Comiskey Park

Comiskey Park, originally called White Sox Park, was built on a former city dump that Charles Comiskey bought in 1909 to replace the wooden South Side Park. Designed by architect Zachary Taylor Davis and built at a cost of $750,000, the stadium opened on July 1, 1910, and was considered one of the most modern and luxurious ballparks of its era. The stadium was built with a steel and concrete structure, a significant upgrade from the wooden parks of the time, and was praised for its clean sightlines and spacious design. Comiskey Park quickly earned the nickname 'The Baseball Palace of the World.' Over its 80-year history, Comiskey Park hosted four World Series, with the White Sox winning in 1917 and 2005, though the latter was celebrated at the new stadium. The park was the site of the first MLB All-Star Game in 1933, an event conceived by Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward as part of the Century of Progress World's Fair. The American League won 4-2, with Babe Ruth hitting the first All-Star home run. The stadium also hosted the 1937 heavyweight boxing match where Joe Louis defeated James J. Braddock to become heavyweight champion of the world, one of the most famous boxing matches in history. The Chicago Cardinals of the NFL called Comiskey Park home for many years, winning the 1947 NFL Championship Game over the Philadelphia Eagles there. The Cardinals left for St. Louis in 1960. The Chicago American Giants of the Negro American League played at Comiskey Park from 1941 to 1950, and the park hosted the Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game annually from 1933 to 1960. The park also hosted soccer, with the Chicago Mustangs and Chicago Sting of the NASL calling it home, and it hosted the final edition of the original Soccer Bowl in 1984. Comiskey Park underwent several renovations over the years, including the addition of an AstroTurf infield from 1969 to 1975, and the installation of the famous exploding scoreboard in 1960, which featured fireworks when a White Sox player hit a home run. The stadium's upper deck, added in 1927, was known for its steep pitch and was one of the most distinctive features of the park. By the 1980s, the aging stadium was showing its age, and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf began pushing for a new stadium. The final game at Comiskey Park was played on September 30, 1990, with the White Sox defeating the Seattle Mariners 2-1. The stadium was demolished in 1991, and the site is now a parking lot for the new stadium, Rate Field, which opened in 1991 just to the south.

Comiskey Park was known as 'The Baseball Palace of the World,' a nickname that reflected its status as one of the grandest and most modern ballparks of its era when it opened in 1910. It hosted the first MLB All-Star Game in 1933, an event conceived by Chicago Tribune sports editor Arch Ward, with Babe Ruth hitting the first All-Star home run. The stadium was the site of one of the most famous boxing matches in history on June 22, 1937, when Joe Louis defeated James J. Braddock to begin his 11-year reign as heavyweight champion of the world. Comiskey Park hosted the Negro Leagues East-West All-Star Game annually from 1933 to 1960, one of the premier events in Black baseball. The Chicago Cardinals of the NFL won the 1947 NFL Championship Game at Comiskey Park, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles. The stadium's famous exploding scoreboard, installed in 1960 by owner Bill Veeck, featured fireworks and light-up pinwheels when a White Sox player hit a home run, becoming one of the most iconic features in baseball. The upper deck, added in 1927, was known for its steep pitch and was one of the steepest in baseball, giving fans an incredibly high vantage point. The stadium had an AstroTurf infield from 1969 to 1975, one of the first MLB parks to use artificial turf. The largest crowd in Comiskey Park history was 55,555 on May 20, 1973, for a White Sox game against the Minnesota Twins. The smallest crowd was just 511 on May 6, 1971, for a White Sox game against the Boston Red Sox. The final game at Comiskey Park was played on September 30, 1990, with the White Sox defeating the Seattle Mariners 2-1. The stadium was demolished in 1991, and the site is now a parking lot for Rate Field, the successor stadium built just to the south.