First Major League Game in Los Angeles Walter O'Malley The Official Website



Introduction
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Downey Dodgers?



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Maps with overlays showed the population distribution of Los Angeles County and the location of the stadium site within the center with its nearby connection to Southern California freeways. The final display in the brochure showed a section of land at Imperial Highway and Dunrobin Avenue as having great potential for a stadium.

Several other cities in Southern California joined in and showed tremendous interest in having the Dodgers build a new stadium in their city. Compton, California, the childhood home of future Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider, provided a large map showing a location between the present day 91 Artesia Freeway and the 405 San Diego Freeway where Major League Baseball could be played.

A real estate agent in Beverly Hills had sufficient land in the city of Torrance on the west side of Hawthorne Boulevard and as the agent put it, “just 10 blocks south of the, soon, to be built, Los Angeles-San Diego Freeway, the 405.” The land in Torrance was offered for $20,000 per acre. However, the real estate agent did admit it would require five parcels of land, and three parcels had just verbal commitments for sale thus far.

The same Beverly Hills real estate agent had land in Culver City he claimed was zoned for commercial recreation. The land consisted of 260 acres that was formerly the home to two golf courses in Fox Hills. As an incentive to Walter O’Malley, the agent claimed the land parcel that was unused for the stadium could always be sold to other businesses. The agent added in his letter, “We would like to keep this deal for you.”

Norwalk, known as the “Keystone City”, sent an invitation by the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce to the Dodgers to come play there. The Executive Secretary of Norwalk’s Chamber of Commerce added their area of Southern California had “meant a great deal to two other Walters”—Disney and Knott for their amusement parks, Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm and that Walter O’Malley coming to Norwalk would complete “a successful triumvirate.”

Fletcher Aviation Corporation offered their support for land for a baseball stadium in Rosemead. The stadium would be bordered by Rosemead Boulevard and the San Bernardino Freeway.



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The city of Downey presented a full page of reasons why the Dodgers would be welcome to build a new baseball stadium there. Factors the city listed would be of value to the team and their fans included: a geographical center to Southern California; an available freeway system that was expected to expand; suitable population with regular growth; available land; the family reputation of the city; growing recreational interest in all sports.


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A whimsical rendering of the busy and family activities that can be found in the city of Downey was part of their printed document to invite the Dodgers to build a baseball stadium in their city. The artist was clever enough to work into the drawing a “Union 76” sign, one of the earliest sponsors of the Dodgers and an important financial supporter of Dodger Stadium.


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An aerial photo from the Fletcher Aviation Corporation offers available land for the Dodgers to build a baseball stadium in the city of El Monte. The particular site for the Stadium is outlined just off the San Bernardino Freeway.




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