Wrigleyville

Go Cubs Go!

Today has been a very exciting day for me. We visited Wrigleyville and Lakeview. Today's tour guide was Larry Bennett, who is the author of last night's reading (Revamped stadium… new neighborhood?). Before anything, I would like to thank Larry for such a great tour around Wrigleyville and Lakeview.
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Our first stop was Wrigley Field (the Cub's Stadium). As we stood in front of the stadium, we had Larry telling us a bit of history behind the controversial stadium. Wrigley field is located in Lakeview. Before being part of Chicago, it used to be an Illinois Township (1889). During this time Lakeview was made up of middle class and the working class. Its population declined after WW11, and it’s now a very densely populated area. After this occurred, the middle class moved to the suburbs (again, a sign of gentrification). The good thing about having this stadium built was that the space was all vacant; no houses were destroyed in order to build this huge stadium.

The stadium opened in 1914. Later after being called a few different names, in the 1920s, the Chicago Cubs Franchise bought the "Cubs Park". This name has been the most memorable.
Later, in the mid 1920s, Wrigley (the gum company) bought the stadium, naming it after its company; Wrigley Field.

Later in the 1980s, Wrigley sold the stadium to the Chicago Tribune. After the Tribune took charge of the stadium, non-profiting institutions were needed in order to provide for the stadium's economic stability. Neighborhood institutions became dependent on the ball team such as bars, sports stores, restaurants, etc.


When we stare at the actual stadium, we see many different additions to the stadium and a lot of renovations. First of all, the upper stand was added in the 1920s. In the 1960s, the panels on the side of the stadium were also added. The bleachers were very limited, but there was a significant expansion in 2007.

In 1988 the addition of lights was the most controversial. As the reading mentions, this would produce disruptions to the quiet residents who want to sleep in peace during the night, the addition of lights meant nighttime games, before this there was only day time games. This addition of lights created so much controversy among the community and the Chicago Council. The people where afraid of change, noise, and the light that illuminated the area around Wrigley. In the end, the lights were added, it added night life around the area and even though it did disturb the neighbor boors, the lights benefited the stadium.

I agree that the lights will be bothersome for the residents. What I also began to think about was the risk of violence after the night games. Most people come to drink and once the game is over, they obviously go outside, creating chaos, disturbance to the people who are already asleep. On the other hand, this will benefit the community. The businesses around the area will make extra money and this will attract tourism. The roof tops have become very popular to the point of adding them around the buildings that surrounds the stadium. There rooftops look great, it gives this Lakeview area a special twist to the building's architecture. I believe Wrigleyville is a very special area in Chicago, its uniqueness makes it stand out, even though it causes a bit of chaos; nothing is ever perfect.
Once we hit Southport, we saw how gentrification has affected this area. A new Jewel Osco is being constructed, restaurants are along the street, houses look great and the area has a different view compared to Clark Street. Clark Street is just full of bars, sports stores and business that benefit from the fans.

Overall, the tour was great. I got to hear more about the history behind Wrigley Field.
After this was over, we went back to CURL to discuss today's experience.

Once at CURL, we began discussing about Wrigley Field's development over time.
What was the most interesting about this conversation was that it leads to a whole different topic. We began discussing about society and how it plays a major role in the behavior of the people and the obvious difference between races. I think this has been the best discussion we have had so far, and i hope it won’t be the last. I am very happy to see how my classmates and I have opened up a bit more and now we talk about anything.

Today has definitely been a great day!