Chicago--Wrigley Dome, a baseball-only, retractable-roof stadium, to be constructed on the present site of Wrigley Field on West Addison Street, will seat 35,000 fans. The controversial project, set to break ground in September, will require the demolition of the historic field and hundreds of neighboring homes. The organization feels diehard Cubs fans will come to love the sleek, artificial turf facility. "This is SkyDome mixed with a pinch of Veterans Stadium, a hint of Three Rivers Stadium, a dash of Riverfront Stadium, a splash of RFK Stadium, and a smattering of Metrodome. It's a super-baseball park created with elements from some of the sport's greatest venues of the past. Sure, we'll keep the ivy on the outfield wall, but it'll be artificial ivy. You know what I mean?" said one Cubs official. The rooftop bleachers will also survive: in the new Cubs Museum under section 214 as a permanent, virtual exhibit. The dome will take two years to complete, during which time the team will play all eighty-one home games at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Memorial Stadium--a football stadium to be (sort of) retrofitted for professional baseball.
No comments:
Post a Comment