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History Edit
Main
article:
History
of
Wrigley
Field
Baseball
executive
Charles
Weeghman
hired
his
architect
Zachary
Taylor
Davis
to
design
the
park,
which
was
ready
for
baseball
by
the
date
of
the
home
opener
on
April
23,
1914.[9]
The
original
tenants,
the
Chicago
Whales
(also
called
the
Chi-Feds)
came
in
second
in
the
Federal
League
rankings
in
1914
and
won
the
league
championship
in
1915.
In
late
1915,
Weeghman's
Federal
League
folded.
The
resourceful
Weeghman
formed
a
syndicate
including
the
chewing
gum
manufacturer
William
Wrigley
Jr.
to
buy
the
Chicago
Cubs
from
Charles
P.
Taft
for
about
$500,000.[10]
Weeghman
immediately
moved
the
Cubs
from
the
dilapidated
West
Side
Grounds
to
his
two-year-old
park.
In
1918,
Wrigley
acquired
the
controlling
interest
in
the
club.[11]
In
November
1926,
he
renamed
the
park
"Wrigley
Field".[12]
In
1927,
an
upper
deck
was
added,
and
in
1937,
Bill
Veeck,
the
son
of
the
club
president,
planted
ivy
vines
against
the
outfield
walls.[11]
Renovation Edit
Main
article:
Wrigley
Field
renovations
The
Ricketts
family
aggressively
pursued
a
Wrigley
Field
renovation
since
buying
the
team
and
the
stadium
in
2009.
During
the
annual
Cubs
Convention
in
January
2013
the
family
revealed
the
1060
Project,
which
called
for
a
$575-million,
privately
funded
rehabilitation
of
the
stadium
that
was
to
be
completed
over
the
course
of
five
years.[13]
The
proposal
was
vast,
and
included
planned
improvements
to,
among
other
things,
the
stadium's
façade,
infrastructure,
restrooms,
concourses,
suites,
press
box,
moving
the
bullpens
and
clubhouses,
as
well
as
the
addition
of
restaurants,
patio
areas,
batting
tunnels,
a
5,700
square
foot
(530
m2)
jumbotron,
and
an
adjacent
hotel,
plaza,
and
office-retail
complex.[14]
After
months
of
negotiations
between
the
team,
local
Alderman
Tom
Tunney,
and
Chicago
Mayor
Rahm
Emanuel,
the
plan
obtained
the
endorsements
of
both
the
city's
Landmarks
Commission
and
Plan
Commission
before
receiving
final
approval
by
the
Chicago
City
Council
in
July
2013.
To
help
fund
the
project,
the
team
planned
to
more
than
double
the
amount
of
advertising
signage
in
and
around
the
stadium
to
about
51,000
square
feet
(4,700
m2),
including
additional
signage
to
be
placed
beyond
the
outfield
walls
–
a
move
that
was
opposed
by
many
owners
of
the
rooftop
clubs
that
surround
the
stadium
who
worried
that
such
signage
would
obstruct
their
sightlines.[15][16]
Before
work
on
the
project
began,
the
team
wanted
the
rooftop
owners
to
agree
not
to
pursue
legal
action
challenging
the
construction
and
continued
to
negotiate
privately
with
them
–
offering
to
reduce
the
size
and
number
of
signs
to
be
built
–
in
order
to
gain
their
assent.[17]
The
team
could
not
come
to
terms
with
the
rooftop
owners
who
had
a
lease
agreement
with
the
team
until
2023
in
exchange
for
paying
17%
of
the
gross
revenues.
In
May
2014
the
Cubs
announced
they
would
pursue
the
original
2013
plan
to
modify
the
park.[18]
Over
the
course
of
the
next
three
years,
the
Ricketts
family
began
to
purchase
many
of
the
rooftop
locations.
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