Wrigley Field

Chicago, IL
Year Opened: 1914
Capacity: 41,649
Games Attended: 3
First Game: September 12, 2004
Most Recent Game: May 20, 2019
Next Game: May 27-29, 2023
Setting 18/20 1 Thumb Up
Locale 5/5 1 Thumb Up
Accessibility 3/5 Thumb Sideways
Neighborhood Local Scene 10/10 2 Thumbs Up
Architecture & Aesthetics 55/65 2 Thumbs Up
Exterior Design/Aesthetics 15/20 1 Thumb Up
Interior Aesthetics/Visuals 38/40 2 Thumbs Up
Concourse Aesthetics 2/5 1 Thumb Down
Functionality & Essentials 31.5/50 1 Thumb Down
Sightlines: Field Proximity 15/15 2 Thumbs Up Star
Sightlines: Seating Geometry 4/5 1 Thumb Up
Seat Comfort 5.5/9 Thumb Sideways
Concourse Functionality 4/15 2 Thumbs Down
Scoreboards/Tech 3/6 Thumb Sideways
Amenities & Features 32/50 1 Thumb Down
Concessions: Food Variety 2.5/5 1 Thumb Down
Concessions: Food Quality 3/5 Thumb Sideways
Concessions: Craft Beer/Other Drinks 3/5 Thumb Sideways
Social Gathering Areas/Restaurants 6/10 1 Thumb Down
Premium Seating/Clubs 9/9 2 Thumbs Up
Historical Exhibits, Memorabilia, Art, & Other Displays 7.5/10 1 Thumb Up
Kids Areas/Other Entertainment 1/6 2 Thumbs Down
Atmosphere, Vibe, & Policies 15/15 2 Thumbs Up Star
Fan Support/Attendance 5/5 2 Thumbs Up Star
Ballpark Traditions/Gameday Presentation 5/5 2 Thumbs Up Star
Ballpark Policies/Staff 5/5 1 Thumb Up
Adjusted Raw Score 151.5/200=75.75=76
Bonus 6
Curve for All 7 7
Final Score 90
Ranking #5/30

Below is a quick summary, written in 2018.  The subsequent analysis is in the format of a photo essay, with detailed analysis posted along with the pictures, written in 2011.

By: Cole Shoemaker

Now affectionately known as The Friendly Confines, Wrigley Field really shows that it matters more how ballparks evolve than how they are built.  In the 1910s, Shibe Park, Comiskey Park, and Forbes Field were regarded as the irreplaceable greatest parks of the era, as Wrigley Field was overshadowed by other more expensive and grandiose “jewel box parks.”  Even a place like Ebbets Field benefited from an accumulation of lore into the mid-20th century.

Circumstances (such as Cubs decision not to install a second deck in the outfield in the 30s) and alterations (namely Veeck’s idea to plant the ivy) made Wrigley Field the historic cathedral we love today, something we should keep in mind when assessing the wave of post-1990 parks.

Considered one of the best local scenes in professional sports, Wrigleyville not only has a vibrant pre-and-post-game bar scene, but also evokes a classic residential vibe, reminiscent of the urban neighborhoods of the early-mid 20th century. As a concept, Wrigley Field’s cozy location has contributed to its venerable and timeless image.

Compared to the ornate Shibe Park, cast in cartouches and terra cotta with a French Renaissance design, Wrigley Field’s exterior design was (and is) rather simple.  The now famous art deco style marquee was installed in 1934.  Moving into the interior aesthetics, Wrigley Field really begins to shine.

Wrigley Field is godfather of the retro emphasis on downtown views and integrated community aesthetics.  It was the only park from the era to continue to emphasize a connection to the local community throughout the mid-20th century.  Even in the lower level, we see the community seep in through rooftop bleachers and distant skyscrapers.  Wrigley Field is aesthetically superior due to its emphasis on vertically limiting outfield seating to better facilitate contextual integration and the green Ivy covering the outfield walls.

Wrigley Field is beautiful in its own right, not just beloved for history.

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Its decking structure is also functionally superior.  Unlike almost every other park of its era, Wrigley avoids the common overhang issues in the lower deck, but the upper deck is still closer to the field than nearly every park in baseball today.

It’s the perfect balance, in my opinion.

Unlike Fenway Park, Wrigley’s seating geometry is good as well. All seats are adequately oriented toward the infield.  Old-timer ballpark nerds love to talk about support columns, cantilevers, and field proximity, but angling the seats correctly is just as important, something that Fenway and Tiger Stadium whiffed on.  Superior sightlines are Wrigley Field’s most overlooked quality, as it played a significant role in its more timeless appeal.

