U.S. Cellular Field

U.S. Cellular Field a.k.a. "The Cell" (formerly Comiskey Park II) is a 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. It hosted the MLB All-Star Game that same year. A few sportscasters, though, continue to use the former name, New Comiskey Park.

The stadium is situated in Chicago's Armour Square neighborhood ajacent to the Bridgeport neighborhood. It is at 35th Street and Shields Avenue. It was built in the parking lot of old Comiskey Park, which was torn down and became a parking lot for the current field. A few design features from the old park were retained. At the beginning of all games, after a White Sox player hits a home run, and after a White Sox victory, the "exploding scoreboard" lights up in color and fireworks explode in the sky. The Sox Shower, located in left-centerfield, is a place where fans can cool off during hot gamedays. To avoid obstructed viewing, the upper deck was set back over the lower deck. 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 was.

The stadium was the last built before the recent wave of new "retro" stadiums. In response to fan complaints, the stadium has undergone numerous renovations since its opening in order to retrofit the facility to current architectural trends. These new features have included building a multi-tiered concourse beyond center field, adjusting the field of play to create asymmetrical fences and, most significantly the removal of the most distant seats at the top of the upper deck, and the addition of a new roof.

The uppermost story of the park now has a white and black screen behind the top row of seats and is topped by a flat canopy roof supported by poles that obstruct the view of a few seats. To give the park a "retro" feel the roof has black steel truss supports. The original blue seats are also being replaced by forest green seats. The new green and black color scheme, upper level screen set back from the outer wall and canopy roof resembles the old Comiskey Park as well as other classic baseball stadiums. The White Sox have also added murals to the interior concourses, a prominent feature of the old stadium.

The stadium houses 84 luxury suites located on two levels, as well as thousands of "club seats" on 300-level mezzanine between the lower deck and upper deck. The club seats receive in-seat wait-staff and benefit from an enclosed concourse with multiple television viewing areas and bar-style concessions.

Renovations

In 2001, extensive renovations were started to make the park more 'fan-friendly', and less sterile:

Phase I (2001 season)

• Three rows of seats were added along the field between the dugouts and the foul poles.
• Bullpens were moved and replaced with additional bleachers.
• Distances to the outfield wall were changed, most noticeably down the foul lines, where the bullpens and the Bullpen Sports Bar are now located.
• Batter's eye in center field was redesigned.
• Restaurant was added in the outfield.

Phase II (2002 season)

• Old backstop with netted roof was replaced with a new "roofless" backstop which allows foul balls to drop into seats.
• Improvements were made to the main and club level concourses.
• Scoreboard and video boards were upgraded.

Phase III (2003 season)

• New center field video board and LED "ribbon" boards were added.
• Outfield/Upper Deck Concourse upgrades were made.
• Fan Deck in center field was added.
• Ballpark was painted and stained.
• A life size bronze statue of Charles Comiskey.
• Phase III renovations cost approximately $20 million.

Phase IV (2004 season)

• Upper Deck Seating Area - Eight rows and 6,600 seats were removed from the top of ballpark's upper deck.
• A flat roof, elevated 20 feet above the seating area, has replaced the old roof, covering all but eight rows of seating.
• Upper Deck Concourse was partially enclosed from the weather by a translucent wall.
• Fan Deck in center field upgraded to feature tiered seating and standing room.
• Lower Terrace balcony added to provide an additional party area and outdoor seating.
• A life sized bronze statue of Minnie Minoso.
• Phase IV renovations cost approximately $28 million.

Phase V (2005 season)

• 314-seat "Scout" seating area directly behind home plate added.
• FUNdamentals, an area for kids, was added above the left field concourse.
• Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the Club level, bleachers and some scattered areas around home plate.
• A life size bronze statue of Carlton Fisk.

Phase VI (2006 season)

• Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the entire Upper Deck and the Lower Deck between the dugouts.
• Enclosed, below ground restaurant was completed, providing food service to Scout Seats.
• Life size bronze statues of Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio placed on center feild concourse.

See also

• U.S. Cellular Arena - an indoor sports arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• U.S. Cellular Center - an indoor multipurpose arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• U.S. Cellular Coliseum - an indoor sports arena in Bloomington, Illinois.

External links

• Ballpark Digest Visit to U.S. Cellular Field
• Brief History of U.S. Cellular Field
• Official site at whitesox.com

Coordinates: 41°49′48.29″N, 87°38′2.57″W

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