Wrigley Field Offseason Rehab Work Update
by Al Yellon on Feb 3, 2010 2:22 PM CST
in Chicago Cubs News
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PrintAfter the discussion of the photos I posted yesterday (taken on Saturday) of the work going on at Wrigley, I decided to head on over there today to take a look at what was going on and take some more photos.
The scoreboard looks the same as it did the last time I was there -- thus, no new photos. As you can see by this photo, many more of the concrete panels have been removed. They are nowhere to be seen. The removal of the panels doesn't seem to have been done to bring equipment inside; after the fold you'll see that the work is being done on the structure itself, behind where the panels were attached.
Shot through the knothole (thus, the poor visibility through the fences), you can see the wall behind the LF bullpen is being repaired or replaced (based on some looks from the Wrigley webcams last fall, which are now offline, it's "replaced").
Click on photos to open larger versions in new browser windows. Photos by Al Yellon
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I'm tellin' ya - flat screen monitors to have ads on the outside . . .
I’m kidding, but why not?
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
Interesting idea.
That’s kind of Jumbotron-like, except on the outside. They could sell ads there, run highlights, etc. — thousands of people walk by there before and after games, and there’s a steady flow of traffic in the area all year round.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I'd like a commission if they do it
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Feb 3, 2010 3:07 PM CST up reply actions
I like that better than inside Jumbotron
as I’ve said before, I really have a hard time NOT looking at them, my eyes are drawn to it. I’m afraid I’d miss the real game :)
baseball.........is Kool Aid the remedy, or the cause of my desire for it
It's like sitting in a bar
with TV’s. Even if you aren’t interested in what’s on, your eyes keep glancing up at the flickering images.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
where? where?
baseball.........is Kool Aid the remedy, or the cause of my desire for it
by cooliogirl47 on Feb 3, 2010 10:16 PM CST up reply actions
so the ads on the jumbrotron should include ADD meds?
Wait for it....POUND SAND Without me this board is Al Yellon talking to himself.....................by BLou
Promotional give away?
"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." ~ Leo Durocher
wrought iron with bricks
I think the way they redid the exterior of the bleachers looks very nice. Then you get around to Addison or Clark and it’s the pits. Chain link fencing, those hideous concrete panels, stucco — none of it goes together and together it looks like … the outside of some abandoned industrial site. The clubhouse looks like a contractor’s temporary offices.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
It's ironic now that the outside of Wrigley is ugly
and the inside is beautiful because it seems like it was the reverse until the latter half of the 1930s when the current bleachers and outfield wall were first built and the ivy planted. Before that there were just wooden bleachers, not much different than you’d see at a high school football field back then, stuck inside the outer wall. The scoreboard, closer to field level in center, was nothing to write home about either. It did have giant wooden baseball players on it at one point and they were not an artistic success either.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder
because I think Wrigley is beautiful outside as well as inside. I often walk a good distance to get there and as soon as I see even a tiny portion of the structure I get excited.
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
The end of the concrete pannels?
It would look real nice to have bricks placed there
Start Sean Marshall!!
yeah, that would look nice
I remember really liking the outside look of Fenway Park when I went there last summer; it has a more home-ie feel
Start Sean Marshall!!
I think the exterior of Fenway is definitely more impressive than the exterior of Wrigley.
worn brick > concrete panels
---AC 00 00 00 - Believe
And hopefully, in 3-4 years, new ownership will fix that.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Home opener 2014...I can't wait
that is unless interpretation of the Mayan’s calendar is correct…yikes!
Just win the next game...!
that's why those historical photos are so cool....there was a time when it was beautiful outside and in
I just saw the blue exterior w/ the blue marquee….my faveorite
baseball.........is Kool Aid the remedy, or the cause of my desire for it
I think we all agree on that point.
While most Cubs fans agree that Wrigley is a treasure that must remain at all costs, we’re also very selective about the particular parts of Wrigley that must remain standing.
Basically, the scoreboard, the OF wall, the field itself, and the red sign at Addison & Clark need to stay. Everything else, as far as I’m concerned, is replaceable.