Starting in the mid-2010s, Wrigley Field began to upgrade its functionality and amenities.  As someone who grades these aspects, this has been more of a mixed bag than you might think.

I almost never object to oversized, state-of-the-art videoboards, but I think the ones at Wrigley Field nullified some of the charming contextual connection with its neighborhood environs that was essential to timeless appeal.  They simply block out too much of the view from the lower bowl.  The enhancements to the amenities (i.e. clubs, concessions) have been excellent across the board, though.

At the beginning of the decade, just on a “gut” feeling, I would say Wrigley Field was the greatest park of all time (and up there with my current personal favorites) due to its superior contextual integration, interior aesthetic attractiveness, natural aesthetic vision, relatively superior sightlines, and excellent neighborhood.

With the out-of-place videoboards muddling the interior scene, I’m not 100% sure I’d give it the edge over Fenway (where the amenities/videoboards fit in more seamlessly) anymore.  I’d probably still favor Wrigley, but we’ll have to see upon my overdue return to both in 2019/2020.

Setting

Location/Access:

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Welcome to Wrigleyville! Parking around the ballpark is rather limited, so many fans instead arrive using the Red line or the Brown line.

 

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Humble edifice on the way to Wrigley Field.

 

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View of Waveland Avenue in back of left field bleachers.

Local Scene:

 

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Wrigleyville is widely considered to be one of the best local scenes in baseball. In a Sports Illustrated Fan Poll in 2006, it finished 2nd right behind Petco Park’s Gaslamp District and ahead of Coors Field’s LoDo. It is pretty clear that those are the top 3 local scenes in baseball by both my analysis and others.

 

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Sports Corner on the corner of Addison and Sheffield.

 

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Bar favorites in the area include The Cubby Bear, Murphy’s Bleachers, Gingerman Tavern, and the Irish Oak.

 

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Much of the area evokes a classic residential vibe, reminiscent of the urban neighborhoods of the early-mid 20th century. As a concept, Wrigley Field’s cozy location contributed to its venerable and timeless image.

Architecture & Aesthetics

Exterior Design:

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In comparison to other classic ballparks such as Shibe Park, Comiskey Park, and Forbes Field, Wrigley Field wasn’t widely praised when it opened. During the jewel box era, it was overshadowed by many more expensive ballparks, proving it matters more how you evolve in time.

 

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This can certainly be seen in the exterior design. Compared to the ornate Shibe Park, cast in cartouches and terra cotta with a French Renaissance design, or the classic Ebbets Field, with it’s now ubiquitous red brick rotunda, Wrigley Field’s exterior design is very banal. But as we shall soon see, Wrigley’s vast superiority in other areas, specifically interior aesthetics, made it the best park of the era. The now famous art deco style marquee was installed in 1934. It was originally blue until the 1960s.

 

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While it has evolved into something legendary, form follows function in Wrigley Field’s simple exterior design. The white steel light towers attractively match the white concrete of the facade. The consistent use of dark green beams here, and on the inside, influenced later retro parks. Overall, its exterior design is still outstanding due to the excellent color scheme and appropriately simple scale.

 

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The bleachers were renovated during the 2000s. Somewhat like Camden Yards has become for the Orioles, Wrigley Field is one of the few ballparks that actually overshadows the team itself. Fenway Park is known for it’s numerous historical moments and being the home of the Red Sox, but Wrigley Field is Wrigley Field. You go to see the ballpark, not the team. Obviously, this is somewhat due to the Cubs being terrible, similar to how the Orioles have been terrible for the past 15 years.

Interior Aesthetics:

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It’s all about the scenery! Wrigley Field was the only park from the era to continue to emphasize a connection to the local community throughout the mid-20th century.

 

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It is the godfather of the retro emphasis on downtown views and integrated community aesthetics. But while these retro downtown parks are actually huge stadiums with deceptively intimate exterior landscaping, Wrigley Field is an actual neighborhood ballpark. Oakland’s originally proposed Cisco Field (2006) in Fremont would have been somewhat like this, although it would have been artificially cultivated.

 

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While outstanding contextual integration and attractive interior greenery can be seen as Wrigley’s strongpoints, a number of other factors made it the greatest of the era. Its decking structure is functionally superior to others of the era, avoiding common overhang and space issues of almost all others.

