This Day in Walter O’Malley History: May 24

Dodger broadcaster Red Barber is the guest of honor at a black tie dinner, which is attended by Walter O’Malley, at the Brooklyn Club.

Walter O’Malley shows his disapproval of an admissions tax to be placed on tickets sold at Ebbets Field and warns the tax would be adverse to the interests of the City of New York. O’Malley sends a telegram to New York City Mayor Robert Wagner stating, “You should not do anything to force baseball (from New York) to other cities. You know what the municipal authorities of Baltimore and Milwaukee have done to attract and maintain major league franchises. Los Angeles, Dallas, Havana, Montreal, Toronto, Kansas City and the twin cities of St. Paul-Minneapolis are ready to put money on the barrel head to get a major league baseball franchise. Against this competition our city is going in reverse.” Despite O’Malley’s plea, the plan did pass to levy a five percent admissions tax on tickets to all New York baseball parks, theatres, movies and other places of amusement. When passed, the Dodgers faced an additional tax burden of $165,000 annually from this action.

In the minutes of the Annual Meeting of the stockholders of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Walter O’Malley extends his congratulations to the members of the organization on winning the first World Championship by the Brooklyn team (in 1955). He also reports on the progress for a new stadium and that “the City Administration had approved the grant of $100,000 to conduct a study for a site in Brooklyn. The Committee appointed the firm of Charles Noyes as real estate experts and Rapuano and Clark (sp.), engineers and appointed John McGrath attorney. The study group, which has not rendered its final report, has indicated a site location on the south side of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues from the location preferred by Management. The study group recommended the creation of a Sports Authority and the (New York State) Legislature the appointment of such authority; delegating the appointment of the members of the authority to the Mayor of the City. He indicated that he expected that the members of the authority would be named by the Mayor within two weeks. The study group is to complete its report by July 1, 1956.” Also in the minutes, O’Malley discusses the seven Dodger home games being played in Jersey City, New Jersey’s Roosevelt Stadium, “In the three games played there, the team had on each occasion drawn more customers than all other teams in the National League combined on that particular day. He then showed that the attendance last year was slightly greater than the previous year and anticipated that there might be some falling off at Ebbets Field this year but that the Jersey City venture should pick up the slack.” Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of Brooklyn National League Baseball Club, May 24, 1956

The Los Angeles City Council’s planning committee votes to recommend acceptance of a map for the Dodgers’ new baseball stadium submitted by Walter O’Malley. The full city council begins a public hearing on the stadium proposal the next day.