes where municipal resources are dedicated. A small group of elite Angelenos had a vision to enhance the downtown area and build L.A. into a modern metropolis, using Dodger Stadium as a catalyst. But a significant portion of the city’s population and neighborhoods were irreversibly harmed by this vision. Whose voices should carry the day? There is no right or wrong answer. But every decision has consequences and, a half-century after Dodger Stadium was built, the decisions made by O’Malley and his political allies in L.A. still have strong repercussions on the entire city.
The author capitalizes on his access to the rarely seen O’Malley family archives to deliver a clear, fast-paced, well-researched account of the Dodgers owner’s decision to move his team to the West Coast — almost sight unseen — and work within the confusing and decentralized Southern California political apparatus to get his stadium approved, funded, and built.
The book doesn’t shy away from the controversial elements of O’Malley’s story, including the city’s forced evacuation of Mexican-American families living in the Ravine (on live television, no less), the many lawsuits surrounding the move, and the referendum vote that nearly derailed the ballpark project before ground was even broken. It’s enlightening, six decades later, to learn just how close Dodger Stadium came to not being built at all.
“City of Dreams” asks who gets to decide how a city should define itself — who matters, who makes the decisions, who prioritizes where municipal resources are dedicated. A small group of elite Angelenos had a vision to enhance the downtown area and build L.A. into a modern metropolis, using Dodger Stadium as a catalyst. But a significant portion of the city’s population and neighborhoods were irreversibly harmed by this vision. Whose voices should carry the day? There is no right or wrong answer. But every decision has consequences and, a half-century after Dodger Stadium was built, the decisions made by O’Malley and his political allies in L.A. still have strong repercussions on the entire city.
January 3, 2022
Great background on a topic that is overlooked. This book is a deep dive into the history behind the construction of Dodger Stadium in LA. The author takes the reader far back into the troubled history of the Brooklyn Dodgers and how the public policies of Robert Moses changed the landscape of New York forever. It's a fascinating story about the personalities and the power brokers who dictate what is and isn't written in history. The author also highlights the dark side of development, politics, and power and how communities of color can be silenced and overlooked.
The overall pace of the book was a bit confusing though -- some aspects of the history that seemed irrelevant took up many pages and had full deep-dive chapters written about them. Overall though, the book was a fascinating illumination on a political struggle that many of us don't often hear about.
This is a book about politics, development, gentrification, power, public policy, race, and money. It has very little to do with sports or baseball. As long as you know what you're getting yourself into, you'll have a good time.
The overall pace of the book was a bit confusing though -- some aspects of the history that seemed irrelevant took up many pages and had full deep-dive chapters written about them. Overall though, the book was a fascinating illumination on a political struggle that many of us don't often hear about.
This is a book about politics, development, gentrification, power, public policy, race, and money. It has very little to do with sports or baseball. As long as you know what you're getting yourself into, you'll have a good time.
March 28, 2025
3.5 stars, to be fair. At the core of this book is a fascinating insight into Los Angeles I’ve seen in very few other observations: the city’s politics and governance structure offer many avenues to prevent big things from happening. In 2025, Dodger Stadium is a central and beloved monument to LA’s greatness. The average Angeleno adores the Stadium and the Dodgers. But when it was first in development, people suspicious of change - from both conservative and progressive perspectives - fought the proposal tooth and nail. My day job leaves me regrettably familiar with that dynamic, but I hadn’t realized how well-ingrained in the city’s DNA it was even in the late 50s, even for an institution like the Dodgers.
I gotta knock points off though for just substandard writing. The central thesis of the book and each chapter is repeated over and over in different phrasing; it feels like an editor told Podair to somehow add 100 pages. If you can chew through the fluff, there’s a sharp point here!
I gotta knock points off though for just substandard writing. The central thesis of the book and each chapter is repeated over and over in different phrasing; it feels like an editor told Podair to somehow add 100 pages. If you can chew through the fluff, there’s a sharp point here!
August 19, 2019
This is a mostly political history of the factions opposed and favoring the move of the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. While I was aware of the controversy surrounding the eviction of families from the vibrant Mexican-American community of Chavez Ravine, I did not know that this was originally intended to make room for a public housing development -- not for Dodger Stadium. However, O'Malley's plan for his stadium on that site rekindled both opposition and support. The main issue seemed to be whether public funds were being used to support a private enterprise. There may be more details here than I really needed to know, but this well-documented account seems to set the record straight.
October 4, 2024
Podair had a hard time making the months of legal wrangling interesting. I did learn that LA had taken over Chavez Ravine and most of the residents had left Chavez Ravine eight years before the Dodgers came along. However, even though this debate has been for defunct for years, and even though I love baseball, I'm still not sure it's really ethical for municipalities to underwrite sports stadiums, although O'Malley just got a good real estate deal and then built his stadium his way. You have to respect for Walter O'Malley and his vision, and it certainly justifies the Dodgers being the perennial winners of the NL West in recent years.
