I have learned key information about Wrigley Field from an extremely reliable source, who has spoken to someone involved in the current off-season work going on at the ballpark. You've probably seen some of it, both on the webcams and if you've gone by the outside of the park. In addition to work on the upper deck, there has been some work on seating in the bleachers, and just today, going by the park, I noticed they had painted the outside railing around the edge of the bleachers (and that's only three years old).
Among the work currently being performed is concrete replacement on some of the ramps. That brings up the issue of the condition of the upper deck (where, as you know, some concrete fell from underneath onto some terrace seats in 2004). The upper deck was originally constructed in the 1920's, but the concrete that fell was not original; it had been replaced in tandem with the realignment work done on the lower deck in the late 1960's (the entire lower grandstand was rebuilt, and the seats in the corners turned to face the plate -- as a result, seating capacity was reduced by several thousand at the time).
My source says that the recent spalling (concrete cracking and falling) problems had to do with concrete compromised during subsequent remodeling (drilling for anchors during the new backstop installation, etc). He says that the upper deck concrete is perfectly sound where no disturbances are present.
This makes sense to me. The upper deck concrete has had a fair amount of "compromise" since the 1970's, including that new backstop, the skyboxes, new signage, new press box, etc.
So -- if the Cubs want to redesign and redo the upper deck, and I suspect they will, it won't be due to any major structural problems. It'll be to improve the ballpark experience for everyone. I imagine new ownership will have quite a bit to say about this once they officially take over.
0 recs | 60 comments
2014?
Is that the target year for the renovation of Wrigley?
memphiscub - February 19, 2009
That's probably when they want it to be complete....
so unveil the finished product for the 100-year anniversary. If the Cubs ever play a season, or half a season at The Cell, (which I’ve heard is a possibility at some point down the road) I would think it would be during the 2013 season. Hard to imagine the Cubs playing on the South Side, but if it keeps them in Wrigleyville long-term, I’m all for it.
ctcoff99 - February 19, 2009
if renovations cause Wrigley to last another 100 years
then sure, have at it!
Chanman25 - February 19, 2009
I've said it before,
it will be nice once there is one voice communicating/deciding the overall direction of the Cubs. Scouting, resources, free agency, the state of the ballpark. This is assuming they will be open in these areas, similar to how the Hawks are now running things.
slocs55 - February 19, 2009
OT
I’ve been trying to find out what happened to him, but couldn’t find anything. What happened to P Juan Mateo, that guy who pitched a couple games in 06?
Chanman25 - February 19, 2009
Last year he was in the minors
http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=24208
He spent time at Iowa, Tennesee, and with the Pirates—I don’t know if he started or ended with the Pirates
TC Cubby - February 19, 2009
Here he is
He is listed as a non-roster invitee for Pittsburgh
http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/team/roster_nri.jsp?c_id=pit
TC Cubby - February 19, 2009
huh, well he really didn't have any upside to begin with anyway..
Chanman25 - February 19, 2009
Pretty impressive that an upper deck built in the 20's...
…has no structural damage 80 years later. God bless the working man.
carmen_fanzone - February 19, 2009
I think in some ways...
… construction back then was better than it is now.
Al Yellon - February 19, 2009
+1
there was a time when things in America were built to last, not to be light weight and replaced every few years
Cubbie-Tim - February 19, 2009
Now get off my lawn!
;-)
ballhawk - February 19, 2009
Damn kids!
;-)
Al Yellon - February 19, 2009
They did have to walk uphill in the snow both ways, though.
neverAcquiesce - February 19, 2009
barefoot
Cubbie-Tim - February 19, 2009
hey hey hey...
I take offense to that statement hahaha!
Chanman25 - February 19, 2009
So...if the concrete in the Upper Deck was replaced in the 60's...
…I wonder if they used a different recipe for concrete back then? Think about when everyone jumps up at the same time, the way the deck sways and swells…you would think that cracks would develop rather quickly – especially near joints.
derv - February 19, 2009
Good question.
Whatever they used for the upper deck, they certainly also used for the lower deck, which was redone at the same time. And there have been no issues with falling concrete from the lower deck, as far as I know.
