Photo via Nick Uilivieri
Maybe this is all an attempt to exorcise the curse of the billy goat. Whatever the motivation, the Chicago Cubs are embarking on The 1060 Project, a $575 million, 4 year renovation of one of baseball’s best loved ballparks, Wrigley Field. The plan is privately funded and calls for expanded bleachers and VIP seating, upgraded infrastructure, larger storefronts, bigger parking lots, and a state of the art new TV broadcast center, among many other improvements.
Building permit data shows contractor activity kicking into gear on October 15th, beginning with some infrastructure upgrades and the first of many bleacher improvements, at a cost of a cool $20 million. The project is contracted to Pepper Construction, which specializes in large-scale, expensive projects in the Chicago area. If you’ve ever despaired the price of tickets to the ballgame, just consider the price of designing and installing the benches.
Recently, pictures appeared on Twitter showing the venerable stadium without outfield walls.
The renovation is controversial, however, since the plans to increase seating and expand the signage in the outfield will obstruct the park views of the businesses surrounding the park, which have constructed elaborate bleacher seats on their own roofs and sell tickets to the games. These businesses will lose substantial revenue once the renovations are complete and have sued the Cubs to stop the construction. So far, though, it appears that the plans are a go.
The Cubs, however, are painting a happy face on the renewal. The official 1060 Project website details the massive scale of the project as well as the many “community benefits” the Cubs see as integral to the connection between sports, architecture, and urban culture.
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