Comiskey Park was home
to the Chicago White Sox for 81 years and was the oldest ballpark in
use when it closed. The history of the White Sox dates back to the
late 1800s when the team played in Sioux City and St. Paul before
moving to Chicago and becoming a charter member of the American
League in 1901. Upon moving to Chicago, the White Sox played at
South Side Park a small wooden ballpark with a seating capacity of
15,000. They became very successful here winning the 1901 and 1906
American League pennants. Because of the team's success, owner
Charles Comiskey wanted a new modern ballpark for his team. Comiskey
commissioned architect Zachary Taylor Davis and pitcher Ed Walsh to
visit ballparks picking out the best features to use in a new
ballpark. During this time Comiskey purchased land three blocks from
South Side Park that was once used as the city landfill to construct
his ballpark on. It was originally to have a Romanesque design and
cantilever upper deck. However both of these ideas were scratched
because of costs. Construction on the ballpark began on February 15,
1910 and was named White Sox Park. A green cornerstone was laid on
St. Patrick’s Day and it was completed in just five months.
The Chicago White Sox
christened White Sox Park on July 1, 1910 when 32,000 fans filled
the ballpark. A two tier grandstand extended down both the base
lines and a single level of wooden bleachers were located behind the
outfield wall. From the outside, White Sox Park looked like a
factory with its red brick facade. White Sox Park was renamed
Comiskey Park later that year. Original dimensions at Comiskey Park
were 362 ft. (left & right) andthe wooden bleachers were removed and
replaced with double decked seats.
This renovation enclosed
the stadium increasing the capacity from 32,000 to 52,000.
Scoreboards were located on the left and right field out field
walls. Home plate at Comiskey Park was moved back and forth many
times during its existence, beginning in 1934 to increase the amount
of homeruns hit. The outfield fence, along with movable box seats
were also added and removed as homeplate was moved.
Night baseball arrived at
Comiskey Park on August 14, 1939. In 1947, the centerfield seats
were closed and the moveable seats were permanently installed,
decreasing the seating capacity to 44,492. Bill Veeck bought the
Chicago White Sox in 1959 making many changes to Comiskey Park.
Veeck
decided to paint the red brick facade white, put a picnic area in
left field and installed the first electric scoreboard behind the
centerfield bleachers. Veeck also installed an exploding scoreboard
in 1960 that had fireworks, aerial bombs and numerous sounds. The
White Sox were sold to the Allyn family in 1961. They renamed
Comiskey Park, White Sox Park and in 1969 AstroTurf was placed in
the infield to cut costs. Bill Veeck bought the club again in 1976
and immediately removed the AstroTurf.
Comiskey Park looked
basically the same until it closed. Veeck sold the team to Jerry
Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn in 1980. New plastic green seats
replaced the wooden seats, a new Diamond Vision video board, luxury
suites and improved front office facilities were installed. By the
1980s the team began discussing the possibility of building a new
stadium. Studies were conducted of renovating Comiskey Park but it
was determined that this would be to expensive. The White Sox faced
numerous obstacles in getting a new stadium built and made threats
of relocating if a new ballpark was not constructed. However, the
city of Chicago decided to build the team a new ballpark. Throughout
the 1990 season fans attending games at Comiskey Park could see the
new stadium rise above the old one. The White Sox played their last
game at Comiskey Park on September 30, 1990. In April 1991 the White
Sox moved into US Cellular Field. Several organizations tried to
save the original Comiskey Park to turn it into a park. However, the
entire stadium was demolished in 1991 and was turned into a parking
area.
FACTS & FIGURES
-Tenant:
Chicago White Sox
-Capacity:
32,000 (original), 52,000 (final)
-Surface:
Grass, Astroturf infield (1969-75)
-Cost:
$750,000
-Opened:
July 1, 1910
-Closed: September 30, 1990
-Demolished:
January 1991
-Dimensions:
362-L, 420-C, 365-R (original), 347-L, 407-C, 347-R
(final)
-Architect:
Osborn Engineering
Click to Enlarge Pictures
-
Some Pictures Courtesy: Frederick J. Nachman
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