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
| Aug 26, 2013
Chicago Bears kick off season at renovated Halas Hall
An upgraded locker room, expanded weight room, and updated dining room with an outdoor patio greeted the Chicago Bears when they arrived at Halas Hall for practice this month. The improvements are part of a major expansion and renovation of the Bears’ headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., completed by Mortenson Construction in less than seven months.
| Aug 22, 2013
Sports Facility Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest sports facility design and construction firms, as reported in the 2013 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 20, 2013
First look: $550 million Billie Jean King National Tennis Center renovation
The United States Tennis Association has announced its plans for a sweeping transformation of the USTABillie Jean King National Tennis Center that will include the construction of two new stadiums, as well as a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium. The transformation will be implemented in three phases to begin at the conclusion of the 2013 US Open, with the goal of overall completion by the 2018 US Open.
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Aug 13, 2013
USGBC joins forces with Green Sports Alliance to promote sustainable venues
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has announced a collaboration with the Green Sports Alliance, a prominent nonprofit organization supporting the development and promotion of green building initiatives in professional and collegiate sports.
| Jul 29, 2013
2013 Giants 300 Report
The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 3, 2013
World's biggest freestanding building opens in China
Measuring a stout 100 meters high, 500 meters long, and 400 meters wide, the New Century Global Centre in the Tianfu New District of Chengdu, China, is officially the world's largest freestanding building.
| Jul 3, 2013
Mall of America will double in size after $2.5 billion expansion
The nation's largest indoor mall will undergo a $2.5 billion, 10-year expansion project that will add attractions like an NHL-sized skating rink and an indoor water park.
