Building a new home

Shea Stadium during its first season in 1964

Thirteen months before the expansion Mets play their first game in 1962, the state of New York greenlights a bond issue for the construction of what will be called Shea Stadium.

The approval comes 63 years ago today, and calls for a 55,000-seat stadium on the Queens’ site that houses the 1939-40 World’s Fair.

The new stadium takes three years to complete.

In the meantime, the Mets play their first two seasons at the old Polo Grounds, which sits 11 miles away in Upper Manhattan.

The new stadium costs $28.5 million, which in today’s money comes to $285.3 million.

The Mets play at Shea Stadium from 1964 through 2008 before moving across the parking lot to a new, $900 million ballpark, Citi Field.