As you may know, renovating Wrigley Field is a hot topic in Chicago these days. While Cubs ownership sees improvements to the 99-year-old ballpark as a necessary means of keeping the team and stadium financially viable, some locals, most notably owners of adjacent rooftop seating, have bristled at the proposal.
The back-and-forth has actually gotten a little nasty. Some local rooftop operators are threatening legal action should the Cubs go forth with renovations, while owner Tom Ricketts has threatened to move the team to the suburbs should the improvements not be allowed. A less vocal faction just thinks the proposed changes — which include a large video board — would ruin Wrigley Field’s cathedral atmosphere.
Well, at least now we have some idea what such renovations might look like.
In what was an odd sight on Sheffield and Waveland Avenues, the Cubs erected several mockups of the proposed renovations, including the video board and additional advertising signage. The mock-ups were created with cranes and tarps as pseudo place-holders where the genuine articles will eventually be erected.
The Cubs say that sightlines are affected exactly the way they envisioned, while some have noted that at least some rooftop seating in left field appears to be blocked. Check out some images of the mock-ups below.
Photos via Twitter/@TheWrigleyBlog
