Citi Field, the nearly $800 million stadium built by and for the Mets, was the realization of a family dream, constructed with government financial backing and the support of two mayors. The stadium, with its Ebbets Field touches, was an ode to the past. With its Shake Shack burgers and lobster rolls, it was also a bold bid to cash in on pricey ballpark amenities.

On Monday, though, the team’s owners admitted, in a formal and final way, that they had botched the one most important thing in realizing their dream: they got the field wrong.

For the 2012 season, new walls will be constructed in three areas of the outfield to substantially diminish the outfield’s overly large dimensions. Most notable, the imposing 16-foot wall in left field, often called the Great Wall of Flushing, will now have a new eight-foot wall in front of it, with several rows of seats to fill in the gap between the two structures.

The changes are expected to make it easier to hit home runs at Citi Field and make the stadium less daunting for the team’s struggling power hitters. In particular, the Mets are making changes that could benefit David Wright, the 28-year-old star third baseman whose strikeout totals have soared and whose offensive numbers have gyrated and deteriorated since Citi Field opened.