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It sounds like he is having trouble getting financing to make the repairs on Wrigley Field and build the triangle building on their property at the same time. So if he didn't get the state bonds he could only do one or the other.
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Sounds like maybe the Ricketts overpaid for the stadium relative to the investment it needs.
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http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....-wrigley-.html
As they push for state aid, the Cubs promise to upgrade Wrigley By Blair Kamin As the Cubs continued their controversial push Tuesday for Illinois to float up to $200 million in bonds for Wrigley Field renovations, new wrinkles emerged in the team’s plans to revamp the 96-year-old ballpark. http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/4067/13849362.jpg http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/3747/56727761.jpg http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/6607/99839726.jpg http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/6604/85658474.jpg |
I'm sorry but those concourse renderings are pure cheese. So they want to take one of the last classic American ballparks and turn it into a sanitized lifestyle center? Because that's exactly what it looks like. Can we please have one American ballpark that hasn't given in to incorporating chain retail, planting palms or having a fucking water slide behind center field!?!
NOTE TO THE RICKETTS family: Just restore the stadium and add modest improvements - any further impulses to 'add' to the game experience will, in the case of Wrigley, only take away from it. |
it looks like navy pier
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God these new owners make feel like I have ricketts......
either that or they are going to drive me into being a Sox fan |
^ Agree, although I like the idea of the triangle building
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The concourse is just adding some metal cladding to the underside of the seating, repainting the steel, and adding banners and signage. Nothing retro in there. As far as I can tell, there's very little that "adds to the game experience" in the cheesy way that you're alluding to. Just some additional food stalls and gift shops, but we already have those, and a premium club for all those businesses that spend ridiculous amounts entertaining clients at Wrigley. No pirate ships, water slides, sausage races, or smoking locomotives. |
* moderator edit *
duplicate article already posted in thread |
I am curious where the Amusement Park tax goes to that is collected from these ballparks? I don't see anything wrong with wanting to use some of that money for the upkeep of these investments. Though I do agree with the other side of this argument, if the Ricketts can afford to pay 1billion to buy the Cubs, then they can afford to pay 200million to renovate Wrigley...but then again, are the Ricketts asking for money outright or money they will have to pay back? Money that has to be paid back, I see nothing wrong in asking for.
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Governments routinely build entire new stadiums to attract and keep teams. But for some reason, when it's preserving an old stadium for a far lower cost, people are up in arms? It makes no sense.
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1) This is a guy who bought the team for $900m and now expects handouts for construction? He should have priced this in if it's such a big burden that he can't handle it himself. It's insulting to come to the government a mere year after the purchase asking for help. Does he think we're idiots, or is he an idiot for failing to do due diligence? It's one or the other (or maybe both) and either way, the answer isn't good. 2) The proposed plan is WAY more than merely preserving a landmark --- it also includes a great deal of stadium modifications and new construction that will increase his revenue . This would be much different if he were asking for state-backed bonds for the specific purpose of $X million for rehabilitation of the stadiums structural elements to ensure safety and stability for this heritage landmark for decades to come. But no; this is asking for the government to carry his business risk while letting him reap any upside reward: it's unethical and insulting. Here's an idea: Rather than a bond issue, sell a percentage of the enterprise itself to ISFA, and let the government he's trying to fleece get a share of the new revenue it would be enabling. |
ESPN Chicago
Updated: November 20, 2010, 11:54 AM ET One end zone for offense at Wrigley http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/1117...rigley_600.jpg AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast Whichever team is on offense Saturday will head toward the west [left] end zone. Quote:
©2010 ESPN Internet Ventures. |
I hope that any refurb of Wrigley allows them the ability of a proper football configuration. The park has a rich history of football, it would be a shame for them not to make some sort of effort to be flexible for it.
The Northwestern/Illinois game was a huge hit. I'd like it to be played there every year. |
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The only reason it worked for the Bears in the first place is because the NFL was willing to overlook the deficiencies of Wrigley, since the Bears had no other home. |
excuse the thread revival, but this needed to be posted.
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^ :haha:
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Gotta love The Onion. Technically, it is the largest national news source out of Chicago...
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Haha. Wonderful!
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Landmarks commission approves moving Wrigley wall
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Tunney Proposes Plan For Wrigley Field Rooftop Clubs To Hang Ads Quote:
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It's not up to Tunney whether or not the Cubs get a piece of any additional advertising revenue. It's already part of the roof top owners contract with the Cubs, they recieve 17% of all ticket revenues and 13% of all advertising revenues. This is what they agreed to when the Cubs tried to block their views 10 years ago and they collectively settled on this arrangement.
