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White Sox Armour Field - What Could Have Been
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vandiver49 Offline
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Post: #1
White Sox Armour Field - What Could Have Been
Although written at the start of baseball season, I just recently found this article which talks about the park the Southsiders could have had instead of Cominsky II.

While it is verboten to say, I firmly believe the following: Both Wrigley Field and Fenway Parks are DUMPS. I get venerating the playing surface and the associated history, but acting as if the grandstands are architectural marvels is baffling to me. They were never intended to last longer than 20 years and are in violation of several modern building codes. I guess don't get the appeal of falling concrete, cramped seats, the smell of 100 year old piss and claustrophobia.

All that said what I did find insightful was the part about the intimacy lacking in most modern parks and how it is due to the elimination of obstructed view columns. Their removal reduced the amount of overhang from the upper deck, forcing that part of the stadium further away from the field. If the goal is to bring fans closer then I would suggest eliminating some of the lower bowl rows and move some of the seating from out behind the foul lines. Also fewer decks in total along with one level of suites like PNC Park would also help.

As a resident of a metro area that just replaced 20 year old football and baseball stadiums, I thought this was an interesting piece on the intricacies of stadium design and the associated politics.
09-04-2018 02:14 AM
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Love and Honor Offline
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Post: #2
RE: White Sox Armour Field - What Could Have Been
The whole stadium thing is a missed opportunity more than anything else, there could've been something really special with Armour Field but Reinsdorf had to have his gaudy palace. With housing getting so pricey in the city a neighborhood like that would be pretty popular today, but alas it was not to be.

Interestingly enough there was also a proposal to build a football and baseball stadium in the West Loop with a shared retractable roof, the latter of which was basically a modern clone of the old Comiskey. That'd be a great location too with how that area has come along, plus the they could've expanded their fan base to the west side of the city (especially with the World Series win). I'm guessing even back in 1985 the land and construction costs were too much to stomach.

http://www.stadiumpage.com/concepts/85Ch...mes_R.html

Even as a Cardinals fan I love Wrigley, but that's more because baseball depends on the aesthetics of the venue and neighborhood more than any other sport. Seeing a game at the Kingdome would be pretty dreary even during a Mariners playoff game, but the nature of football would make a Seahawks game less awful to sit through. Conversely, a stadium like Lambeau Field is pretty cool but doesn't compare to Fenway because the venue isn't as integrated into the game. Plus the recent Wrigley renovations have really cleaned up the place.
09-04-2018 09:02 PM
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