Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Photo: "The Dodger Dome" That Could Have Kept The Baseball Team In Brooklyn
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 9, 2012
Modified Mar 9, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 9, 2012
Modified Mar 9, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Fuller showing off his dome
Yesterday we revisited Buckminster Fuller's plan to put a dome over some of Manhattan in 1960, but four years prior to that proposal, he had a similar one for Brooklyn. In this 1956 issue of Mechanix Illustrated, they exclusively showed a rendering from Fuller for a new domed stadium for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Per his plan, the geodesic dome would have been 300 feet high and 750 feet in diameter, making it feasible to fit the "demand for a ball park big enough to hold the enormous Dodger following. It would also be an all-weather, year-round sports palace capable of pulling in big money as a showplace for every kind of sporting event and exposition."
The dome would have included air venting, shadowless lighting fixtures, a huge underground car park with four automobile entrances, a promenade lined with shops, restaurants and other facilities, and more, all on a 500-acre plot of land in the center of a four square block area. In fact, it would have been at the southeast corner of Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue—on the site of the Barclays Center.
The publication called it "The Dodger Dome," and noted that it could become "an object of pride in Brooklyn." Prior to the dome proposal, which would have kept the team in New York, the Dodgers played at a field in Gowanus, and then, of course, Ebbets Field.
Tagged
barclays center
brooklyn dodgers
buckminster fuller
dome
the dodger dome
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 23, 2026
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .