The New Comiskey Park
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 and fans, however,
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-center field, 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.