 

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Many fans who hate the Red Sox love to point out that Fenway Park is not that good looking on the inside. It’s just loved because it is old. While I disagree (you could say that about Tiger Stadium perhaps, as much as I like that park), no one can dispute that Wrigley Field is beautiful in its own right, not just beloved for history. If this park opened today, it would get high scores.

 

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As I previously touched upon, Wrigley began as a very ordinary ballpark. It took less than two months to construct and cost less than 1/3 of grander parks like Forbes and Comiskey.

 

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Much of Wrigley Field’s aesthetic attractiveness can be attributed to P.K. Wrigley and Bill Veeck in the late 1930s. First of all, part of Wrigley’s beautification plan included installing attractive Boston Ivy on the brick walls. This matches the green landscape beyond the outfield and is one of the most attractive features in the majors.

 

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Second of all, many ballparks were expanding during this era, building double decks in the outfield. Wrigley Field never did that, instead continually focusing on the surrounding greenery and the local landscape of the community buildings (whereas Shibe Park, for example, built a giant wall to block out the rooftop bleachers).

 

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Wrigley Field’s dimensions are welcomely simple and relatively symmetrical, contrary to the classic ballpark stereotype of quirky dimensions, refraining from the theatre of the absurd we see in some retro parks. Baseball is the only theatre here, as Wrigley Field compliments, not overpowers, the game.

 

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Brick is omnipresent throughout the lower bowl, extending from the backstop behind home plate to the ivy covered brick walls. Wrigley Field inspired the trend of a brick backstop behind home plate in the retro parks.

 

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Even on the lower level, we see the community seep in through roof top bleachers and distant skyscrapers. In sum, Wrigley Field is aesthetically superior due to its emphasis on vertically limiting outfield seating to better facilitate contextual integration and the green Ivy covering the outfield walls.

 


Panoramic View/Backdrop:

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From the upper deck, fans are captivated by the very essence of Chicago. Neighborhood buildings sprinkle the foreground while you can see taller skyscrapers in the distance. Adjusting for the era, Wrigley Field has many superficial similarities to PNC Park.

 


Concourses (both functionality of concourses and aesthetics discussed here):

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Because we haven’t yet seen significant renovations like at Fenway Park, Wrigley Field suffers from many severe functional flaws. Concourse crowding is a common issue, as all fans are dumped onto the same main concourse.

 

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Standing room area at the back of the terrace boxes on the first level. Other than small walkways and ramps like this, Wrigley Field only uses on concourse under the seating bowl.

 

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Other than this walkway, there is no separate upper deck concourse, as a series of ramps take you to the upper deck.

 

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The Smirnoff Upper Deck Patio seen here is the only area of refuge in the upper deck.

 

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Here is a good visual of the concourse system at Wrigley Field, which is basically a ramp. From the main concourse, the ramp takes you to the terrace boxes (seen here), the suite level, or the upper deck boxes.

 

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Cool standing room area in the right field corner off the main concourse.

 

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Main concourse at Wrigley Field.

 

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Main concourse at Wrigley Field.

 

Functionality & Essentials

Sightlines:

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As previously touched upon, Wrigley Field’s decking structure was far superior for its time. Unlike every other park during the era, Wrigley Field’s upper deck is more recessed, avoiding the common overhang issues in the lower deck seen in parks like Tiger Stadium. That being said, the upper deck is still closer to the field than nearly every park in baseball today. It’s the perfect balance.

 

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Unlike Fenway Park, Wrigley’s seating geometry is excellent as well. All seats are adequately oriented toward the infield.

 

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Superior sightlines are Wrigley Field’s most overlooked quality, as it played a significant role in its more timeless appeal.

 

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Wrigley Field was the only classic ballpark not to be considered for replacement during the 60s-70s (although in the 80s there were rumblings because of the lack of lights). Both Tiger Stadium and Fenway Park were scheduled to be replaced by domes in the 60s, but the teams couldn’t get adequate funding. Comiskey Park almost got replaced by a new sports complex in 1967.

Seat Comfort:

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Here is seat 113, the infamous Steve Bartman seat, noted for the incident of fan interference in the 2003 NLCS. It’s funny to see fans take pictures here after the game. Wrigley Field’s seats are relatively new and all have cupholders.

 


Concourses:

See last page.

 


Scoreboard System:

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Installed in 1937, the famous hand-turned manual scoreboard has seen little changes throughout its history. Classic manual scoreboards like this have inspired copycats during the retro era.

Amenities & Features

Quality and Selection of Concessions:

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Wrigley Field’s selection of food is understandably limited. Old Style Beer is their signature item of note. Chicago Dogs and Italian Beef sandwiches are also available.