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Wrigley Field: Hotel planned near Cubs' ball park
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,4608342.story
In addition to the plan for the hotel on the Northwest corner of Clark & Addison which is owned by the Ricketts family, they are releasing new renderings of proposed future renovations and expansions of the stadium today at the Cub convention at the Sheraton Hotel. |
I haven't come across images yet (or the video), but here is a great play by play of the news conference earlier today at the convention: http://vineline.mlblogs.com/2013/01/...wrigley-field/
Interesting points: The alignment/pitch of the seating bowl will not be altered Both the lower and upper level platforms will be completely rebuilt Only 100~ seats will be added total The facade will be restored to its 1935 appearance Additional outdoor concessions areas servicing the upper deck Expanded player facilities will be state of the art Restroom capacity will be increased by 42% Concourses will be expanded Possible patio space in left field (ala right field) $300m price tag 5 year time frame, all construction in offseasons |
Interesting. 1930s Wrigley Field wasn't that different from today. It just didn't have those awful concrete panels on the Addison side, and instead of chainlink fencing it had some very nice wrought iron.
Is the Captain Morgan Club gonna get axed? Please? http://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.file...ront-c1930.jpg src http://www.bracephoto.com/images/pla...ntitled-61.jpg src |
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Ricketts is now claiming that, without certain "restrictions", he can finance the renovations without taxpayer money. Seems like he's referring to advertisements, more night games, and concerts.
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Crain's tumblr has photos.
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Awesome, now they just need to actually win...
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^I always say that Wrigley Field is a great argument for preservationists, as it proves that people value the design of the venue over the quality of the programming.
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Let's go Cubbies!! What are waiting for??? Come on Cubbies!! |
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Looks to me like they are getting closer and closer to having a pretty good plan for this. I still want them to build the annex to the West someday. Having a prominade on that side of the stadium would be pretty neat. The main lower consourse and the upper deck roof concessions area looking pretty good, especially the reintegration of the arching iron work in the main concourse. The 2010 concourse renders looked like they were trying to recreate Shea Stadium...
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Right Track
Glad to hear seating bowl will be replicated with the modifications primarily under the surface with the concourse and facade arching back to 1930'S design. If only old comisky was repurposed with it's outfield bleachers opened up to the city skyline, we would probably have Comisky Park as a leading tourist attraction in the city. I wouldn't mind if they alter the light standards atop the Wrigley roof. I dont mind the design but iI think they should be copper or metalic coated to better mimic the era. ( even though it didn't debut til 1988 )
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Cool. I wonder if the Ricketts are okay with this? Their goal is to get greater control of their ballpark, not purely to get advertising revenue.
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That LED plan is a joke. I hope the Ricketts don't go for that.
Signed, Season Ticket Holder |
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Also, as much as I love Wrigley, it's in ROUGH shape. The place needs a major overhaul, and I don't know about you, but I would much rather those upgrades be paid for with ad revenue as opposed to some shady deal that uses public funds. |
I'm a bit concerned about how it's going to look from the street level around Wrigley. I imagined it's going to be really ugly having a line of screens five stories up in the air. Planting trees to create a canpopy along the outside of the park would be a good solution for this. They should plant trees regardless of the outcome of this advertising screens deal.
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It is undeniable that this will be a major distraction from the game and the whole experience. Most importantly - it will look like garbage. Your argument that you are "watching the game and it won't matter unless it is on home plate" is absurd. 1. If people weren't going to look at them then that would defeat the point of advertisement. 2. Baseball is a passive sport for the spectator in many ways. Often your mind wanders and you do look around to appreciate the scenery. Wrigley is the most gorgeous scenery in all of professional sports. One most be delicate when making any modification and the LED screens are far from delicate. |
Ricketts claims that fans are in favor of the LEDs. It's one way to place additional ads in the park that can also function as scoreboards. The traditional scoreboard is great but it can be difficult to read from a distance and it can't be altered to display different kinds of information (AVG, last at-bats, ERA).
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Don't let the tail wag the DOG
Given how much a pain in the ass the Roof Top owners have become in letting the Cubs run their business, I wouldn't let these people get further entangled into the Cubs operations.
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how will this compare to the reno of dogers stadium?
like the dugouts and locker rooms? |
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LOL this is crazy. First M&R announce a hotel for south of Addison, then the Ricketts announce a hotel for the McDonald's site. Then M&R switches to a large XSport gym as the anchor, and Ricketts reaches a deal with Chicago Athletic Clubs. Ricketts is basically piggybacking on the ideas of M&R at this point, but with deeper pockets and more clout.
I'd rather see the McDonald's developed before the south-of-Addison site, though, especially because the latter would displace a bunch of Clark St businesses. |
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