Dodgers Tearing It Up Again

Think blue, and turquoise too.

The Dodgers plan to tear out every seat in the ballpark this winter and replace them with new seats in pastel shades -- sky blue, turquoise, light orange and yellow -- that evoke the original look of Dodger Stadium.

For the second consecutive winter, the Dodgers are renovating their stadium. They spent $20 million last season, most significantly on luxury seats that sold for up to $400 a game and drew criticism for poor sightlines and inadequate spacing between seats.

In the latest round of renovations -- estimated at $15 million to $20 million by chief operating officer Marty Greenspun -- the Dodgers plan to replace every seat in the house, excluding the pavilion benches but including the luxury seats installed last year.

The Dodgers hope to provide better sightlines and spacing by reducing seating capacity in that area from 1,600 to 1,100 and introducing individual boxes with tables, reminiscent of box seats at the Hollywood Bowl. The team did not sell out that section this year, so Greenspun said all ticket holders could be accommodated in the new boxes, although some would be relocated.

By reducing capacity in the luxury seats, the Dodgers can sell another 500 tickets on the reserved level, Greenspun said. The Dodgers’ city permit limits stadium capacity to 56,000, so the team accommodated last year’s renovation by blocking 1,600 reserved seats from sale this year.

Still, for the majority of fans, the most noticeable change will be the new seats. While most arenas and stadiums replace seats every 10 years, Greenspun said, the Dodgers had not replaced theirs in more than 30 years.

“The goal is 4 million fans,” he said. “It’s all about the fan experience, and comfort for the fans. This is one of the ways to show fans we care.”

The Dodgers sold 3.6 million tickets this year. The Colorado Rockies (1993), Toronto Blue Jays (1992 and ‘93) and New York Yankees (2005) are the only major league teams to sell 4 million.

New seats -- in the original 1962 color scheme of sky blue on the top deck, turquoise on the reserved level, light orange on the loge level and yellow on the field level, including the luxury seats -- will include cup holders, Greenspun said.

Old seats are available for purchase -- $500 a pair for the luxury seats installed last year, $250 a pair otherwise, assembly required -- at www.dodgers.com, with proceeds to benefit the Dodgers’ charitable foundation.

The Dodgers also plan to re-number the seats so fans can find them more easily, he said, and replace the term “aisle” with “section” in describing seat locations.

In April, the Dodgers received city approval for a series of renovations, far more extensive than the ones announced Wednesday. Greenspun called that project list “purely conceptual” and said the Dodgers would review it on an annual basis.

Of plans to add a second advertising display ring, this one in front of the reserved level, Greenspun said, “I don’t see that happening.”

Fans have complained, in letters to the editor and on talk shows and message boards, about the perceived over-commercialization of Dodger Stadium since Frank and Jamie McCourt bought the team last year.

Of plans to relocate the press box to the reserved level to create additional suites on the club level, Greenspun said, “I don’t see it happening.”

He said the next round of renovations could include expanded concession and restroom facilities, installation of escalators and/or elevators, replacement of the sound system and expanded clubhouses.