If they were able to knock down the entire grandstand and rebuild a substantially similar one in 1 year, I’d be all in favor of doing so. (It worked for the bleachers!) The Cubs could spend a year in exile at the Cell, and move back into Wrigley 2.0 (complete with Triangle Building!) the next spring.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
by D98 on Feb 3, 2010 3:53 PM CST up reply actions
The Cubs seem committed...
… to a grandstand rebuild in sections, so that they don’t have to move out at all.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
That would be pretty great.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
by D98 on Feb 3, 2010 7:43 PM CST up reply actions
Fenway is beautiful.
I would love if Wrigley was redone in the same manner, both atheistically and historically.
When you walk in or around, it still FEELS like an old park. You’ve got the old bricks, the tactfully placed marketing, everything we love about Wrigley. Yet when you hit the bathrooms…
Dum spiro spero... | Follow me on twitter or else: @andrewjstone.
I'd love it if they redid the outside of Wrigley similar to this.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
well with the Triangle Building,
will it be a similar complex to Yawkee Way before the games?
Start Sean Marshall!!
The funny thing
is that I have these same exact pictures from my Boston Marathon trip. Same angle, same cut off spots, same everything. Maybe even the people are the same. Definitely makes you want the Cubs just to brick it up.
"You just don't know understand how frustrating this is"- Kevin Borseth
Aha! So that's the real reason the Cubs signed Millar
IIRC, he started using the “Cowboy Up!” phrase during his time with the Red Sox. So maybe Hendry and Ricketts have a deal with Millar – if he doesn’t make the team out of Spring Training, he’ll become a special advisor to Ricketts. He’ll be the PR point man of the Wrigley Field renovation project, telling everyone to “Brick Up!”
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Bricks, gotta get me some bricks for Wrigley
When we built our home a few years ago, it had to be a brick exterior.
I just hope Wrigley doesn’t look like a spin-off from any ballpark, including Fenway.
Perhaps they may be more successful growing ivy on the exterior of the main ballpark than they were outside the bleachers after its overhaul a few years ago.
Just win the next game...!
the ivy never took on that exterior wall
cause of people dropping cigarretes on it and taking leaves for themselves. You would need to be find to plant it so that people couldn’t rip at it or otherwise destroy it with drunken stupidity. I love the idea but I’m not sure how well it would work. If it did take root however, its possible you would end up eventually with something like Hanshin Koshein Stadium in Japan
---AC 00 00 00 - Believe
or IRON BRICKS!
Dare I give the Cubs my heart again?
by digitalbenjamin on Feb 3, 2010 2:54 PM CST up reply actions
LOL
Check out the Video Blog I host: WebSmart TV
by digitalbenjamin on Feb 3, 2010 2:57 PM CST up reply actions
WIN
"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." ~ Leo Durocher
NOPE
I am Iron Man
Check out the Video Blog I host: WebSmart TV
by digitalbenjamin on Feb 3, 2010 3:11 PM CST up reply actions
This is the real iRon
"A waist is a terrible thing to mind." - Terry 'Fat Tub of Goo' Forster
@Twitter as @brommmietze
Agreed - wrought iron
Opening the park up to the street again would be phenomenal — today it looks like a concrete fortress, which is not exactly the vibe of a neighborhood park.
They're removing the panels to make room for the new external trophy cases to show off all the WS trophies were going to win.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Feb 3, 2010 2:42 PM CST reply actions
but remember we haven't won in 102 years
and we are the most “tortured” fans throughout the entire world. period.
Start Sean Marshall!!
Well...
I just hope that the concrete panels are being removed as part of a conscious master plan…and not some poorly thought out band-aid approach that will result in a half-ass end product.
I’m surprised Ricketts hasn’t shared a “master plan.” Or maybe I should hope there is a master plan in the first place.
The Blackhawks and the Stanley Cup in 2010.
If you fail to plan...
you plan to fail.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Feb 3, 2010 2:52 PM CST up reply actions
Of course there's a plan.
