Wrigley Field About To Be Landmarked

A Chicago City Council committee has approved a deal worked out between the mayor and the team to make certain parts of Wrigley Field a landmark, which would mean the club would have to have city approval to change it.

Paradoxically, this makes it easier, supposedly, to change certain parts of the park, including, possibly, the immediate approval of the 200 "premium" seats that the Cubs want to add behind home plate. The deal, according to the Sun-Times article linked above, might also be in time for the Cubs to add the four additional night games they want in the 2004 season.

One of the first things that might be changed, and I'd be in favor of this, is the removal of the ugly 1950's-era concrete panels that are on the Addison St. side of the park, perhaps to be replaced by a more attractive brick.

It's been suggested that this will make it easier for the Cubs to get the bleacher expansion that they say they must have. But wait -- the deal supposedly landmarks "the uninterrupted sweep of the bleachers and grandstand". I'd say that the city, which has to approve any use of the city right-of-way, meaning the sidewalk over which any bleacher expansion would have to be constructed, could invoke this clause to block any bleacher expansion.

We will see. In any case, this is the first time in the more than two years that this has been up for discussion, that there has been any sort of agreement between the city and the Tribsters.