The Restoration of Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field is a historic baseball landmark and beloved by many throughout America. Wrigley field, the second oldest field (Fenway Park in Boston is the oldest) has seen more games played than any other field in America. For those that love the game of baseball and enjoy reading about the nuances of each ballpark, Smithsonian Magazine offers an interesting article regarding its recent restoration.

For many years, Wrigley Field was neglected and needed an overhaul. With so many games being played, concerts taking place and other events, the field itself was in disrepair. Wrigley Field needed a complete overhaul and who best to tackle the job than Roger Bossards (AKA the Sodfather).

Roger Bossards has meticulously restored this great field and Smithsonian Magazine was there to record this historic event. Find out just what is necessary to remove an entire field and start from scratch. It should also be noted that many new technological innovations were used to ensure that the field stay in excellent condition for the many years to come. For baseball fans around the world interested in seeing how a world class field Wrigley Field
is fully restored, please visit our main website to read this interesting article at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

Quincy Jones, Wrigley Field, Glacier National Park, Phantom of the Opera

The Reconstruction of Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field is known as one of Americas Greatest ball parks. With a history that goes back to the beginning of the 1900’s and being the second oldest (Fenway in Boston being the oldest in America), Wrigley Field has held a special place in all baseball fan’s hearts. While this field has always bucked the trends (finally installing lighting for night games in 1988), its field has seen years of neglect and heavy use. Fortunately, Wrigley Field is now getting a well deserved restoration and Smithsonian Magazine was there to document this important makeover.

Wrigley Field after years of neglect, games and concerts is finally getting a full restoration by the best in the business- third generation grounds keeper Roger Bossards (AKA the Sodfather). Go inside this incredible restoration process to see exactly how a world class ball park is restored. Besides just the turf being replaced, a new designed drainage system has also been put in place.

Smithsonian Magazine offers this insightful article about Wrigley Field for sports fans around the world. For those that love the game and this historic field, this article shouldn’t be missed. You can read it today by visiting Smithsonian Magazine’s website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

Quincy Jones, Glacier National Park, Wrigley Field

Wrigley Field: A Rich Tradition in Baseball

Wrigley Field is a Chicago --and an American-- landmark. Constructed in 1914 for what would today be considered a “measly” $250,000, the field is one of the oldest ballparks in baseball history.  And, funnily enough, it wasn’t always called Wrigley Field.  When the ballpark was built, it was owned by ten shareholders, who also owned the team… and it stayed that way for about ten years.  Then, in 1926, the ballpark was sold to the owner of Wrigley’s Chewing Gum, William Wrigley Jr., and renamed Wrigley field.

In addition to being one of the first ballparks named for a business (though that’s the norm now, of course-- think Staples Center and Philips Arena), Wrigley Field had a lot of “firsts” in the sports industry. Wrigley Field was the first field to give fans official permission to keep the foul ball that players hit into the audience… an experience that would soon become a baseball classic.  It was also the first ballpark to build a permanent concession stand.

Wrigley Field has played host to more ball games than any other field in baseball history. And everything about Wrigley Field celebrates the classic baseball experience; it’s one of the most traditional venues in baseball.  Most of the stadium is free from the flashing, buy-buy-buy advertisements that plague other ballparks.  The stands and the scoreboard hail from 1937, and are operated manually to this very day.  And until recently, the park maintained exactly the same landscaping built in the 1930’s by Bill Veek, who was also responsible for building the scoreboard and bleachers at Wrigley Field.

However, damages to Wrigley Field over the last decades have forced the managers of the ballpark to make some changes.  They recently renovated the whole field, and while it still looks like the Wrigley Field we all know and love on top, many things have changed underneath.  The new grounds designer, ballpark genius Roger Bossard, renovated everything from the turf to the drainage to the dugouts. 

Wrigley Field is a baseball history landmark, and deserves to be cared for and preserved. After all, a lot of the most historic moments in baseball history have taken place there… making Wrigley Field a sort of temple to the sport.  Babe Ruth’s famous “called shot” of the 1932 World Series took place at the park, as did Ernie Banks’s 500th homerun in 1970, and, more recently, Sammy Sosa’s most famous homeruns in the late 1990’s and in the year 2001.

To learn more about Wrigley Field, including Roger Bossard’s incredible renovations, visit the Smithsonian Magazine website at the following link:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com

Cheetah facts, Quincy Jones, Wrigley Field, Black Holes

The Renovation of Wrigley Field

Baseball, our national pastime is filled with great legends of the game, a long history of tough teams and the great ballparks that showcased our love of the game. One ballpark that will always be held in high regard is Wrigley Field. The second oldest field, only to Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field has housed the cubs for almost a century. While this field has seen many of the greats play, the field itself was forced to undergo a renovation recently.

After years of playing ball, hosting events and concerts, the field must undergo a comprehensive renovation. So what kind of renovation is required for this world class ballpark. Well, first off, the field itself must be evened out and the crown must be eliminated. The crown, a prevalent feature at Wrigley Field makes it seem as if the players appeared to float a few inches off the ground. Using bulldozers and backhoes, these features were fixed. In order to fix the crown, It entailed removing 9,000 tons of dirt from the field.

Next the turf at Wrigley Field was replaced, however not before a state of the art drainage system was put in place. This included gravel and a well engineered plan of pipes underneath the dirt. To learn more about the fascinating process of renovating Wrigley Field, please visit Smithsonian Magazine today at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/

Cleopatra, Parthenon, Wrigley Field, Daredevil, Black Holes

The Renovation of Wrigley Field

Baseball, our national pastime is filled with great legends of the game, a long history of tough teams and the great ballparks that showcased our love of the game.  One ballpark that will always be held in high regard is Wrigley Field.  The second oldest field, only to Fenway Park in Boston, Wrigley Field has housed the cubs for almost a century.  While this field has seen many of the greats play, the field itself was forced to undergo a renovation recently.

After years of playing ball, hosting events and concerts, the field must undergo a comprehensive renovation.  So what kind of renovation is required for this world class ballpark.  Well, first off, the field itself must be evened out and the crown must be eliminated.  The crown, a prevalent feature at Wrigley Field makes it seem as if the players appeared to float a few inches off the ground.  Using bulldozers and backhoes, these features were fixed.  In order to fix the crown, It entailed removing 9,000 tons of dirt from the field.

Next the turf at Wrigley Field was replaced, however not before a state of the art drainage system was put in place.  This included gravel and a well engineered plan of pipes underneath the dirt.  To learn more about the fascinating process of renovating Wrigley Field, please visit Smithsonian Magazine today at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com

Cleopatra, Parthenon, Wrigley Field, Daredevil, Black Holes