New Banners Out Front, Refreshed Scoreboard, New Billboard in Left Field, Batting Cage Improvement, New Umpire Dressing Room, and Redone Restrooms for Opening Day
So I’ve been doing some knocking around Wrigley Field (1060 W. Addison), IRL and on the Internet, for a while now, and I have some things to report.
Since Wrigley Field is an historical landmark in Chicago, they have to get special landmark permits to do any work there. Here’s the source: January 2010 City of Chicago Landmark Building Permits.
Tonight I went to meeting of the East Lake View Neighbors (ELVN) to talk about EveryBlock and how it can be useful to them and other community-focused groups. Mike Lufrano of the Cubs front office also spoke, giving the neighbors an update on the upcoming season. He hinted at “festive design work for Opening Day and Opening Week” featuring the manager and players will be placed. He said this new stuff would be “design/ pictures/ banners” on the stadium.
I’m pretty sure this stuff will go here, above Gate F, right at the corner of Clark St.
and Addison St.
Could go here as well:
I couldn’t find a spot-on permit for this work, but there is a permit for the scoreboard. Permit # 2010–0024 has the following description:
Exterior: Scoreboard repairs and remove precast panels and install fencing and renovate sign on back of scoreboard as per Landmarks stamped plans dated 14 January 2010. Flagpole and lights on roof to remain in place during renovation. Metal letters to be salvaged and reinstalled. If letter are beyond repair, Historic Preservation staff to be notified immediately and approve fabrication of new letters. Neon tubes to be salvaged and reused. New neon to match existing in color, dimension, location, and design. All removed elements to be salvaged and stored until the reinstallation is complete. Paint analysis to be submitted to Historic Preservation staff for review. New paint to match original subject to Historic Preservation staff review and approval. No other work allowed.
That’s some specifics right there. Here’s a view of the exterior of the scoreboard:
Lufrano also mentioned a permit request for new sign in Left Field. He said (and for all you serious Wrigley watchers, I may be getting this wrong, so feel free to correct me) that the sign will be placed “in the only place where they don’t have an agreement with owners” of rooftops across the street.
Oddly enough, you can see in a map of the Wrigley Field business licenses (yes, there is a special type of license issued by the City for Wrigley Field rooftops), there is a gap in left field, right between seven licenses and two other licenses. I’m guessing that’s where the sign will go.”It’s all about the revenue”, said Lufrano. He also said that the sign will be understated, much like “the Under Armor signs on the outfield doors“. One reason he said that they are doing this is that the Cubs “the only team in baseball that gets zero public money.”
He also mentioned an improved batting cage. He described a cramped, insufficient practice experience in the existing space, where a net comes down to protect a television set that the batter is hitting toward. Permit #100326340 covers “Interior only:
Batting cage enclosure per Landmarks stamped plans dated 1/15/10. No
exterior work permitted with ths”. There are some spelling issues over
there at the Landmarks permitting unit or with the permittee; not sure
which one.
He didn’t mention the umpire dressing room, which is covered under Permit #2010-15, with the description, “Interior only: Convert existing storage room to umpire’s locker room. No exterior alterations permitted with this approval.”
Lastly, Lufrano also mentioned that they are doing work on the restrooms in the ballpark. He specifically called out adding capacity in the women’s restrooms. Would love to get some opening day reports on that, because all I could find was Permit #100326273, calling for “Interiors only: Men’s restroom renovation per Landmarks stamped plans dated 1/15/10. No exterior atlerations permitted with this approval.” (sic)
If at this point you’re sick of Wrigley Field and Chicago, take a gander at this kick-ass Brutalist bench in Boston:
