U.S. Cellular Field
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| U.S. Cellular Field | |
| Missing image Uscell.jpg U.S. Cellular Field | |
| Facility Statistics | |
| Location | 333 West 35th Street Chicago, Illinois 60616 |
| Broke Ground | May 7, 1989 |
| Opened | April 18, 1991 |
| Surface | Bluegrass |
| Owner | Illinois Sports Facilities Authority |
| Construction Cost | $167 million USD $118 million USD (1997-1999 renovations) |
| Architect | HOK Sport |
| Former Names | |
| Comiskey Park | 1991-2002 |
| Tenants | |
| Chicago White Sox | 1991-present |
| Seating Capacity | |
| 1991 | 44,321 |
| 2001 | 45,936 |
| 2003 | 47,098 |
| 2004 | 40,615 |
| Dimensions | |
| Left Field | 347 ft / 106 m (1991), 330 ft / 100.5 m (2001) |
| Left-Center | 375 ft / 114 m |
| Center Field | 400 ft / 122 m |
| Right-Center | 375 ft / 114 m |
| Right Field | 347 ft / 106 m (1991), 335 ft / 102 m (2001) |
| Backstop | 60 ft / 18 m |
U.S. Cellular Field (formerly New Comiskey Park) is a Major League Baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at Comiskey Park. The new park, completed at a cost of $167 million, also opened with the Comiskey Park name, but became U.S. Cellular Field in 2003 after U.S. Cellular bought the naming rights at $68 million over 20 years. The move was widely derided by Chicagoans, and most White Sox fans still refer to the park as Comiskey. However, when it is referred to, it is typically given the nickname, "The Cell", a shortened version of "Cellular".
The stadium is in the Armour Square neighborhood of the city, at 35th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway, just east of the Bridgeport neighborhood. It was built in the parking lot of old Comiskey Park, which was torn down and became a parking lot for the current field. Few design features were retained except for the "exploding scoreboard", which lights up in color when a White Sox player hits a home run. The lowest row of seats in the upper deck at the new stadium is actually farther from the field than the highest row of seats in the upper deck at the old stadium.
The stadium was the last built before the recent wave of new 'retro' stadiums. The stadium has undergone numerous renovations since its opening in order to retrofit it to the current architectural trends. This has included building a multi-tiered concourse beyond center field, adjusting the field of play to create asymmetrical fences and the removal of the most distant seats at the top of the upper deck, topped by a roof supported by poles that obstruct the view of a few seats.
The stadium contains 84 luxury suites located on two levels, as well as thousands of club seats on a mezzanine between the lower deck and upper deck. There is also a fan deck in the bleachers where you can find your pitching speed and cool off under a fountain.
External link
- Page at Buy Sell Tix (http://www.buyselltix.com/mlb/stadium/whitesoxStadium.php)