Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois, located in the Armour Square neighborhood on the near-southwest side of the city. The stadium served as the home of the Chicago White Sox of the American League from 1910 through 1990. Built by White Sox owner Charles Comiskey and designed by Zachary Taylor Davis, Comiskey Park hosted four World Series and more than 6,000 Major League Baseball games. The field also hosted one of the most famous boxing matches in history: Joe Louis' defeat of champion James J. Braddock, launching his 11-year run as the heavyweight champion of the world.
"The Baseball Palace of the World" Old Comiskey Park White Sox Park | |
Comiskey Park in 1990, its final season | |
| Former names | White Sox Park (1910–1912, 1962–1975) |
|---|---|
| Location | 324 West 35th Street Chicago, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 41°49′54″N 87°38′03″W |
| Owner | Chicago White Sox |
| Operator | Chicago White Sox |
| Capacity | 28,000 (1910–1926) 52,000 (1927–1937) 50,000 (1938) 51,000 (1939) 50,000 (1940–1946) 47,400 (1947–1953) 46,550 (1954–1972) 44,492 (1973–1982) 43,695 (1983–1985) 44,087 (1986–1987) 43,931 (1988–1989) 43,951 (1990) |
| Record attendance | 55,555 (largest) May 20, 1973 White Sox vs. Minnesota 511 (smallest) May 6, 1971 White Sox vs. Boston |
| Field size | (1910) Foul lines – 363 ft (111 m) Power alleys – 382 ft (116 m) Center field – 420 ft (128 m) Backstop – 98 ft (30 m) (1986) Foul lines – 347 ft (106 m) Power alleys – 382 ft (116 m) Center Field – 409 ft (125 m) Backstop – 86 ft (26 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass AstroTurf infield (1969–1975) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1910 |
| Opened | July 1, 1910 |
| Closed | September 30, 1990 |
| Demolished | 1991 |
| Construction cost | US$750,000 ($24.5 million in 2023 ) |
| Architect | Zachary Taylor Davis Osborn Engineering |
| General contractor | George W. Jackson |
| Tenants | |
| Chicago White Sox (MLB) (1910–1990) Chicago Cardinals (NFL) (1922–1925, 1929–1930, 1940–1958) Chicago Bulls (AFL) (1926) Chicago American Giants (NAL) (1941–1952) Card-Pitt (NFL) (1944) Chicago Mustangs (NASL) (1967–1968) Chicago Sting (NASL) (1980–1985) | |
The Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League also called Comiskey Park home when they were not playing at Normal Park, Soldier Field, or Wrigley Field. They won the 1947 NFL Championship Game over the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park. Much less popular than the Bears, the Cardinals had their last season at Comiskey in 1958, and they left for St. Louis in March 1960. The Chicago American Giants of the Negro American League called Comiskey Park home from 1941 to 1950. The park was also home to the Chicago Mustangs and Chicago Sting of the NASL, and hosted the final edition of the original Soccer Bowl.
The park was demolished in 1991, after a new Comiskey Park stadium (later renamed U.S. Cellular Field, then Guaranteed Rate Field) opened just to the south.