After the Chicago City Council approved security upgrades to the Wrigley Field neighborhood, look for Major League Baseball to announce the award of a future All-Star Game to the Friendly Confines.
The council approved $32.1 in security upgrades, including the installation of bollards surrounding the ballpark, utility work, improved street lighting and a widening of Addison Street sidewalks by four feet. The use of bollards to heighten security at important building and facilities is a standard move these days; they’re designed to prevent unauthorized access by vehicles seeking to crash the gates or plow down game attendees.
The plan, as pushed by the Cubs, will cost the city $10 million, the state $12 million, and the Cubs $8 million plus any cost overruns. None of the changes will impact Wrigley Field proper. But they will be changes to a Wrigley Field neighborhood that’s dramatically changed in the last decade. While there are still stalwarts like Murphy’s Bleachers and the Cubby Bear near the ballpark, the local drinking scene is now dominated by trendy Gallagher Way watering holes like the Lucky Dorr. (Our advice: head a block down Sheffield and bang back a Malört infusion or two at the Nisei Lounge.) The local bar scene will make the Wrigley Field neighborhood an attractive destination for tens of thousands of ticketless fans during an All-Star Game and Home-Run Derby. Hence the security measures.
The improvements are expected to be the final piece in the push for the Cubs to host a future All-Star Game. Wrigley Field has not hosted an All-Star Game since 1990, but in recent years the Cubs have approached renovations with an eye toward an ASG hosting gig. Wrigley Field sits on a nine-acre footprint—up from the ballpark’s original 5.9-acre footprint when opening in 1914—which makes any renovations and upgrades a challenge. During the 1060 Project upgrades, which wrapped up in 2019, the Cubs unveiled plenty of new and improved spaces, including three new club spaces, enhanced outfield bleachers and more.
But even with all the fan upgrades involved with the 1060 Project, there were upgrades designed to make Wrigley Field an even more attractive venue for an All-Star Game. During a tour of the 1060 Project upgrades we saw some of the less public and less glamorous spaces at Wrigley Field. The upgrades included a new home clubhouse and an expansion of the visiting clubhouse. To say the renovated and expanded clubhouse was still a small and utilitarian space would be an understatement; certainly nothing compared to the likes of clubhouses in newer ballparks. But the renovation did add a kitchen, support spaces and more locker spaces to the mix—enough space to host 40 players, or an All-Star Game roster.
Atlanta’s Truist Field is slated to host the 2025 All-Star Game, while Citizens Bank Park is slated to host the 2026 All-Star Game on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Past that, the field is wide open—and with Wrigley Field not hosting an All-Star Game since 1990, it would seem the time is right for a return, rumored to be as soon as 2027. We expect an announcement from Atlanta in the near future.
RELATED STORIES: Wrigley Field 1060 Project Ends on a High Note