Bojanowski: How much of original Wrigley Field will be left after renovations?
From SABR member Mike Bojanowski at Bleed Cubbie Blue on December 5, 2015:
Some queries were posted last week concerning whether any of the original structure of Wrigley Field is now being exposed. It’s a fair question how much material from the 1914 ballpark remains at all.
The answer is: Not much, and only a minority of that stands where it was built. The last of the original 1914 structure is the supporting steel of the majority of the lower deck, some of the office space fronting the Clark/Addison corner, and the visitors clubhouse. And even here, only the structures along the first-base/right field side are in their original position. Nothing above the lower bowl roof, nothing in the outfield, and nothing immediately fronting the playing field, is original to 1914. The lower bowl seating concrete has all been replaced at least once, and in some places several times. The visitors clubhouse, more than a century old, is usually cited as the worst in baseball. If the renderings are correct, some existing original structure is going to be sacrificed in the name of progress as rebuilding continues. The following photos illustrate the original material that can now be more easily seen. You can click on any of the photos for a larger version in a new browser window or tab.
Read the full article here: http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2015/12/5/9851670/how-much-original-wrigley-field-after-renovations
Originally published: December 7, 2015. Last Updated: December 7, 2015.