How Wrigleyville has transformed since the Cubs' 2016 World Series
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A view of Gallagher Way next to Wrigley Field in 2020. Photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Cubs fans descended on Wrigley Field and the surrounding neighborhood Tuesday afternoon to take in one of the best environments in all of baseball, cheering their team on to victory.
- The Cubs beat the Padres 3-1 in the first game of the best-of-three wild-card series. Game 2 is Wednesday at 2:08pm.
Why it matters: The Friendly Confines is one of the only neighborhood ballparks in the country, but the park and the surrounding area look and feel a lot different from when the team won it all in 2016.
Zoom in: The Ricketts family started renovating the ballpark right after the 2016 World Series win, which also came with major changes along the corridors surrounding Wrigley Field.
Zoom out: Gone are the donut shops, mechanics and improv clubs, replaced by more modern amenities like hotels, chain restaurants and official outdoor spaces like Gallagher Way, mostly owned by the Ricketts family.
- Old school bars like John Barleycorn, Hi-Tops and Wrigleyville Tap have closed, making way for chain restaurants like Raising Cane's, Small Cheval and revolving country-themed bars.
- Many will point to the charm of the rooftops that surround Wrigley Field on Waveland and Sheffield avenues as the heart and soul of the Wrigleyville experience. Those, too, have mostly been bought up and renovated by the Ricketts.
What they're saying: In an Instagram essay, City Cast Chicago summed it up perfectly: "Wrigleyville is just becoming less like Wrigleyville and more like everywhere else."
Yes, but: While the North Side neighborhood looks drastically different, there are still some holdovers that remind you of its glory days.
- It could be leftover businesses like Sports Corner or the old parking lot chalet on North Clark Street.
- It could be the fans themselves, like "Ballhawk" Scott Doherty who waits on Waveland Avenue for home runs.
- "I've been ballhawking since '92 and I've caught 1,186 balls since," Doherty tells Axios. "The neighborhood is too different now. It's never gonna go back to the old ways."
The bottom line: Wrigleyville has upgraded its shiny façade. But like much of Chicago, its history is right under our noses.