Nicknamed the
Friendly Confines, Wrigley Field is one of baseball's oldest
ballparks where fans come out to see the Cubs play whether they are
winning or not. Unlike nearly
every team in Major League Baseball either having or wanting a new ballpark, the Cubs
continue to play at Wrigley Field without wanting one
built. Before the start of World War I, Charles Weeghman bought the
Chicago Whales of the Federal League. Weeghman constructed his team
a new ballpark in the largely undeveloped north side area of Chicago
along Addison and Clark Streets. Zachary Taylor Davis was hired to
develop plans for the ballpark that was initially known as North
Side Park until Weeghman named it after himself. Construction of the
14,000 seat ballpark began on March 14, 1914. The
ballpark had only a one deck of grandstand in a V-shape, with wooden
bleachers in the outfield. Construction on the $250,000 ballpark was
completed by April 23, 1914 when the Whales played their first game
at the ballpark. Original dimensions at Weeghman Field
were 310 ft. (left), 440 (center), and 356 (right). It was the first
ballpark to have permanent concession stands. Weeghman Field
was home to the Chicago Whales for two years before the Federal
League went bankrupt.
Located on the west side
of Chicago, the Cubs played at the 14,000 seat West Side Grounds.
They had played here since 1893 and by 1915 were struggling to
attract fans. After the 1915 season Weeghman bought the Cubs and
moved them to his ballpark on the north side for the 1916 season. The first
Cubs game at Weeghman Field was
on April 20, 1916. In 1920, Weeghman Field was renamed Cubs Park
and Weeghman sold the club to William Wrigley Jr. Beginning in 1922
and then 1923, Cubs Park underwent several renovations. The grandstands
were moved back 60 feet and wooden bleachers were added,
increasing the capacity to 20,000. Major renovations began in 1926,
when Cubs Park was renamed Wrigley Field. The grandstand was double
decked, the playing field was lowered, and the bleachers in left
field were removed. The capacity increased to 38,396. More
renovations were completed at Wrigley Field in 1937. Bleachers were
added in the outfield and the famous 27 by 75 foot hand operated
scoreboard was placed behind the bleachers in centerfield. The most
distinct feature was the planting of ivy at the base of the outfield
wall. Before World War II, the grandstand in left field was circled
so all the seats faced home plate instead of centerfield. Lights for
Wrigley Field were originally to be installed for the 1942
season. However because of the United States involvement in World
War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor,
Phil Wrigley donated the lights to the government.
Since the 1940s
Wrigley Field has changed little. In 1981, the Tribune Company bought
the
Cubs. The company began talking about installing lights after
the 1981 season. However, a fan group fought to keep night baseball
away from Wrigley Field. On May 13, 1982, Illinois Legislature made
baseball after midnight a violation in a facility that had not had
night sports played before July 1, 1982. Also that year, an
electronic message board was placed under the scoreboard in
centerfield. In 1984 when the Cubs made
the playoffs, MLB threatened that if the team made the postseason in
the future, games would be moved to a location that had lights.
Finally on February 23, 1988, the
Cubs
decided to install lights at Wrigley Field. The first night game
scheduled for Wrigley Field was on August 8, 1988. However, rain
cancelled the game after four innings, postponing it to the next
day. In 1989, private boxes were constructed on the mezzanine level
that was originally occupied by the press box and
broadcasting booths. A press box and broadcasting booths were
constructed in the upper deck directly behind home plate. After the
2003 season, the Cubs added 200 seats directly behind home plate
bringing fans even closer to the playing field. Tradition was not
lost with this addition, as the brick wall behind home plate
remains. After the 2005 season, the
Cubs
added nearly 1,800 seats to the bleachers increasing the capacity to
just over 41,000. For many years,
Wrigley Field had been known as having one of the worst grass fields
in the game because there was a crown in the infield that extended
40 feet into the outfield. Because of the crown, players would
literally be running slightly up or down a hill on the field. After
the 2007 season, the entire field was dug up and replaced with a new
drainage system and bluegrass playing field. Throughout the 2007
off-season there was continuous discussion on the future of Wrigley
Field as the Cubs and the ballpark are in the process of being sold.
Topics included the possible sale of the naming rights and a
complete renovation/overhaul of the ballpark. Talk also continues on
construction of a multipurpose building housing a themed restaurant
and batting and pitching cages for players to be built on the west
side of Wrigley Field in the future. No changes are imminent.
Today, Wrigley Field is the last Federal
League ballpark standing. Even with lights, Wrigley Field
remains one of baseball's most old-fashioned parks. Wrigley Field
has basically remained advertisement free, with advertisements on nearby
buildings and a few in the ballpark. The neighborhood around Wrigley Field, called Wrigleyville is
filled with fans on game day. Ballhawks as they are called wait on
Waveland Avenue to catch homeruns during the game. Fans sit atop
buildings behind Wrigley Field and watch the game. Ivy still covers
the brick walls in the outfield, the scoreboard is still manually
operated, and bleacher bums still sit in the bleachers in the
outfield. Flags atop the scoreboard still remind fans whether or not
the
Cubs won the day before, and where they are in the standings.
Because Wrigley Field is surrounded by the Wrigleyville
neighborhood, parking can be a nightmare for games. It is
recommended that fans take the CTA red line train to the Addison
stop to Cubs games. Although it has been the exclusive home of the
Cubs for many years now, Wrigley Field has hosted more professional
football games than any other stadium in the nation. The one thing missing from Wrigley Field today, is former
Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray, who used to sing "Take Me Out To The
Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.
WRIGLEY FIELD
FACTS AND FIGURES
2008 CUBS SCHEDULE
Tenant: Chicago Cubs
Capacity:
41,118
Surface:
Grass
Cost:
$250,000
Opened:
April 23, 1914
Architect:
Zachary Taylor Davis
Owner:
Chicago Cubs
Former Name(s):
Weegham Park (1914-'20), Cubs Park (1920-'25)
Naming
Rights: None - Named after former Cubs owner William
Wrigley
Wrigley Field