Can you accept that some patchwork can be done, in addition to having a plan? Or maybe that’s too much for you to comprehend.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Chill Al, he's just voicing his concern, and it's not totally unwarranted...
because in the past, “half-assed” is exactly how they’ve approached some of the things they’ve done.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Feb 3, 2010 2:56 PM CST up reply actions
I'd expect things to be different with new ownership.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I still think this is just a multi-story urinal
by RiskyBusiness on Feb 3, 2010 3:06 PM CST up reply actions
Like a smelly water slide
"You’re playing a baseball game. You’re not playing Tiddlywinks. There is competition, for God’s sake."— Lou Piniella
I'd recommend peeing from the Upper Deck
by RiskyBusiness on Feb 3, 2010 7:58 PM CST up reply actions
better than a poop shoot
Wait for it....POUND SAND Without me this board is Al Yellon talking to himself.....................by BLou
i couldn understand why he would be concerned.
quite frankly im surprised that we didn’t hear anything about this at the convention.
---AC 00 00 00 - Believe
Doesn't really change anything about the Wrigley experience either
Was never a huge fan of the panels but once I was inside I forgot about them
"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." ~ Leo Durocher
But in October they talked about a plan to have ongoing construction until 2014
and during this season, they want to expand the concourses and the bathrooms…
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
.
Why should you be told everything?
It is a private business. You are not entitled to know why every piece of work done at Wrigley Field is being done.
by RiskyBusiness on Feb 3, 2010 3:37 PM CST up reply actions
Ricketts is up to something!!!!
WHAT IS HE TRYING TO PULL?? This is just a distraction technique. Someone needs to go around to the other side of the stadium and check and see what he’s REALLY up to. WHAT COULD IT BE??
Check out the Video Blog I host: WebSmart TV
by digitalbenjamin on Feb 3, 2010 3:15 PM CST up reply actions
Actually, there is something going on on the other side of the "stadium" (Jeff Gordon - is that you?)
On the corner of Waveland and Clark, right next to the ice rink, I saw what looked like the beginnings of a big tent going up. The kind you’d see at an outdoor wedding reception or some other big party.
There was definitely a raised platform wooden floor already laid down, and poles and framing all around the sides. Lots of ropes and poles overhead as well. Not sure but I think I saw some white canvas walls up as well. I was driving so I could only get a quick glance or two.
LIke I said, it seemed to be the kind of thing you’d see at some big benefit, gala, reception, fair, etc. Certainly isn’t permanent – no digging, no foundation, no wood/brick/concrete walls. Only thing I can think of right now is maybe it’s a waiting/warming area for folks on Feb 19th, when single-game tickets go on sale? The logistics seem a bit odd as it’s pretty far away from the ticket windows, but maybe with the panel construction going on, they don’t want folks lining up along Addison.
Any other guesses? Once it’s complete and a photo gets posted, maybe we can start a pool…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
So you really are standing out there all winter like in the documentary, aren't you?
"Fasten those seatbelts"-Pat Hughes
Well, not ALL winter.
We take turns – you know, shift coverage and all that…
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
I have information about this.
There is a private event going on at the ice rink. The tent is for hospitality for the event. No, I don’t know what the event is, and the structure is temporary — all of it will be gone by Opening Day.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
dang... so much for the pool...
thanks for the update Al.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Adam Lind?
?!?!???!!
"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." ~ Leo Durocher
Sitting at Wrigley in Right Field corner
Is it me or is it drafty in here?
by RiskyBusiness on Feb 3, 2010 3:03 PM CST up reply actions
Plans for Wrigley Field development
What we see:
What BLOU sees:
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Feb 3, 2010 3:06 PM CST up reply actions 7 recs
heh
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on Feb 3, 2010 3:08 PM CST up reply actions
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al Yellon on Feb 3, 2010 3:19 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I kind of like the idea...
That they want to fix it and make it better and I have no problem with them NOT having a
big press conference to too their own horns…
Just do it right and make it better and surprise us with something great…
Not everything the Ricketts do has to be presented with fan fair, bread and circuses…
Now a great FA signing or something like that I say time to pull out the red carpet, but
cleaning up, expanding and improving the park isn’t a cause for a news release…
Unless they are going to start the work, let people wonder and get excited when it starts
looking good and then say ok you’ve seen what we have done so far…
Here’s what we have in store for Wrigley…
- Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
- Germans?
