Bleacher Reconstruction Update - February 17

by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2006 1:55 PM CST in 2005-06 Bleacher Reconstruction Project

It's COLD today!

Actually, for mid-February, it's not bad -- 30 degrees. But compared to the last six weeks, and particularly yesterday which seemed like a spring day with thunderstorms, it seems quite cold.

Not as cold as it's going to be tomorrow, though -- temperatures in the teens. And so, I thought today would be a good day to make another photo update. You'll see some significant changes since last weekend.

The timeline has also been updated.

Top: new CF elevator; closer view of elevator and elevator shaft (sorry it's tilted, I had just stepped on some ice that I thought was solid, but it cracked!); RF seats near my old section; underside of walkway in RF corner

Middle: the "knothole" (doesn't the field look great?); underneath right-center with new wall section being built; another view of elevator; wall section on Waveland just west of CF

Bottom: detail section of wall on Waveland (note the top pieces, identical to the old ones, as well as the 'layering' effect of the brick, quite nice looking); LF showing height of top row in left-center; looking east on Waveland showing height of walkway in corner in relation to top row of seats; box of "corner" and "ender" pieces for the top of the brick wall (taken at old car wash on Waveland; there are about 100 of these boxes there)

Photos by Al

Tweet Comment 36 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

top of the wall

what's that orange thing on top of the wall and why is it there?

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Feb 17, 2006 2:15 PM CST reply actions

The orange thing....

is called a "coping". It is there to keep water from getting inside the brick wall, not inside the building but inside the actual brick wall. It is hard to tell, but I doubt the coping tiles are actually tile. It would be unfortunate if the tried to save money and used a plastic or synthetic material for the coping.

by Imtrejo on Feb 17, 2006 6:36 PM CST up reply actions

I was wrong....

the last photo actually shows the copings in the crate, they are clay tile with a thin profile.

by Imtrejo on Feb 17, 2006 6:39 PM CST up reply actions

thanks

thanks to all who commented on that. I was confused as to what it was.

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Feb 17, 2006 6:44 PM CST up reply actions

I can confirm that...

... considering I was standing right next to the crate when I took the photo, those are definitely clay tile.

by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2006 7:41 PM CST up reply actions

Coping...

...is appropriate terminology for all Cubs fans, yes? It is worth pointing out that this kind of little "roof" over the bricks also exists elsewhere: the old outer wall was topped with tiles; the inner (outfield) wall is topped with something that looks triangular when seen in profile; and the foul territory walls are topped by concrete.

by Wahkeenah on Feb 18, 2006 6:57 AM CST up reply actions

Grass

The grass looks like it's in pretty good shape for mid February.

by escapegoat on Feb 17, 2006 2:25 PM CST reply actions

I remember . . .

In Cincinnati, when they tore down 25% of old Riverfront to make the footprint for Great American Ballpark, there were workmen all around, and the whole ballfield was right there, looking just as beautiful as the grass in this picture.
There were signs posted all along the warning track warning that any workman who strayed from the track and walked out onto the grass would be fired from the jobsite. I bet they have the same restrictions to protect the grass here.

by Tom @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Feb 17, 2006 3:05 PM CST up reply actions

Green grass

I had the good fortune to visit Tiger Stadium, Detroit, on Christmas Day of 1998 (why? don't ask) and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the green grass seemingly thriving in temperatures in the teens. Green Cathedrals, indeed. d:)

by Wahkeenah on Feb 18, 2006 7:00 AM CST up reply actions

the orange things

on top of the wall are tiles - I think the old wall had them too. Gives it more of a finished look anyway. Bricks do absorb a lot of water but since the wall is already covered by the overhang I doubt the protection of the bricks is of much concern. I'm sure Al has a shot of the old wall kicking around somewhere.

by TR on Feb 17, 2006 2:44 PM CST reply actions

You can...

... get a pretty good look at the old wall on this photo I posted yesterday.

Note, the top of the wall has identical "caps" to the ones being placed now, but the rest of the wall is flat, unlike the new one.

by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2006 3:16 PM CST up reply actions

the wall

so do you think that is as high as they are building the wall? It seems to me that it would look better if it was built all the way up to the walkway.

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Feb 17, 2006 4:37 PM CST up reply actions

It looks...

...like the wall moves out a bit as it reaches the top...is that what you referred to as the 'layering' Al?

Certainly looks pretty nice, although it'll take me a while to get used to the walkway...

by FukudomeAtLarge on Feb 17, 2006 2:59 PM CST reply actions

Yes...

... that's the "layering" effect. It looks way better in person.

by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2006 3:16 PM CST up reply actions

Al...

What is the purpose of the layering? and how much of the waveland wall is complete, up to the orange tiles?

by stadiumguru on Feb 17, 2006 4:20 PM CST up reply actions

That "layering"....

is called a corbel, or corbeling. It is purely an aestetic thing.

by Imtrejo on Feb 17, 2006 6:41 PM CST up reply actions

Look at the stuff you learn here!

I had never heard that term before.

Anyway, I'd say about 25% of the Waveland-side wall is complete; about the same on Sheffield.

by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2006 7:40 PM CST up reply actions

I take this stuff for granted

every time I see a post with your pics Al, I think to myself...I can just walk a block from Patterson Ave and look at it myself. Which I do, every day after I get off at the Addison El stop.

