iven Southern California's renewed obsession with Mid-Century Modern architecture and design, it's kind of strange that L.A.'s most regularly visited example of the style – namely, Dodger Stadium – continues to be overlooked by local Modernism aficionados. Admittedly, sports stadiums built in the 1960s and 1970s usually deserved their reputation as soulless concrete ashtrays, but Dodger Stadium remains a lovely exception. From the hexagonal scoreboard in right field and the Googie zigzags of the pavilion canopies, to the park's elegant curves and the way its design incorporates (rather than shuts out) the natural beauty of its Chavez Ravine setting, the Dodgers' home field is a veritable feast of Mid-Century Modern concepts and details. Even the gigantic, flying-saucer-like cement planters dotting the parking lots wouldn't seem amiss in the yard of a Richard Neutra or John Lautner house.

Designed by architect/engineer Emil Praeger (with numerous suggestions from then-team owner Walter O' Malley), Dodger Stadium opened its gates on April 10, 1962, the first of many memorable events in a year that saw Maury Wills break Ty Cobb's single-season stolen base record, Sandy Koufax pitch his first no-hitter, and the Dodgers lose the National League pennant to the San Francisco Giants in a season-ending playoff. Though Dodger Stadium seems rather conventional now, Praeger's design was in fact quite radical for its time. Each of the stadium's four seating levels was built into the hills surrounding Chavez Ravine, almost entirely eliminating the need for support beams; as a result, each tier seems to magically “float” above the one below it, and – unlike at older ballyards such as Fenway Park or Wrigley Field – almost all of the seats offer unobstructed views.

The fourth-oldest park still in use in the majors (behind Fenway, Wrigley, and Yankee Stadium), Dodger Stadium has been subjected to several cosmetic changes over the years (insert tired L.A. plastic surgery joke here). But, while some of those “improvements” have been admittedly less than stellar – including the short-lived rubberized warning track, and last year's ill-conceived addition of 1,600 high-priced field-level seats, which, ironically, offered some of the worst sightlines in the house – Dodger Stadium has aged far more gracefully than such mid-'60s peers as New York's Shea Stadium or Houston's now-defunct Astrodome.

Now, another round of off-season renovations has restored some of the park's classic Mid-Century splendor. All 50,000 seats in the “seating bowl,” most of which hadn't been updated since the late 1970s, have been replaced by new seats with colors corresponding to the stadium's original palette: yellow, light orange, turquoise, and sky blue. In addition, the benches in the outfield pavilions have been returned to their original shade of light orange. Throw in several million dollars' worth of concrete repair and refinishing, and Dodger Stadium looks better than it has in years.

Of course, this seating renovation won't improve the team's listless play, the stadium's overpriced and inedible food, or the difficulty of getting out of the parking lot after the game – to name three of Dodger fans' biggest gripes. It does, however, send the message that team owner and chairman Frank McCourt recognizes what a rare gem he has in Dodger Stadium, which means there's less chance than previously thought that he'll be tearing the place down and replacing it with a Staples Center-type monstrosity.

This is cache, read story here