Wrigley Renovations and Related Wrigleyville Stuff

[WrigleyField 22]

Come join 998 other fans for our watch party! Limited tickets, buy them now!

[mul21]

Come join 998 other fans for our watch party! Limited tickets, buy them now!

 

Yeah, that was my thought until I saw the noise ordinance piece. That's probably going to be an issue for a playoff watch party, even with restricting it to under 1,000.

[David]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-wrigley-field-suites-20160719-story.html

 

I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that these won't end up being available to regular lowly STH, as the original plans seemed to suggest.

[jersey cubs fan]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-wrigley-field-suites-20160719-story.html

 

I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that these won't end up being available to regular lowly STH, as the original plans seemed to suggest.

The original plans didn't suggest that the premier club would be open to everybody. There was always going to be a sclusy section so they could justify the price.

[David]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-wrigley-field-suites-20160719-story.html

 

I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that these won't end up being available to regular lowly STH, as the original plans seemed to suggest.

The original plans didn't suggest that the premier club would be open to everybody. There was always going to be a sclusy section so they could justify the price.

 

The plans suggested they would be open to season ticket holders. I never said everybody.

 

This is a way bigger thing. From what I can tell, they're basically taking the highest tier tickets right now, making them a new tier that includes access to these clubs, and creating a new wait list for those in which the existing holders of seats in those areas have priority.

[jersey cubs fan]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-wrigley-field-suites-20160719-story.html

 

I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that these won't end up being available to regular lowly STH, as the original plans seemed to suggest.

The original plans didn't suggest that the premier club would be open to everybody. There was always going to be a sclusy section so they could justify the price.

 

The plans suggested they would be open to season ticket holders. I never said everybody.

 

This is a way bigger thing. From what I can tell, they're basically taking the highest tier tickets right now, making them a new tier that includes access to these clubs, and creating a new wait list for those in which the existing holders of seats in those areas have priority.

Yes, for this specific club.

 

There are other clubs to come in the future which are almost certainly the ones that will be open to other season ticket holders, like every other ballpark.

FUTURE PREMIER EXPERIENCES

The introduction of the American Airlines 1914 Club in 2018 is just the beginning. As part of the 1060 Project, we're planning three additional premier clubs and exciting renovations to our Wrigley Field suites.

[CubsWin]

OT, but I'm surprised the Cubs didn't redo their dugouts in anyway during the buildout of their new clubhouse. I figure the exterior look of them would need to be the same due to historical landmark regulations but they could at least lower the floor so players don't have to duck when they enter from the field or hit their heads when standing up from the bench. I'm 6'3" and sat in the dugout a couple years back for a charity event, and there's not a lot of room in there.

 

Has anyone heard of renovation plans for the dugouts?

[J.R.]

supposed to be torn up this winter. they were built in the '78-'79 offseason.

 

OT, but I'm surprised the Cubs didn't redo their dugouts in anyway during the buildout of their new clubhouse. I figure the exterior look of them would need to be the same due to historical landmark regulations but they could at least lower the floor so players don't have to duck when they enter from the field or hit their heads when standing up from the bench. I'm 6'3" and sat in the dugout a couple years back for a charity event, and there's not a lot of room in there.

 

Has anyone heard of renovation plans for the dugouts?

[CubsWin]

supposed to be torn up this winter. they were built in the '78-'79 offseason.

 

OT, but I'm surprised the Cubs didn't redo their dugouts in anyway during the buildout of their new clubhouse. I figure the exterior look of them would need to be the same due to historical landmark regulations but they could at least lower the floor so players don't have to duck when they enter from the field or hit their heads when standing up from the bench. I'm 6'3" and sat in the dugout a couple years back for a charity event, and there's not a lot of room in there.

 

Has anyone heard of renovation plans for the dugouts?

That's good. Has anyone seen a rendering of what the new ones will look like? Are there any?

