The Chicago Cubs announced plans to build an exclusive club underneath the best seats in Wrigley Field.
The Chicago Tribune reports that fans with tickets will be able to access the American Airlines 1914 Club for upgraded food and beverages, comfortable indoor seating, and private bathrooms (but no views of the field, however).
Nearly 300 people have already reserved their spots on the club’s the priority list.
After the 2016 season ends, crews will tear up the seating sections behind home plate and in between the dugouts (the ballpark’s most expensive seats closest to the field). The shell of the club will be built below. To accommodate construction, the dugouts will be move further down the baselines, away from home plate.
The seating areas will be ready for the 2017 season, but construction on the club will continue throughout the year. It will open for the 2018 season.
The club is part of the larger 1060 Project, a project that began in 2014 that is transforming the century-old Wrigley into a ballpark with premium features, modern amenities, and a revenue-generating, fan-friendly surrounding mixed-use development. Earlier this year, the Cubs opened a new team clubhouse underneath an old parking lot on the west side of the park.
The American Airlines 1914 Club (named after its corporate advertiser and the year in which Wrigley opened) is the first of four "premier experiences" coming to the ballpark. Clubs will be built on the first base side, third base side, and in the upper level. Suites will also be renovated.
Related Stories
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
Esri’s interactive guide to 2014 World Cup Stadiums
California-based Esri, a supplier of GIS software, created a nifty interactive map that gives viewers a satellite perspective of Brazil’s many new stadiums.
| Jun 4, 2014
Construction team named for Atlanta Braves ballpark
A joint venture between Barton Malow, Brasfield & Gorrie, Mortenson Construction, and New South Construction will build the Atlanta Braves ballpark, which is scheduled to open in early 2017. Check out the latest renderings of the plan.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.
| May 22, 2014
Just two years after opening, $60 million high school stadium will close for repairs
The 18,000-seat Eagle Stadium in Allen, Texas, opened in 2012 to much fanfare. But cracks recently began to appear throughout the structure, causing to the school district to close the facility.
| May 20, 2014
Kinetic Architecture: New book explores innovations in active façades
The book, co-authored by Arup's Russell Fortmeyer, illustrates the various ways architects, consultants, and engineers approach energy and comfort by manipulating air, water, and light through the layers of passive and active building envelope systems.
| May 19, 2014
What can architects learn from nature’s 3.8 billion years of experience?
In a new report, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 partnered to study how lessons from the temperate broadleaf forest biome, which houses many of the world’s largest population centers, can inform the design of the built environment.
| May 16, 2014
Toyo Ito leads petition to scrap Zaha Hadid's 2020 Olympic Stadium project
Ito and other Japanese architects cite excessive costs, massive size, and the project's potentially negative impact on surrounding public spaces as reasons for nixing Hadid's plan.
| May 13, 2014
First look: Nadel's $1.5 billion Dalian, China, Sports Center
In addition to five major sports venues, the Dalian Sports Center includes a 30-story, 440-room, 5-star Kempinski full-service hotel and conference center and a 40,500-square-meter athletes’ training facility and office building.