For the Chicago Cubs, next year is here, at least in the literal sense. They play the Cincinnati Reds on Monday for their home opener, the first game at Wrigley Field in a promising 2016 season.
The game also marks the progression of the 1060 Project. Wrigley is in the process of modernization, and the latest update is that the Cubs’ new clubhouse is ready and the legendary marquee sign has been installed out front.
Wrigley’s old clubhouse, one of the worst in the majors, was 11,000 sf, a size that was acceptable generations ago but woefully small compared to the high tech, posh living rooms around the league. According to the Chicago Tribune, the new clubhouse is 30,000 sf. The space accommodates a larger locker room, a strength and conditioning center, training rooms, offices, and a lounge. The circular locker room has wood-paneled stalls centered around a central meeting area.
Home sweet(er) home! #LetsGohttps://t.co/A4qZxRGcZN
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 11, 2016
To find the space, the clubhouse was moved from the area underneath the seats behind the dugout to under an old parking lot on the west side of the ballpark. The old locker room will be turned into a batting cage. An open-air plaza will be built above the clubhouse.
Additionally, the signature red Wrigley Field marquee has been re-installed outside of the main entrance. EarthCam produced a time-lapsed video of crews putting it back together.
The Cubs are nowhere near done with the Wrigley overhaul. New clubs, decks, and outdoor concourses are being constructed, and a new umpire dressing room, visitors’ clubhouse, and press box are all in the works.
An outside development, including a six-story office building, 172-room hotel, open air plaza, and a bunch of commercial development spaces (restaurants, retail shops, an ice rink) will be built over the next few years.
The renovations started last year, when the Cubs revamped their outfield bleachers and erected two massive video boards.
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