Chicago Cubs: How the Wrigley Field experience has changed in my lifetime

The Wrigley Field 1060 Project, which lasted roughly five years, was finally capped off with a ceremony at the historic ballpark Thursday afternoon to rededicate the 107-year old home of the Chicago Cubs as a landmark. Since 2014 the stadium has gone under massive renovations to update and restore both fan and player facilities. While the traditions of Wrigley Field are loved by so many people, the renovations were much needed as the structure was in disrepair and most amenities/player facilities were way out of date.

Changes/additions to the park include a restored lower-seating bowl, upper-deck terrace with improved concessions, restored concourses, video boards on the left and right field sides, remodeled luxury boxes, bullpens moved under the new bleachers, new clubhouses and training facilities for both home and visitors, remodeled pressbox, Gallagher Way outside the park, Hotel Zachary across the street and private clubs.

With so many changes coming, fans in 2014 became concerned that it could mess with the classic aesthetics of the park. However, the historic marquee, hand-operated scoreboard, ivy-covered walls and shape of the grandstand remained. It was an overall nice balance of modernization while keeping so much of classic Wrigley Field alive.

That said, it still has seen some notable changes over the years. One of Wrigley’s golden eras was the late-90s/early 2000s. It was a time of exciting slugging battles between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, dominant performances from flame-throwing Kerry Wood all while still featuring so much “old school” baseball vibes. Let’s compare the experience of late-90s Wrigley vs. today.

Chicago Cubs:  Some traditions are gone, but many remain with new features.

As mentioned earlier, the ballpark has kept the iconic features that distinguish the park from the others. What really has changed is what is around the park and what is within the arteries of the park.

Mainly looking around the field and stands, the biggest difference is the video boards and advertising. The boards are quite large and there is significantly more advertising around the park. The main advertising around the park in the old days was the Budweiser roof and the Torco sign, both of which are gone. No more fences in the bleacher corners as they have been expanded twice, once in 2005 and again in 2014. If you sit in the bleachers and compare a photo of the grandstands today and back then, it looks pretty much the same. Most of the restoration on the exterior of the grandstand kept the same shape as it had been.

It can be understandable to not feel the video boards, but they can also add a lot of the experience. Seeing stats, replays, and other video presentations is nice to have as a fan. Looking at a replay on a big video board is better than an old box TV on a pole, in my opinion. The nice thing is the old scoreboard still functions the same way as it had for decades and still has its purpose.

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The interior concourses and facilities were no question needed for updating. As fans, we do not experience the clubhouse facilities, but for those who have seen the old ones on tours, it is well known those older facilities were horrific. In terms of concourses and amenities, there is more space to move and more bathroom space. As fun as it was in the 90s, the bathrooms of old were small and incredibly disgusting. It is so much cleaner and spacious now. The concessions are also so much better, between the choices and just the overall food quality.

One of, if not the best changes in my opinion was Gallagher Way. A place where people can relax before, during, or after the game. It has shops, food, drinks, fountains and places for kids to play. That is 100X better than the ugly player’s parking lot. It also had allowed for other events to be hosted there on non-game days/offseason. That has worked out so well.

There are so many other details to look at, but overall I think it is fair to say we can acknowledge most of the changes were for the better, while still having a nostalgic soft spot for the “old” Wrigley Field. Memories of our first games will always be cherished, but sometimes it takes change to realize how what we loved was both great and faulty.

Yes, Wrigley was a bit more casual back in the 90s and was more affordable, but many of those amenities just would not hold up today. Stadiums evolve, as does our taking in of sports. That does not mean what we loved in the 90s was not worth loving.

I will admit there are old things I miss. The Torco sign seems insignificant, but it was part of the park of my childhood. As much as I like the video boards, it was nice to soak in some of that neighborhood atmosphere while sitting in the upper deck before they were there. Admittedly not a big fan of the club under the pressbox, blocking the main walkway to get around the entire grandstand.

While Gallagher Way is great, the other mall areas around the park have taken away a lot of old businesses and look a bit out of place. Overall though I am glad I can still enjoy Wrigley today as I did as a kid.