[David]

so the new hotel is going to be called Hotel Zachary...after the architect who designed Wrigley.

 

Nice enough idea, I guess, but nobody is going to have any clue what that's about.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/ct-wrigley-field-hotel-zachary-travel-0914-20160913-story.html

 

The hotel's moniker is meant to honor Wrigley Field architect Zachary Taylor Davis, but more importantly reflects an effort to embrace the greater Lakeview neighborhood, rather than just the hotel's iconic neighbor.

 

"Our customers are not just Cubs fans," said Eric Nordness, vice president of Hickory Street Capital, the real estate development group behind the project. Like the Cubs, Hickory Street is owned by the Ricketts family.

 

"There are 81 home games, plus playoffs, but we need to be (open) 365 days a year," Nordness said.

 

So forget stuffed chairs in the lobby meant to look like baseballs or historic photos of Wrigley Field lining the walls. Instead, Nordness described "a full service, four-star hotel experience" that will include restaurants from four well-known Chicago groups: One Off Hospitality (Blackbird, The Publican), 4 Star Restaurant Group (Dunlays, Smoke Daddy), Folkart Restaurant Management (Yusho, A10) and The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group (Steadfast, Roots Handmade Pizza).

 

The Fifty/50 group will open a third West Town Bakery at Hotel Zachary, and Folkart will launch a two-story restaurant and cocktail bar similar to the group's Billy Sunday in Logan Square. Details about the other two projects will be released during the coming weeks, Nordness said. The restaurants will each be two stories and have a Clark Street entrance, except West Town Bakery, which will be housed only on the building's first floor.

 

The seven-story, 238,000-square-foot project will also feature a McDonald's, a Wintrust bank and two more high-profile restaurants: one at the corner of Clark and Addison streets and one on the building's seventh floor. Those restaurants, which will also be operated by local groups, will be announced in 2017.

 

"We really wanted this to be highly local," Nordness said. "It was very important for us to make this connection to the community."

 

Long on cavernous sports bars, Wrigleyville has traditionally been a tough place to get the sort of unique food and beverage options that can be found in many other neighborhoods. Nordness said Hickory Street and the Ricketts family are invested in bringing a more distinctly neighborhood feel to the area, with an emphasis on food.

 

"We want to engage neighbors, residents and tourists to spend time there," he said. "If you're a neighbor, you'll feel comfortable coming over and having brunch."

 

That's much of the reason that Hickory Street chose not to adorn Hotel Zachary with a sports motif.

 

"This is not a baseball brand," he said.

 

Nordness said Hickory Street spent six months wading through dozens of names with Schafer Condon Carter, a West Loop ad agency, before settling on Hotel Zachary.

 

"We wanted to connect to Wrigley Field in a thoughtful, thoughtful way," he said. "We were very sensitive to finding something that would stand the test of time."

 

Presuming that there will be ample demand when the Cubs are in town, the goal, Nordness said, was to come up with a hotel and restaurants that would also appeal to nonbaseball fans and tourists who don't want to stay downtown.

 

Nordness said room rates will be consistent with other boutique hotels in the city, such as Thompson, Public, The Wit and London House. Hotel Zachary, which will be part of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts franchise and operated by Atlanta-based Davidson Hotels & Resorts, is expected to open in time for Opening Day 2018.

 

Hotel reception and 1,500 square feet of meeting space will be on the second floor, Nordness said. The 175 guest rooms will be on floors three through six. A previously announced plan to have a Chicago Athletic Clubs outpost on the property has been scrapped.

 

http://www.trbimg.com/img-57d8733d/turbine/ct-tlh-hotel-zachary-rendering-cubs-jpg-20160913/1550/1550x872

 

http://www.trbimg.com/img-57d8733d/turbine/ct-tlh-hotel-zachary-rendering-2-jpg-20160913/750/1550x872

[Liam Neeson]

Looks nice but all I can think of is where are all the hotel guests going to park?