 

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In terms of variety, they recently added some Mexican food in the form of a Qdoba Queso Cart. Salads and Wings are also of relative note.

 

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In the next decade, they need to drastically improve their food quality and selection, especially considering this is Chicago. I would recommend bring in a number of local Chicago eateries and restaurants to run some of the concessions.

 


Accessible Restaurants/Bars/Sitting Areas/Social Spaces:

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Entrance to the Captain Morgan Club outside Wrigley Field, originally known as the Friendly Confines Cafe.
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The club is open to all fans.

 

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Sheffield Grill in right field.

 

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This is one of 2 accessible Wrigley Field sit down areas, not counting the exclusive United Club.

 

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Compared to Fenway Park, and even some newer ballparks like Busch Stadium and New Marlins Park, Wrigley Field does a good job in providing restaurants and sit down areas for fans.

 


Premium Seating/Clubs:

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Unlike Fenway Park and every other ballpark in baseball, Wrigley Field has failed to sufficiently upgrade its premium seating to modern requisites. Opening in 2010, the Executive Club of Chicago is a hybrid club/suite experience on Wrigley Field’s single level of suites. But that is really it’s only club seating option. While not sporting a view of the field, the United Club serves as their de-facto Stadium Club membership restaurant. The membership fee was $900 in 2013.

 


General or Artistic References to Baseball or Team History/Museums:

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Like the new retro parks, Wrigley Field has plenty of statues on the outside. Harry Carry is shown here, which is the most artistically impressive of the group.

 

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Great statue of Billy Williams. Note random lady awkwardly laughing at me for accidentally taking her picture. Lol this is a common theme of my pictures on the site, due to my frantically fast paced, guerrilla style of photography.

 

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Ernie Banks statue.

 

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Due to a number of beneficial circumstances, it’s my opinion that Wrigley Field is almost certainly the greatest ballpark of all-time. Unlike other historical ballparks, Wrigley Field is indisputably attractive on the inside, emphasizing a natural aesthetic vision. Historically, it edges out Original Yankee Stadium, Camden Yards, Fenway Park, PNC Park, Original Kauffman Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Shibe Park, and Ebbets Field. Wrigley Field is the best ballpark of all time due to its superior contextual integration, interior aesthetic attractiveness, relatively superior sightlines, and excellent neighborhood.

 

Atmosphere, Vibe, & Policies

Summary

Defining Features

Ivy-Covered Outfield Walls

Biggest Hit

Ivy-Covered Outfield Walls

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Biggest Miss

Oversized Videoboards and Expanded Bleachers Block Out Some of Wrigleyville

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Other Hits

Interior Aesthetics That Are Attractive in Their Own Right, Not Just Beloved For Nostalgic Reasons

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Wrigleyville

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Wrigley Rooftops

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Iconic Art Deco-style Marquee

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Exterior Terracotta Finishes And Ornamental Fencing Structures Added During Late-2010s Renovations

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Classic Hand-Operated Scoreboard

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Superior Field Proximity From the Upper Deck

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Good Seating Geometry, Unusual for a Jewel-Box Park

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Bleachers

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Gallagher Square

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Exterior Statues

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Various Ballpark Traditions

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Loyal Fan Support

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Late 2010s Renovations Were Mostly Successful

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Other Misses

Support Columns May Obstruct Views

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

No 360-Degree Concourse

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Renovations Added Attractive Signage, But The Main Concourse Is Still Too Narrow and Congested

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Wrigleyville (and even Wrigley Field itself) Feels a Tad Too Clubby and Exclusive These Days

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

No Escalators to Access Upper Deck

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Awkward Catwalk Required to Navigate Upper Deck Concourse Behind Home Plate Due to New Catalina Club

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Food And Craft Beer Quality Have Gotten Better, But Selection Is Still Lacking

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Cubs New Hall of Fame Area Should be More Than Just Plaques

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Late 2010s Renovations Didn't Add Many In-Park Amenities For the Average Fan

Photos and Description coming after Memorial Day 2023 revisit

Best of

Best Neighborhood Restaurant/Bar: The Cubby Bear
Best Seats: 1914 Club
Favorite Seats: Catalina Club
Signature Food: Buona Italian Beef sandwich or Chicago Dog
Best In-Park Pregame Spot: Stick with the restaurants and bars in Wrigleyville

…this still isn’t a park with “attractions” throughout the concourses even after the renovations …

Pro Tips

Bet You Didn't Know

Future Outlook