Cubs' plan blocks rooftops, expert finds

October 27, 2004

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

Six of the 13 rooftop clubs would lose half or all of their bird's-eye view of Wrigley Field -- and the one-of-a-kind sweep of the neighborhood from inside the park would be all but destroyed -- if the Cubs get the go-ahead for a 1,980-seat bleacher expansion, a rooftop architect has concluded.

Architect Pat Fitzgerald's dire view threatens to undermine a newfound partnership between the Cubs and the rooftops that has been incredibly lucrative for both sides.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported last month that, despite the collapse that denied the Cubs a wild-card berth in the playoffs, the rooftops raked in upwards of $17 million and shared roughly $3 million of it with the Cubs.

That's nearly double the take team officials expected when they forged the partnership that calls for the Tribune Co. to market the rooftops on Cubs broadcasts.

City likes view, wants to keep it The view of neighborhood buildings from inside Wrigley Field is unique in all of baseball. Stadiums built in recent years have tried to replicate it, and none have done it. Wrigley Field has it, and City Hall is determined to preserve it. Early on in negotiations, Planning and Development Commissioner Denise Casalino and Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said they wanted Wrigley bleachers expanded in a way that allows 70 percent of fans seated in the grandstand to see the third floor of neighborhood buildings. The Cubs came back and said that would require eliminating 180 of the 1,980 new bleacher seats they hope to build. Fran Spielman

The agreement requires the Cubs to pay 17 percent of the cost of any rooftop expansion -- the same percentage of profits that rooftops now share with the Cubs -- if additional bleacher seats obstruct rooftop views.

That just might be necessary, if Fitzgerald's assessment is correct.

The Cubs have shaved 520 seats from their original plan, and the 1,980 new bleacher seats would be supported by steel trusses that eliminate the need for all but four sidewalk columns -- two apiece on Waveland and Sheffield. But the impact on the rooftop clubs that line those streets is the same as it was under the larger expansion, the architect has concluded.

'Still remain hopeful'

Of the 13 rooftops, six would lose half or all of their views. And from the lowest level of grandstands looking out, half the buildings would be blocked completely.

"What it means is they'll be out of business. What would they have to sell if people can't see the field?" said a source familiar with Fitzgerald's assessment.

Ken Jakubowski, a former longtime consultant to the rooftops, added, "Who would pay $150 to sit on a rooftop to watch ground balls and pop-ups in the infield and short fly balls to the outfield?"

Beth Murphy, owner of Murphy's Bleachers, said the rooftop she owns at 3649 N. Sheffield and another on Waveland owned by James Purcell are the "closest to the scoreboard on either side" and would be most heavily impacted.

"It makes me sad, [but] I still remain hopeful that our architects and the Cubs' architects can work together and come up with a design to preserve the views from both inside and outside the ballpark," Murphy said.

70% view just a 'starting point'

Asked whether she could afford to build higher, Murphy said, "We have the smallest club with a capacity of 50. I'd have to see whether there is some building I could do that makes sense to preserve our rooftop or whether it would be impossible."

Planning and Development Commissioner Denise Casalino could not be reached for comment on Fitzgerald's assessment.

Earlier this week, Casalino raised the possibility of allowing rooftop clubs whose views are impaired by any bleacher expansion to build up to the 61-foot maximum allowed by city ordinance.

"Those are some very nice looking buildings. We don't want them wrecked. But if you do it right architecturally, that is an option, based on whatever seat number we pick and what the layout is," the commissioner said.

Casalino also said that her earlier demand the bleachers be expanded in a way that allows 70 percent of fans sitting in grandstands to see the third-floor windows of neighborhood buildings should not be "misinterpreted as gospel." It was merely a "starting point" for negotiations, she said.

"All of the issues have to be worked out. We have to be comfortable with what it looks like looking out and what the rooftops do to respond to this. The alderman has to be comfortable with the neighborhood protection plan. Which is why we don't have a number [of seats] yet," she said.

Sun Times