Ah, I'm a lucky man.

by Slaky311 on Feb 17, 2006 4:12 PM CST reply actions

I agree

that the outside wall would look better going all the way up to the underside of the overhang. Has sort of a college football stadium or racetrack look to it with the wall ending and the underside of the bleachers exposed. But the row of tile has got to be as far as they're going so - I'm sure we'll get used to it. Looks a lot better than the view on the Clark or Addison Street sides.

by TR on Feb 17, 2006 4:45 PM CST reply actions

Maybe the brick would look....

better if it went all the way to underside of the floor deck above. Although, what would happen with the small steel beam that protrudes out just a foot or two above the wall. The reason they did not run it all the way up was to avoid such conflicts, although not impossible to deal with such conflicts it is just a much cleaner detail and a few dollars will be saved.

by Imtrejo on Feb 17, 2006 6:48 PM CST up reply actions

The old brick wall...

... had an opening at the top, too. I think that's one reason they did it this way -- also, consider, if they put it all the way to the top of the walkway, the underneath area would be VERY dark. At least this way some natural light gets through.

by Al Yellon on Feb 17, 2006 7:39 PM CST up reply actions

The wall

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding what people are suggesting about the wall going all the way up. I would think that this would require moving the wall farther out towards Waveland and Sheffield significantly. Something tells me that the city would not allow this as it would reduce the sidewalk space. If you look at pictures J and I, you see the diagonal supports and the wall, where it is, needs to end before the start of the diagonal supports. The other option would be to move the wall out towards the street. The wall would have to meet the bottom of the walk-way, out beyond where the other vertical support hits the beam. Basically, I think that the wall would need to be brought all the way out to the far end of the overhang.

DmL

by dmlichte on Feb 17, 2006 11:04 PM CST up reply actions

The top of the old wall...

...was pretty much horizontal, in contrast to the unevenness in the gradiant of the land (highest at the Waveland-Seminary corner) and the slope of the back of the bleachers due to its plane being at an angle to that of the outer wall, most notably in the left field area. So even the old wall went "all the way up" only at the "corners" of the bleachers and there was a rising gap toward the center field side.

by Wahkeenah on Feb 18, 2006 7:10 AM CST up reply actions

Al, you are the man .. thanks for the pixes .. BUT

.. do you really think they're going to have Cubs Park buttoned back up together for opening day? Dude, there's a LOT of work they got to get done!

Boyoboy, do I wish I was back home NOW .. I'd love to be driving around watching this get pulled off.

Well, Next Year is here .. and Jack's century's gotta end some time .. GO CUBBIES!

by cubnational on Feb 17, 2006 9:46 PM CST reply actions

There is no doubt...

... that in the nearly seven weeks they have left, they can absolutely, positively have everything done. Frankly, there isn't that much left -- the steel is up, the brick walls can probably be put up in a couple of weeks, the concrete is all poured, and the benches can go in in a few days.

The CF restaurant may not be finished. But that wouldn't affect the rest of the bleachers.

They've been VERY lucky with the weather this winter, which has allowed them to work nearly every day.

by Al Yellon on Feb 18, 2006 4:40 AM CST up reply actions

Time

It's a sobering thought that the original groundbreaking of the entire ballpark was a date later than that of today's note, and yet they got the single-deck structure sufficiently done to be able to open the gates for the Federal League season in late April of 1914.

by Wahkeenah on Feb 18, 2006 7:06 AM CST up reply actions

What about the new bathrooms, concession stands,

etc.?

"...Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny"

by Speedywheels on Feb 18, 2006 10:07 AM CST up reply actions

I don't see....

.. any reason that can't be ready.

by Al Yellon on Feb 18, 2006 10:51 AM CST up reply actions

I think...

... people are underestimating how quickly construction can get done these days. Just take a look at the Cardinals website:
http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/stl/ballpark/index.jsp
You can either click on the construction photo gallery which has pics from earier this month, or the Busch Stadium webcam. There always looks like there is a ton to be done and new ballparks seem like they won't be ready, however they always have the ballpark ready for opening day.

DmL

by dmlichte on Feb 18, 2006 12:27 PM CST up reply actions

Looking at that gallery...

... it looks like they're nearly done; the seats are almost all in, and most of the rest of the work is landscaping.

Given that it's generally warmer in St. Louis than it is here in March, they ought to be done well in advance of their April 10 home opener.

by Al Yellon on Feb 18, 2006 1:09 PM CST up reply actions

check out...

... pic number 7 in the construction photo gallery (link is on the left of the above linked Busch Stadium page). It seems like a significant portion of the outfield section needed a ton of work. This pic was from earlier this month. Again, the webcam shows that there is a lot more done now, but it demonstraits how much work can be done in a short period of time.

DmL

by dmlichte on Feb 18, 2006 1:29 PM CST up reply actions

Old Busch

That's where the footprint of old Busch Stadium was -- they started building new Busch around the old one, but had to wait until last season was done before they could pull it down and finish of the new park.

"Respect the game above all else." - Ryne Sandberg, July 31, 2005, Cooperstown, NY

by Tom @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Feb 18, 2006 1:56 PM CST up reply actions

Busch

according to a friend of mine whose parent's are season ticket holders at busch, though the stadium will be playable by opening day, the stadium will NOT be 100% complete. He was telling me that for a portion of the season only 30,000 seats or so will be open.

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Feb 18, 2006 2:27 PM CST up reply actions