- Forget it, he's rolling.
Counterpoint
If the Ricketts are truly fans, they know that everyone is touchy about changes to Wrigley. Why not a quick blurb on the team website to let everyone know what’s up? I don’t need construction specs, but just a “hey, here is what’s going on at Wrigley.”
by TC Cubby on Feb 4, 2010 8:31 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Hey, slightly OT Al
But is the new ad campaign out yet? Those huge banners might go really well in these locations
"If I were playing third base and my mother were rounding third with the run that was going to beat us, I'd trip her. Oh, I'd pick her up and brush her off and say, 'Sorry, Mom,' but nobody beats me." ~ Leo Durocher
Submitted for your approval the Captain Morgan Pancake House
The thing is wretched looking affixed to Wrigley FIeld. There was no damned “master plan” working last year, now was there.
The Blackhawks and the Stanley Cup in 2010.
Considering that TribCo has been looking to offload the Cubs for some time...
why would they have bothered to put much emphasis on one?
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Feb 3, 2010 3:07 PM CST up reply actions
No, there wasn't.
But there wasn’t new ownership then, was there?
I’m going to guess that the Captain Morgan Club, which, I agree, is pretty ugly, might go away once they have the Triangle Building built.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
The Triangle Building...
… will almost certainly have naming rights sold.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Maybe the Wrigley Co. will pay
for those rights! The Cubs Shops at Juicy Fruit Square.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
Maybe there will be a Triangle Building Loophole.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I am very curious as to what they are doing...
It is possible that the panels have been stored off-site, and could be brought back. Maybe.
They could just be scraping the steel for a new coat of paint, they could be preparing it for a infill system like that Fenway Park picture(the first one). It seems odd to remove so many panels if it’s a spot repair project. That makes me think there might be something else going on here.
To do all this work there must have been a permit issued, that means there is a public record, Somewhere. If someone is willing to do the legwork they could probably find out more information at city hall. (I would guess 11th Floor, I think it’s room 1109)
The white wall in through the knot hole suggests they are do some brickwork, you must have a heated space in this kind of weather to do good brickwork. They are either tuckpointing, repairing, or replacing that brick wall.
I may be in that area on Friday, if so I will stop by and take another look. I will try to get some photos and talk to anybody that is working to find out what’s going on.
I just noticed
The first picture has two large concrete bars stacked on top of each other on the ground just to the West of the Entry Gates. These look like precast sprandrels, they will probably be placed some where on that surface. Maybe attached to the concrete parts or the steel beams. There looks to only be two or maybe just stacked two high.
Al, do you have more photos?
If so you can e-mail them to me at trejo(dot)im(at)gmail(at)com or post them here.
That's all the photos I took today.
I may go back in the next couple days.
The work on the inside is complete replacement of the brick wall. Before they turned the webcams off, I recall seeing that wall had been completely removed.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
this is the wall
Soriano ran into making that catch, where he slammed into the wall next to the bullpen phone?
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Feb 3, 2010 9:08 PM CST up reply actions
here's a question for those of you who have wandered past wrigley recently.
have you ever thought to just simply ask the workers what the project is? debating the project is fun but itd be much easier to just ask and be done with it.
---AC 00 00 00 - Believe
I would have asked yesterday...
… but the workers I saw were all up in the steelwork. Would have been difficult to yell up at them.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
cmon, Al!
exercise your cheering voice!
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Feb 4, 2010 12:35 PM CST up reply actions
or make a sign
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Feb 4, 2010 4:12 PM CST up reply actions
Bruce Levine Update
The team also is building a mirrored opening on the back end of the right-field wall with the intention of allowing fans outside of the park to watch Cubs players take batting practice under the right-field stands.
The window will be open on Sheffield Ave. as part of a plaza the Cubs are building, which will also access their Sheffield Grill, the restaurant that will be open to the public before and after games. New food at the Grill will include bison beef specialties. That’s correct, it is buffalo, which is raised on the Ricketts’ ranch in Omaha, Neb.
Mmm.. Buffalo burgers!!
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