Construction on the $575 million Wrigley Field renovation project officially went into high gear Monday.
The Chicago Cubs wasted zero time between the end of the baseball season last week and the start of construction.
Over the next six months, workers will expand the bleachers in both outfields, push the stadium's footprint further onto both Waveland Avenue and Sheffield, and lay the foundation for seven new outfield signs along with a 2,400 square foot video scoreboard in right field. The Red and Purple parking lots will also be excavated to make room for underground players' locker rooms and lounges.
Some fans are excited about the changes but others are worried about losing the historic venue's character.
"I don't want to see it get too doctored up with too much commercial-ness, but I appreciate what they're trying to do. I support the Ricketts," a Cubs fan told NBC 5 near the stadium.
"I just think the neighborhood feel of the ballpark's going to be greatly diluted, or maybe disappear," another fan said.
A pending lawsuit looms over the project. Eight nearby rooftop owners are suing the city claiming the project violates their profit-sharing agreement with the team.
Chicago Baseball
The first phase of renovations is expected to completed by Opening Day 2015.
