Guaranteed Rate Field
Guaranteed Rate Field is a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois. It is the home field of the Major League Baseball team called the Chicago White Sox. It opened in 1991, replacing historic Comiskey Park. Before U.S. Cellular, a wireless telephone carrier, bought naming rights in 2003, with the stadium then being renamed U.S. Cellular Field, the ballpark was known as "New Comiskey Park" or just "Comiskey Park", in honor of the old park.
| (New) Comiskey Park "The Arrow" "The G-Spot" | |
 Guaranteed Rate Field (then U.S. Cellular Field) on Opening Day 2014 | |
| Former names | Comiskey Park (II) (1991–2003) U.S. Cellular Field (2003–2016) |
|---|---|
| Location | 333 West 35th Street Chicago, Illinois 60616 |
| Coordinates | 41°49′48″N 87°38′2″W / 41.83000°N 87.63389°WCoordinates: 41°49′48″N 87°38′2″W / 41.83000°N 87.63389°W |
| Public transit | Sox–35th (CTA station) 35th–Bronzeville–IIT (CTA station) |
| Owner | Illinois Sports Facilities Authority |
| Operator | Chicago White Sox Ltd. |
| Capacity | 40,615 (2004–present) 47,098 (2003) 45,936 (2001–2002) 44,321 (1991–2000) |
| Record attendance | 47,609 July 15, 2003 74th All-Star Game White Sox game: 46,246 October 5, 1993 Game 1 of the 1993 ALCS Post-renovations: 41,432 October 23, 2005 Game 2 of the 2005 World Series |
| Field size | (2001–present) Left Field – 330 feet (101 m) Left-Center – 375 feet (114 m) (Not Posted) Center Field – 400 feet (122 m) Right-Center – 375 feet (114 m) (Not Posted) Right Field – 335 feet (102 m) Backstop – 60 feet (18 m) Outfield Wall Height – 8 feet (2 m) (1991–2000) Left Field – 347 feet (106 m) Left-Center – 375 feet (114 m) Center Field – 400 feet (122 m) Right-Center – 375 feet (114 m) Right Field – 347 feet (106 m) Backstop – 60 feet (18 m) Outfield Wall Height – 8 feet (2 m) |
| Surface | Bluegrass |
| Scoreboard | Center Field full-color, high resolution video board 28 feet (8.5 m) x 53 feet (16 m) (2003–present) Right Field LED Display out-of-town scoreboard 23 feet (7.0 m) x 68 feet (21 m) (2009–present) Left Field matrix board (2003–present) Fan Deck ticker board (2003–present) 2 small scoreboards along the facade down the Right Field and Left Field lines below the 500 level |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 7, 1989 |
| Built | 1989–1991 |
| Opened | April 18, 1991 |
| Renovated | 2001–2011 |
| Construction cost | US$167 million ($261 million in 2024 dollars[1]) $118 million (2001–2007 renovations) ($121 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | HOK Sport (now Populous) (original) HKS, Inc. (2001–2007 renovations) |
| Project manager | International Facilities Group, LLC[2] |
| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti |
| Services engineer | Flack + Kurtz[3] |
| General contractor | Gust K. Newberg Construction Company[4] |
| Tenants | |
| Chicago White Sox (MLB) (1991–present) | |
The stadium name lost most of its value in Chicago after the company sold its local network to Sprint in 2012. During the 2016 MLB season, the White Sox made a new deal with Chicago-based mortgage lender Guaranteed Rate. The stadium name officially changed on November 1 of that year.[5]
Guaranteed Rate Field Media
U.S. Cellular Field (30972191694)
Diagram showing the dimensions of Guaranteed Rate Field Baseball Field. Derived from Google Earth screenshot
View from the upper deck during construction, September 1990
New Comiskey Park on opening day, April 18, 1991
The site of the home plate of (Old) Comiskey Park in 2007
Comiskey Park in 2002 with the new batter's eye
U.S. Cellular Field in 2003 with the new video board and fan deck
U.S. Cellular Field in 2004 with the new roof and lighting
A translucent wall in the upper deck was added in 2004 to block the elements.
U.S. Cellular Field in 2005, with the new Fundamentals Deck in left field
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Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- ↑ "International Facilities Group - US Cellular Field". Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
- ↑ Opus North Promotes Jacobson. September 24, 1989. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-09-24/business/8901150630_1_development-firm-senior-audit-manager-real-estate-counselors. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
- ↑ U.S. Cellular Field - Ballparks.com
- ↑ Ecker, Danny (August 24, 2016). White Sox home gets a new name: Guaranteed Rate Field. Crain's Chicago Business. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160824/BLOGS04/160829927/white-sox-home-gets-a-new-name-guaranteed-rate-field. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
- Green Cathedrals, by Philip J. Lowry
Other websites
- Stadium site on whitesox.com Archived 2011-05-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ISFAuthority.com
- Andrewclem.com
- Ballparksofbaseball.com
- Ballparks.com
- Aerial view of Guaranteed Rate Field
- U.S. Cellular Field Seating Chart Archived 2016-11-01 at the Wayback Machine
| Events and Tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Comiskey Park |
Home of the Chicago White Sox 1991 – present |
Succeeded by Current |
| Preceded by Miller Park |
Host of the MLB All-Star Game 2003 |
Succeeded by Minute Maid Park |
| Preceded by Turner Field |
Host of the Civil Rights Game 2013 |
Succeeded by Minute Maid Park |
