Cubs developing new home plate club at Wrigley Field
The transformation of Wrigley Field continues to reshape the gameday experience for Cub fans. The Cubs on Tuesday released images of four new premium clubs tied to the ballpark's $500 million renovation. The American Airlines 1914 Club, situated behind home plate, will be the first new premium space, set to open for the 2018 season.
As part of the marketing process, the Cubs are compiling a priority list of season-ticket holders behind home plate to gauge interest in the all-inclusive club. Team officials are charging a $500 non-refundable fee to join the priority list.
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Ticket prices have not been determined for the new club, said Colin Faulkner, the Cubs’ senior vice president of sales and marketing. The three remaining clubs, to be built down the first base and third base lines, and in the upper deck, will tentatively open for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Faulkner said. Chicago architect VOA Associates and Levy Restaurants are working together on the clubs’ design.
Currently, there are about 600 season-ticket holders sitting in the dugout box and club box seats behind home plate, and those fans pay up to $350 a game with virtually no amenities, Faulkner said.
The American Airlines 1914 club will have no views to the field, but members receive exclusive access to a 7,200-square-foot lounge underneath the seating bowl, high-end food and drink folded into the ticket price, and private restrooms, plus access to concert ticket presales, pregame batting practice passes and postgame photo passes, and the opportunity to secure playoff tickets. There will be all new seats for the American Airlines club and the Cubs still are evaluating the option of going with cushioned seats, Faulkner said.
The Cubs’ research for developing a home plate club included visiting multiple MLB parks to get ideas for the American Airlines 1914 Club. Yankee Stadium, Nationals Park, PNC Park, Marlins Park, Busch Stadium, Great American Ball Park and Safeco Field were among the venues Cubs officials toured over the years, Faulkner said.
By comparison, the Chicago White Sox sell home plate club seats for $265 a game, according to a report in Crain's Chicago Business. The Yankees, meanwhile, overpriced their home plate club seats at up to $2,500 a game when their new ballpark opened in 2009 at the height of the Great Recession, and the team ultimately cut prices after many of those seats sat empty during the first few months of the season.
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In Chicago, the Cubs have been talking to their fans about the club project for a number of years, Faulkner said.
"We’ve done a ton of research with fans through surveys and focus groups. Our fans told us they wanted to embrace Cubs history and the 1914 name reflects the first year of Wrigley Field. They wanted all-inclusive, grab-and-go concessions and comfortable seats.”
Excavation on the first club space starts after the 2016 season with construction taking place under the club box seats. The project is similar to the process for building the Cubs’ new clubhouse underground that opened in April, Faulkner said.
After the American Airlines 1914 Club opens in 2018, the Cubs will turn their attention to developing the three additional clubs. As it now stands, the Cubs have one premium club, the Assurance Club, that first opened in 2010 as the PNC Club. The all-inclusive club, tied to 70 outdoor seats, is sold out with season-ticket holders paying $320 a game. Apart from the new club projects, the Cubs plan to renovate and expand the ballpark’s 57 suites. All told, the multiple renovations will be completed prior to the 2020 season.
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