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Wrigley Field construction update: March 31

Things are moving quite quickly now at and around the ballpark.

By Al Yellon
  • Construction jersey barriers removed from the front of the ballpark David Sameshima
  • Construction jersey barriers still in place, along Addison Street David Sameshima
  • Dumpster from Hotel Zachary being dropped off on Addison Street David Sameshima
  • View of the new elevator shaft, to the north of the marquee David Sameshima
  • View of the upper deck construction, to the east of the marquee David Sameshima
  • View of the ballpark, from Hotel Zachary David Sameshima
  • Evidence of how windy it was, in front of Hotel Zachary David Sameshima
  • Demolition in progress at Clark and Roscoe, in preparation of the upcoming CTA Belmont Flyover Project David Sameshima
  • The northeast corner of Clark and Roscoe David Sameshima
  • The southwest corner of Clark and Roscoe David Sameshima
  • The former O’Hagan’s bar, at Clark and Roscoe David Sameshima
  • Additional buildings slated for demolition on Clark Street, south of Roscoe David Sameshima
  • Demolition in progress, at Wilton and School, for the upcoming CTA Belmont Flyover Project David Sameshima
  • View of the new left field gate, titled “LEFT FIELD GATE” Mike Bojanowski
  • View of the new left field gate, titled “LEFT FIELD GATE” Mike Bojanowski

ALBUQUERQUE — BCB’s David Sameshima made another visit to Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon and filed this report:

I was running errands Saturday afternoon, and hadn’t planned on taking photos at Wrigley. I happened to go by and saw that the construction jersey barriers had been removed at Clark and Addison. I had to stop to take some photos.

I also saw that demolition work had commenced in the area for preparation of the upcoming CTA Belmont Flyover Project, which is happening just a few blocks south of the ballpark. A number of buildings around the Clark and Roscoe area are being removed, so a new rail overpass bridge can be built. This is to allow Brown Line trains to cross over the Red and Purple Line trains.

Mike Bojanowski also was in the ballpark area on Saturday and took a couple of photos (photos 14 and 15) of the new, appropriately named “LEFT FIELD GATE.” He told me that apparently, the Cubs are eventually going to eliminate gates with letters and go to numbered gates (the bleacher gate is already “Gate 10”). So “Gate K/J,” as we’ve called that left-field gate on Waveland forever, will eventually get a number. This is historically consistent, as you can see below, back in the 1930s, the era the restoration is supposed to evoke, the ballpark’s gates did have numbers:

I’m not sure exactly when this changed, but I do know by the time Tribune Co. took over in 1981, they put letters on the entry gates.

We’ll have more photos here later in the week. Just eight more days till the home opener!

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