Al Yellon - February 19, 2009
Continuing problems
Isn’t this current work just maintenance on the continuing problem of loose concrete that they’ve had the last few years? They never have said there was any structural problem with upper deck. Had there been structural damage they wouldn’t have been able to get by just putting up netting.
Acapulco Taco Pie - February 19, 2009
I just hope.....
nobody is paying off inspectors to look the other way if faults, even minor ones, are found. I’m certainly not an engineer, but when I look closely at the upper deck girders, I see a lot of rust in and around the riveted joints. If you look closely you’ll see welded and riveted pieces of steel throughout the stadium. This suggests to me that many areas have been weakened over the years and I would guess that a failure in just one joint could prove catastrophic.
Clutche - February 19, 2009
I doubt that anyone's being paid off -- even in Chicago
Can you imagine the outcry, lawsuits and prison sentences if someone were seriously injured or killed?
Shanghai Badger - February 19, 2009
No doubt.....
but it happens. Ford engineers knew there was a flaw in the gas tank design of the Pinto and looked the other way. Lives lost.
Clutche - February 19, 2009
Different era
Not that these things don’t happen, but they’re harder to get away with.
Shanghai Badger - February 19, 2009
It wasn't the engineers.
It was management. Engineers don’t get to make those sorts of decisions.
MN exile - February 19, 2009
Ah Chicago Bldg inspector payoffs
This is what of the great stories in my family and 100% true. My parents bought a house in Lincoln Park in 1959 that had to be completely gutted ( FYI it was considered such a " bad" area, no bank would loan my father who was a doctor the money, they said they would be happy to give him a loan if he would buy something in the burbs or Gold Coast). My wonderful Uncle Harry was a mid level bureaucrat in the City Buildings Dept and he told my mother not to worry re the construction. One day when two workman were in the house doing some wiring a pair of building inspectors walked in and immediately started ticking off supposed violations which the workman knew from experience was a prelude to getting a payoff. One of the workman said " we were told everything was taken care of" and one of the inspectors looked pale and said " Is this 2329 ?" when the workman answered yes, he stammered " Sorry we were not suppose to come here’ and the pair fled. Nice to have connections huh ?
Doggie Stalker - February 19, 2009
Years ago
there was a Tribune article about an engineering team that went into Wrigley to determine the park’s long-term structural viability. They estimated that the park had about 75 years of life left with nothing more than standard yearly maintenance and upkeep. That was about 15-20 years ago.
Tim M - February 19, 2009
And WHO owned the Cubs when the article was published?
Hummmm
Clutche - February 19, 2009
Its not like I saw it Vine Line
Tim M - February 19, 2009
But it was in the Tribs best interest to put a positive spin on the matter
Clutche - February 19, 2009
Oliver Stone is on line 2
Meanwhile — the Trib has been plenty critical of the Cubs over the years. And, do you really think the benefit would outweigh the risk of hiring engineers to make false statements?
Shanghai Badger - February 19, 2009
Rec'd
Al Yellon - February 19, 2009
This article claims the city and Cubs would not release inspection results!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Wrigley_Field
Clutche - February 19, 2009
That article is old.
It says there are “plans” for bleacher expansion, which happened three years ago. It also has spelling mistakes, typos and outright wrong information (the “triangle” piece of land is no longer owned by the city of Chicago).
Al Yellon - February 19, 2009
Quick subject change:
Is anyone planning on going to the “Toast to Harry” at Harry Caray’s Restaurant tonight? Just curious. I’m heading to Wrigley to get my wristband, then heading straight to Harry’s to get a seat at the bar (if it’s not full already).
ctcoff99 - February 19, 2009
remodeling = huge affect
Like all similar [compound] structures, concrete is great under compression force. However tensile force and/or stress & strain created within can reek havoc on concrete.
blackhawk24 - February 19, 2009
Sort of OT
But on my road in front of my house they have been using concrete insted of asphalt, and tthey are out there every 3-4 years replacing it. It just doesn’t seem to hold up as well as aspahlt does.
However their not exactly driving cars and semis on the upper deck. Just a quick tid-bit.
miamicanes - February 19, 2009
When it was built.....
it was designed for an average weight per seat of 165 lbs. In today’s fat-ass world the load has increased 20%. I’m surprised it’s still standing.
