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| Comiskey Park | |
| Facility Statistics | |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Opened | July 1, 1910 |
| Closed | September 30, 1990 |
| Demolished | 1991 |
| Owner | The Chicago White Sox |
| Construction Cost | $750,000 USD $118 million USD ( 1997- 1999 renovations) |
| Architect | Zachary Taylor Davis; Osborn Engineering |
| Former Names | |
| White Sox Park | 1910- 1912 |
| Comiskey Park | 1912- 1962 |
| White Sox Park | 1962- 1975 |
| Tenants | |
| Chicago White Sox | 1910- 1990 |
| Chicago Cardinals ( NFL) | 1922Events January 7 Dali Eireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64-57 votes. January 10 Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dail Eireann January 11 First successful insulin treatment of diabetes. January 12 British government releases Irish prisoners- 1925Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 See also 1925 in aviation 1925 in film 1925 in literature 1925 in mu, 1929Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 See also 1929 in aviation 1929 in film 1929 in literature 1929 in mu- 1959Events January-February January 1 Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin. January 1 Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when forces of Fidel Castro advance January 2 CBS Radio cuts four soap operas: Bac |
| Seating Capacity | |
| 1910 | 32,000 |
| 1927 | 52,000 |
| Dimensions | |
| Left Field | 347 ft |
| Left-Center | 382 ft |
| Center Field | 409 ft |
| Right-Center | 382 ft |
| Right Field | 347 ft |
| Backstop | 86 ft |
Comiskey Park (35th Street & Shields Ave., Chicago, Illinois) is the name of the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910- 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey and was the site of four World Series (one of which was played by the Chicago Cubs due to lack of seating at Wrigley Field) and over 6,000 games.
The park was built on a former city dump that Comiskey bought from former mayor of Chicago "Long" John Wentworth in 1909. The park was very modern for its time. It was constructed of concrete and steel and seated 29,000, a record at the time. Briefly, it retained the nickname "The Baseball Capitol of the World". The park's design was strongly influenced by Sox pitcher Ed Walsh, and was known for its pitcher-friendly proportions (362 feet to the foul poles, 420 feet down the middle). Later changes were made, but the park remained more or less favorable to defensive teams. For many years this reflected on the White Sox style of play: solid defense, and short, quick hits.
The first game in Comiskey Park was a 2-0 loss to the St. Louis Browns on July 1, 1910. The last game at Comiskey was a win, 2-1, over Seattle on September 30, 1990. The White Sox lost their first-ever night game to St. Louis in 1939, 5-2.
From the 1970s through its destruction in 1991, Comiskey was the oldest park still in use in Major League Baseball. Many of its known characteristics, such as the pinwheels on the scoreboard (see photo), were installed by Bill Veeck (owner of the White Sox from 1958 to 1961, and again from 1975 to 1981).
For a number of years, the Chicago Cardinals football team called Comiskey home. The stadium also presented boxing matches, including World Heavyweight Championship bouts featuring Joe Louis, Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston.
Comiskey was demolished in 1991, making way for its successor of the same name (now known as U.S. Cellular Field). Some Sox fans believed that the move was unnecessary, but owner Jerry Reinsdorf was at the time threatening to move the club to Tampa Bay (what is now called Tropicana Field was constructed for this purpose), and the local and state governments went along by giving them funds for the new stadium.
'Old' Comiskey's home plate is a bronze plaque on the sidewalk next to U.S. Cellular, and the field is a parking lot.