Comiskey Park, U.S. Cellular Field & Guaranteed Rate Field – Home of The Chicago White Sox
Comiskey Park may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Chicago, but it’s rich history makes it a proud landmark not to be missed. The city of Chicago is known for its pizza, its wind-whipped streets, and its sports teams. In fact, the Windy City proudly boasts not one, but two major league baseball teams: The Chicago Cubs and the White Sox. A beautiful park first built as New Comiskey Park, Guaranteed Rate Field, is the home field of the White Sox, a baseball team playing in the American League. Just one of the great Chicago sports arenas, just as The United Center is the home of 2 Chicago teams- the Chicago Bull and the Chicago Blackhawks.
The White Sox Legacy
Founded as a baseball team in 1900, The Sox was originally named the Chicago White Stockings. Their iconic logo, featuring the word Sox in black Roman lettering, debuted on uniforms in 1912. The team has the distinction of being the first to print the names of each player on his jersey. The franchise is known for its black, silver, and white uniforms. Southpaw, the team’s child-friendly mascot is a “green dude” who sports the team’s signature stripes. Several songs have been associated with the baseball team over the years, becoming the unofficial ‘battle cries’ of the team. The first, Let’s Go Go Go White Sox, was written by Captain Stubby and The Buccaneers. The second, Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, by Steam, became a stadium anthem after it was played by the team’s organist, Nancy Faust as a reaction to a rival team’s pitcher being pulled during a pennant race. The third, Sweet Home Chicago, sung by The Blues Brothers, is traditionally played after every White Sox victory.
A New Name for Comiskey Park
The club was purchased by Charles Comiskey, an ex-ball player, and moved after the 1894 season to St. Paul, MN. The team moved to Chicago in 1900, and they were named the White Stockings. They played in what was called the South Side Park with 15,000 seats. Here the club won the American League pennants in 1901 and 1906. Thanks to the success of the team, owner Charles Comiskey wanted his team to have a new modern ballpark. Comiskey has asked architect Zachary Taylor Davis and pitcher Ed Walsh to visit national ballparks to find all the features they need in a new ball park. During that period, Comiskey bought a 14-acre piece of land from the South Side Park, three blocks from which the City Deposit used to build a ball park. Built on 15 February 1910, the White Sox Park was named. On St. Patrick’s Day a green cornerstone was laid and completed in only 5 months. White Sox Park was renamed Comiskey Park not long after its opening.
The only expansion at Comiskey Park was completed in 1927. In 1959 Bill Veeck, legendary owner, bought the white sox and made numerous changes to Comiskey Park. The red brick façade is painted white, the center field is equipped with a picnic area and in 1960 the famous “exploding scoreboard” of the ballpark was installed. The $300,000 scoreboard shoots fireworks and ariel bombs with numerous sound effects. The team was sold in 1961 and the park was renamed White Sox Park in 1969. Astroturf was installed in the infield for $100,000 by the new owners, the Allyn family. Bill Veeck bought the White Sox again seven years later to save the team from the potential relocation to Seattle. In addition to removing the Astroturf Infield, Veeck spent $750,000 upgrades to Comiskey Park to the grass.
The New Comiskey Park was built right across the street from the original park. Fans at the Comiskey Park were able to see the new stadium rise above the old stadium throughout the 1990 season. The Chicago White Sox played its last match at Comiskey Park on September 30th 1990. They moved to the new Comiskey Park the following season. The new Comiskey Park officially opened in 199.
U.S Cellular Field
Comiskey Park was renamed to the U.S. Cellular Field in January 2003, after the wireless company, U.S. Cellular, bought the naming rights for $68 million over 20 years. The U.S. Cellular Field underwent a five-phase renovation and additions over multiple seasons. The relocation of the bullpen areas, the addition of about 4.000 new seats and the refurbishment of the 16.500-square-foot, three-tier Fundamental Deck were also significant updates.
The Fundamental Deck is intended for the smallest fans of White Sox. The deck offers children an opportunity to learn the basics of baseball during a White Sox game from the Bulls/Sox Academy coaches. The Fundamentals Deck is located above the left field and features a young ball diamond for trainings, batting and pitching cages, batting ‘swing’ boxes for correct batting techniques and basic running areas as well as skills coaching.
Guaranteed Rate Field
Located in the heart of Chicago’s south side, Guaranteed Rate Field was officially named on October 31, 2016. Guaranteed Rate Field sits west of the DR Expressway at 333 West 35th Street, directly across the street from the original Comiskey Park. The original Comiskey Park is now the site of a parking structure for the venue. The state-of-the-art facility lies within the Armour Square neighborhood. At full capacity, Guaranteed Rate Field can hold a whopping 40,615 fans with tickets available at a variety of price points. There are 103 High-end luxury suites that span two levels of the stadium. An impressive 1,822 club seats are spread across the 300 level mezzanine, an area found in the space between the lower and upper deck that has in-seat wait staff. Seats in the Lower Box area fetch a premium of $300 per ticket. Tickets in the Upper Corners, however, can be reserved for as low as $55 a seat.
Transportation to Guaranteed Rate Field
Locals recommend taking the L Rapid Transit System, commonly referred to as simply ‘the el’ to Chicago White Sox games, where camaraderie is high and fans gather to share in the evening’s excitement. Guaranteed Rate Field is accessible by public transit via Green Line, Rock Island District, and the neighborhood’s Red Line. Alternatively, the park can be accessed by car. Eight main parking lots flank the streets surrounding the field, all with reasonably-priced parking spaces.
Driving Directions
Guaranteed Rate Field
333 W 35th St, Chicago, IL 60616
Sources:
Capone, Nicole. “White Sox: Brief History of Team’s Home Ballparks.” Fan Sided, 2018, southsideshowdown.com/2018/03/28/home-field-history.
“Comiskey Park.” Ball Parks of Baseball, www.ballparksofbaseball.com/ballparks/comiskey-park. Accessed 16 Dec. 2020.
“IFG – US Cellular Field”. www.ifgroup.cc. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
“White Sox to install 3 new video boards for 2016 season”. Chicago Tribune. October 2, 2015.