Clutche - February 19, 2009
funny
sad, but still funny.
blackhawk24 - February 19, 2009
that's called 'job security'
Let me ask you this. Does the concrete seem to sink in certain areas or does it just crack all over the place? Curing is key, especially with proper moisture. Improperly laid concrete isn’t any better than fairly-well laid asphalt. Well-laid concrete (with proper pitch for drainage) will outlast asphalt by 2-3x easily, even in our environment and salt-happy municipalities.
blackhawk24 - February 19, 2009
I was just going to comment on this.
Do you work in construction?
Imtrejo - February 19, 2009
No...
Colleagues are PE’s who’s specialties are in Civil Engineering. Often we share experiences of our various disciplines. I’ve always been intrigued with this technology as it pertains to bridges and other large structures even though I ended up being in Electrical Engineering.
blackhawk24 - February 19, 2009
Electrical Engineer huh?
We should exchange info. I am an architect occasionally could use your services.
Imtrejo - February 19, 2009
um yea thats just wrong
concrete is much more durable than asphalt- especially for roads…. they might be doing other work under the concrete and that is why they are tearing it up… concrete is used on heavy traffic areas.
Andre Fonseca - February 20, 2009
So when are we talking here?
2013-2014?
CUBSfaninYANKEEcountry - February 19, 2009
Someone at CNN/SI Must Have This Site Bookmarked
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/teams/cubs/
BeerCub - February 19, 2009
The falling concrete story is overblown.
Wrigley is not falling down, the spalling of concrete is a common occurance. It happens when water is able to get into cracks and then freezes or when steel placed in the concrete starts to rust. Water actually is slowly absorbed by concrete and can get to the steel inside, this can be repaired and would be considered normal maintenance on a 90 year old building.
Imtrejo - February 19, 2009
That's exactly what my contact said, essentially.
Thanks for the backup.
Al Yellon - February 19, 2009
That's a relief......
now I’ll know exactly how I got that gash on my head sitting in section 216
Clutche - February 19, 2009
thanks for saying it
better than I could
flyball - February 20, 2009
Two minor Wrigley construction comments
I’m pretty sure the concrete floor in the upper deck was replaced in the early 70’s and not the late 60’s. I rode what is now the Red Line (then the Howard/Englewood/Jackson Park line) past Wrigley FIeld every weekday from September, 1970 to June 1975. I remember watching the construction progress over the off-season. They actually did the work over two winters, replacing half the deck each year. It was odd to see the upper deck as just a skeleton with no floor.
Another reason the seating capacity was reduced about 40 years ago was that folding chairs had been used in the lower deck box seats. They could be stacked much closer together than the fixed seats they later installed. Below is a picture from the 1929, but the arrangement was pretty much the same through the 1960s.
You can see the metal railings which defined the area of your box.
AlSpangler - February 19, 2009
Here's a better image
AlSpangler - February 19, 2009
I have one of those folding chairs.
However, I believe they stopped using those before they removed the railings in the “boxes”.
Al Yellon - February 20, 2009
Is this from the WS vs the A's?
blackhawk24 - February 20, 2009
Yes.
You can even read that in the handwriting that’s backwards on the photo; it says “CUB BLEACHERS 1929 WORLD SERIES”
Al Yellon - February 20, 2009
Is that whole image reversed?
Seems like it . . .
Shanghai Badger - February 20, 2009
No, the image is correct...
… those bleachers were in RF, and the scoreboard is the way it should look.
The writing was probably done on the negative, and reversed when printed.
Al Yellon - February 20, 2009
And to boot
The one Sheffield Bldg that used to have the turret top is partially visible. It was at the power alley area if the field went out that far.
Then on the far left of the 2nd pic, there’s just a bit of the one figurine that was atop the old scoreboard.
I can’t believe I couldn’t read the backwards writing on the pic originally.
blackhawk24 - February 20, 2009
That writing...
… isn’t real obvious unless you study the photo in detail, and then it’s not obvious because it’s backwards!
Al Yellon - February 20, 2009
Source of 1929 World Series Photo
These images come from the Library of Congress’ American Memory Project Chicago Daily News photo archive.
AlSpangler - February 20, 2009
That is an extremely cool archive.
I have seen it before. There are a ton of old Cub photos there — I used some of them in the top 100 profiles.
Al Yellon - February 20, 2009
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