[David]

Looks nice but all I can think of is where are all the hotel guests going to park?

 

originally, i believe the plan was to have underground parking in the hotel. not sure if that has changed, but there's also a bunch of parking spots that are part of the (unrelated to the Cubs) addison park on clark project

[jersey cubs fan]

Looks nice but all I can think of is where are all the hotel guests going to park?

I would assume the expectation is for relatively few guests to arrive via their own car that needs to be parked, like a lot of city-based hotels.

[WrigleyField 22]

Looks nice but all I can think of is where are all the hotel guests going to park?

At the airport of their hometown.

[David]

Looks nice but all I can think of is where are all the hotel guests going to park?

I would assume the expectation is for relatively few guests to arrive via their own car that needs to be parked, like a lot of city-based hotels.

 

this too. whatever parking there is will be insanely pricey, i'm sure.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Looks nice but all I can think of is where are all the hotel guests going to park?

they're not. the valet will.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

Sorry for probably asking a question I should know the answer to................are the Cubs going to make money off the hotel or is that a totally separate property they have nothing to do with?

[David]

Sorry for probably asking a question I should know the answer to................are the Cubs going to make money off the hotel or is that a totally separate property they have nothing to do with?

 

It'll be owned by the Ricketts family.

[jersey cubs fan]

Sorry for probably asking a question I should know the answer to................are the Cubs going to make money off the hotel or is that a totally separate property they have nothing to do with?

 

It'll be owned by the Ricketts family.

which also means the cubs won't have anything to do with it.

[David]

Sorry for probably asking a question I should know the answer to................are the Cubs going to make money off the hotel or is that a totally separate property they have nothing to do with?

 

It'll be owned by the Ricketts family.

which also means the cubs won't have anything to do with it.

 

i believe kenney has stated at one point or another that the money will be put back into the team, but that since it's a separate entity, it won't have to go through the revenue sharing stuff and maybe whatever the covenant restrictions were with the debt obligations? i could totally be pulling out of my ass and i'm definitely speaking out of turn, as i have no idea about any of that stuff...just a vague recollection of what was said.

 

i think kenney said the same about the ricketts owned rooftops.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

It'll be owned by the Ricketts family.

which also means the cubs won't have anything to do with it.

 

i believe kenney has stated at one point or another that the money will be put back into the team, but that since it's a separate entity, it won't have to go through the revenue sharing stuff and maybe whatever the covenant restrictions were with the debt obligations? i could totally be pulling out of my ass and i'm definitely speaking out of turn, as i have no idea about any of that stuff...just a vague recollection of what was said.

 

i think kenney said the same about the ricketts owned rooftops.

I would not be surprised if he said that. I would be surprised if it happened. The rooftops are essentially another section of seating and that probably is the case. But the hotel is going to need to function as its own entity and nobody should expect payroll to rise based on the success of that business.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

which also means the cubs won't have anything to do with it.

 

i believe kenney has stated at one point or another that the money will be put back into the team, but that since it's a separate entity, it won't have to go through the revenue sharing stuff and maybe whatever the covenant restrictions were with the debt obligations? i could totally be pulling out of my ass and i'm definitely speaking out of turn, as i have no idea about any of that stuff...just a vague recollection of what was said.

 

i think kenney said the same about the ricketts owned rooftops.

I would not be surprised if he said that. I would be surprised if it happened. The rooftops are essentially another section of seating and that probably is the case. But the hotel is going to need to function as its own entity and nobody should expect payroll to rise based on the success of that business.

 

Agreed, I haven't read a bunch of stuff on the hotel but I've never considered it as something that would be funneling to the Cubs directly.

[Sammy Sofa]

It'll be just out of reach, like those tantalizing bison sausage dollars.

[Sammy Sofa]

Meanwhile Tom just wants a half-eaten sausage he can roast on a stick over a barrel-fire.

[UMFan83]

It begins