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US Cellular Field

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U.S. Cellular Field
"The Cell", "Comiskey Park"
Image:USCellularFieldLogo150.PNG
Image:U.S. Cellular Field21.jpg
Location 333 West 35th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60616
Broke ground May 7, 1989
Opened April 18, 1991
Owner Illinois Sports Facilities Authority
Surface Bluegrass
Construction cost $167 million
$118 million (2001-2006 renovations)
Architect HOK Sport
Former names
Comiskey Park (II) (1991-2003)
Tenants
Chicago White Sox (MLB) (1991-present)
Capacity
44,321 (1991)
45,936 (2001)
47,098 (2003)
40,615 (2004)
Dimensions
Left Field - 330 ft (100.5 m)
Left-Center - 375 ft (114 m)
Center Field - 400 ft (122 m)
Right-Center - 375 ft (114 m)
Right Field - 335 ft (102 m)
Backstop - 60 ft (18 m)


U.S. Cellular Field a.k.a. "The Cell" or (formerly New Comiskey Park) is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at Comiskey Park. The new park, completed at a cost of $167 million, also opened with the Comiskey Park name, but became U.S. Cellular Field in 2003 after U.S. Cellular bought the naming rights at $68 million over 20 years. It hosted the MLB All-Star Game that same year. A few sportscasters and fans, however, continue to use the former name, (new) Comiskey Park.

The stadium is situated at 35th Street and Shields Avenue in Chicago's Armour Square neighborhood ajacent to the Bridgeport neighborhood. It was built in the parking lot of old Comiskey Park, which was torn down and became a parking lot for the current park.

The stadium was the first new sports venue built in Chicago since Chicago Stadium opened in 1929. It was also the first baseball-only park since Royals Stadium (now Kauffman Stadium) opened in 1973, and the last built before the recent wave of new "retro-classic" stadiums. However, a few design features from the old park were retained. Most notable among them is the "exploding scoreboard," which is a replica of the one installed by Bill Veeck at the old park in 1960. At the beginning of all games, after a White Sox player hits a home run, and after a White Sox victory, the scoreboard lights up in color and fireworks explode in the sky. The entrance has several arched windows. The Sox Shower, located in left-center field, is a place where fans can cool off during hot gamedays.

As originally built, the park was criticized by many fans. To avoid overhang problems that were present in many stadiums built in the modern era, the upper deck was set back over the lower deck. However, this created one of the highest upper decks in baseball. The first row of seats in the upper deck at the new stadium is farther from the field than the highest row of seats in the upper deck at the old stadium. The new park's roof was much smaller than the old park's roof, and didn't completely cover the upper deck. Mike Veeck, son of the former White Sox' owner, once said, "It had everything but a soul."[1]

In response to fan complaints, the stadium has undergone numerous renovations since its opening in order to retrofit the facility to current architectural trends. These new features have included building a multi-tiered concourse beyond center field, adjusting the fences to make the outfield less symmetrical and, most significantly, the removal of 6,000 seats at the top of the upper deck.

The uppermost story of the park now has a white and black screen behind the top row of seats and is topped by a flat canopy roof supported by poles that obstruct the view of a few seats. To give the park a "retro" feel the roof has black steel truss supports. The original blue seats were also replaced by forest green seats. The new green and black color scheme, upper level screen set back from the outer wall and canopy roof resembles the old Comiskey Park as well as other classic baseball stadiums. The White Sox have also added murals to the interior concourses, a prominent feature of the old stadium.

The stadium houses 84 luxury suites located on two levels, as well as thousands of "club seats" on 300-level mezzanine between the lower deck and upper deck. The club seats receive in-seat wait-staff and benefit from an enclosed concourse with multiple television viewing areas and bar-style concessions.

Contents

Renovations

In 2001, extensive renovations were started to make the park more 'fan-friendly', and less sterile:

Phase I (2001 season)

  • Three rows of seats were added along the field between the dugouts and the foul poles.
  • Bullpens were moved and replaced with additional bleachers.
  • Distances to the outfield wall were changed, most noticeably down the foul lines, where the bullpens and the Bullpen Sports Bar are now located.
  • Batter's eye in center field was redesigned.
  • Restaurant was added in the outfield.

Phase II (2002 season)

  • Old backstop with netted roof was replaced with a new "roofless" backstop which allows foul balls to drop into seats.
  • Improvements were made to the main and club level concourses.
  • Scoreboard and video boards were upgraded.

Phase III (2003 season)

  • New center field video board and LED "ribbon" boards were added.
  • Outfield/Upper Deck Concourse upgrades were made.
  • Fan Deck in center field was added.
  • Ballpark was painted and stained.
  • A life size bronze statue of Charles Comiskey.
  • Phase III renovations cost approximately $20 million.

Phase IV (2004 season)

  • Upper Deck Seating Area - Eight rows and 6,600 seats were removed from the top of ballpark's upper deck.
  • A flat roof, elevated 20 feet above the seating area, has replaced the old roof, covering all but eight rows of seating.
  • Upper Deck Concourse was partially enclosed from the weather by a translucent wall.
  • Fan Deck in center field upgraded to feature tiered seating and standing room.
  • Lower Terrace balcony added to provide an additional party area and outdoor seating.
  • A life sized bronze statue of Minnie Minoso.
  • Phase IV renovations cost approximately $28 million.

Phase V (2005 season)

Image:US Cellular Field.jpg
U.S. Cellular Field in 2005 before extensive remodeling was completed.
  • 314-seat "Scout" seating area directly behind home plate added.
  • FUNdamentals, an area for kids, was added above the left field concourse.
  • Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the Club level, bleachers and some scattered areas around home plate.
  • A life size bronze statue of Carlton Fisk.

Phase VI (2006 season)

  • Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the entire Upper Deck and the Lower Deck between the dugouts.
  • Enclosed, ground level restaurant was completed, providing a lounge and dining area for the Scout Seats.
  • Life size bronze statues of Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio placed on center field concourse.
  • New banners were hung down on the outfield Light towers. One for the 2005 World Series, one for the 1906 and 1917 World Series, one for all White Sox American League pennants, and one for all division championships.
  • The flags for these titles, now on the banners, were replaced with flags of all the Sox logos in club history.

Phase VII (2007 season)

  • Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the Lower Deck from the dugouts and the entire outfield seating area (including the left-center field bleachers which were previously renovated).
  • A new premium seating/restaurant area located in the former press box behind home plate in the stadium's "club level".
  • A new press box located on the first base side of the upper level of club level seating.

Trivia

  • Although the most of the blue seats have been replaced with green seats, two blue seats remain in the outfield. One is in the left field section, while the other is in right-center. The seats are the very seats where Paul Konerko's grand-slam and Scott Podsednik's walk-off home run from the 2005 World Series landed.[2]

Notes

  • Nathaniel Whalen, "Marked seats meaningful to Sox stars," Post Tribune, March 30, 2007, [1]

See also

External links

Preceded by
Comiskey Park
1910–1990		 Home of the
Chicago White Sox
1991–present		 Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by
Miller Park		 Host of the All-Star Game
2003		 Succeeded by
Minute Maid Park

Coordinates: 41°49′48.29″N, 87°38′2.57″W


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