Chicago Cubs: Remembering the old outfield bleachers

The home of the Chicago Cubs has changed a great deal over the years, but some past features, including the longtime outfield bleachers, won’t be forgotten.

Most Chicago Cubs fans 20 or older can remember their first games as a young kid. Going up those stairs in the grandstand and seeing the park or heading up the ramp to sit in the bleachers. For those who went to games prior to 2005 will remember the classic outfield bleachers of Wrigley Field.

Before video boards, suites in the center field batter’s eye and wide bleacher concourses stood the longtime bleacher seats that lasted 68 years. These seats, constructed in 1937-1938 were built along with the ivy-covered walls and famous scoreboard in center that still stand today. While the center field section of bleachers is still from that structure, everything else in that outfield behind the iconic brick walls was demolished and rebuilt in the last 15 years.

There was a lot of history in those 68 years of fan spectating. Famous MLB, NFL and soccer games were played at Wrigley Field during those years. Plenty of famous home runs went in or over those bleachers and of course how can we not forget the Bleacher Bums? By the time of the first renovation (the 2005-2006 bleachers would be rebuilt again in 2015), those seats were crumbling, too cramped and in need of repair. But it was still hard for sentimentalists to say goodbye.