July 2, 2017
Read this before (and on) a West coast vacation that included an upcoming game to the park. Was very well written and a pleasant surprise for a topic that otherwise wouldn't have been of huge personal interest. Not sure what I would have thought if I wasn't going to the park. Special thanks and h/t to Chuck Ballingall for reading and rating this on Goodreads, otherwise I never would have even heard of it.
April 21, 2021
A must read for those interested in LA history. The book chronicles how the Dodgers stadium was constructed. While the main topic of the book, history behind the construction of Dodgers stadium, is interesting, the prose of the book is repetitive. There were several points that seem to be repeated and makes the book a bit dull.
July 10, 2017
This interested me because I have lived in Los Angeles for a long time and have been to Dodger stadium many times. It was too much detail, but does raise some interesting questions about public money and sports stadiums that are especially relevant today.
April 14, 2019
I feel bad, but I didn’t get past the first few pages in chapter 1.
I listened to a podcast about part of this (the Chávez Ravine clearance) and felt okay about not reading it all.
Seemed okay, but just a few lazy sentences / ideas. Meh.
I listened to a podcast about part of this (the Chávez Ravine clearance) and felt okay about not reading it all.
Seemed okay, but just a few lazy sentences / ideas. Meh.
October 10, 2020
Interesting read detailing the obstacles Walter O'Malley faced in moving the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Despite promises from the city fathers, the agreement to build Dodger Stadium nearly fell through after he moved the team. Fascinating story.
May 5, 2017
The book did a thorough, detailed job but at times became hard to read as it got too detailed and took the emotion out of the book.
March 19, 2019
A rich stew of urban planning, politics, legal wrangling, and baseball.
April 2, 2020
Not worth the read, there have to be better books on LA politics.
June 29, 2020
A little dry, but an excellent, comprehensive account of a crucial moment in LA history.
I reviewed it in the California Planning & Development Report:
https://www.cp-dr.com/articles/20170716
I reviewed it in the California Planning & Development Report:
https://www.cp-dr.com/articles/20170716
November 14, 2020
Informative book about the political state of Los Angeles in the 50s/60s as well as the process to build the Dodger Stadium. Sometimes a little dull.
April 18, 2022
Are you a baseball lover, policy / politics nerd, and current or former LA resident? If so, this is the book for you.
April 10, 2024
Much more than a sports book, I loved learning about the development of Los Angeles and the twists and turns of public policy that built Dodgers Stadium and institutions that shape the city.
July 16, 2025
Cale read for his last class of his Masters!! , “thought it was a great book showing a pivotal turn in the change of Los Angeles”.
December 14, 2025
Interesting subject; repetitive and overly detailed book.
September 19, 2020
A social history of the building of Dodger Stadium and its impact on the city of Los Angeles, it tells a complex story and makes an important contribution to the record. It drags a bit as it covers in great detail the political machinations and legal maneuvering, but builds to a solid finish and a mixed conclusion: That the "Taj Mahal of Baseball" had a significant positive impact on the game and the city, but not without a cost.
May 5, 2017
In his book, City of Dreams; Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles, Jerald Podair traces the tumultuous journey of Walter O’Malley in his quest to build his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers their own home on the East Coast. When politics and personalities would not relent, this determined entrepreneur made the decision to go west. Despite securing verbal and written agreements by the City of Los Angeles, O’Malley endured one delay after another, putting his dream very much in doubt. However, O’Malley refused to give up and, with the help of some Hollywood stars, liberal Democrats, conservative Republicans, and a play-by-play announcer who would become an icon, Dodger Stadium was built. This not only gave Los Angeles a modern sports venue, but it transformed the city landscape itself.
City of Dreams vividly recounts the struggle to build Dodger Stadium as Los Angeles becomes divided along political and racial lines, as well as the competing visions of the residents in the interest of their city. The compelling narrative describes every battle over housing, money, business, and identity as a baseball stadium gets built and the municipality is forced to make difficult decisions to move this incredible enterprise forward. Podair examines the value of sports and argues that it can exceed the cost of a massive structure and transform a city itself, bringing it into the modern era. City of Dreams is a tribute to the tenacity of one man, Walter O’Malley, and to the metropolis the Dodgers now call home. If you are a baseball fan or interested in the way business and sports intersect, City of Dreams; Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles is for you.
I was given a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
City of Dreams vividly recounts the struggle to build Dodger Stadium as Los Angeles becomes divided along political and racial lines, as well as the competing visions of the residents in the interest of their city. The compelling narrative describes every battle over housing, money, business, and identity as a baseball stadium gets built and the municipality is forced to make difficult decisions to move this incredible enterprise forward. Podair examines the value of sports and argues that it can exceed the cost of a massive structure and transform a city itself, bringing it into the modern era. City of Dreams is a tribute to the tenacity of one man, Walter O’Malley, and to the metropolis the Dodgers now call home. If you are a baseball fan or interested in the way business and sports intersect, City of Dreams; Dodger Stadium and the Birth of Modern Los Angeles is for you.
I was given a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
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February 16, 2018This book talks about the story of The Dodgers and how they became Los Angeles.
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March 25, 2019Ugggg! I had to read that for a class. While it was not super exciting, it was interesting and informative. Maybe I am a Dodgers fan now.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews