1996–19991996 – A bullpen bar was added in right field. 1998 – The batter's eye was painted from blue to black. 1999 – A new Bill Veeck-esque showerhead in left field and a "Rain Room" in right field for fans to cool off during hot summertime games. 2001–2007In 2001, extensive renovations were started by HKS Sports & Entertainment Group to make the park more fan-friendly: Phase I (2001 season)Three rows of nearly 2,000 seats were added along the field between the dugouts and the foul poles. Bullpens were moved to allow fans to see pitchers warming up; former bullpens filled with new seats. Two-tiered terrace seating area added outside the Bullpen Sports Bar. Distances to the outfield wall were changed, most noticeably down the foul lines, where the bullpens and the Bullpen Sports Bar are now located. Outfield seating area extended to the fence. A full-service restaurant dubbed the Stadium Club was introduced with windows overlooking the right field corner. Capacity was increased from 44,321 to 45,936. Phase II (2002 season) Comiskey Park in 2002 with the new batter's eye Old backstop with netted roof was replaced with a new "roofless" backstop which allows foul balls to drop into seats directly behind home plate. Multi-tiered batter's eye built in center field. Main concourse upgraded with brick facade, stainless steel counter tops and decorative lighting. Club-level concourse enclosed and carpeted with heating, air conditioning and comfortable seating areas throughout. Party deck was added in center field, just below the scoreboard and above the batter's eye. Phase III (2003 season) U.S. Cellular Field in 2003 with the new video board and fan deck Scoreboard and video boards were upgraded. Full-color, high resolution 28 × 53-foot (16 m) video screen added to center field scoreboard. Two 300-foot (91 m)-long, 5-foot (1.5 m)-high video LED "ribbon" boards added along the upper deck facade. Design upgrades consistent with the lower deck finished on outfield and upper deck concourses. Fan Deck, featuring food and beverage service in an elevated patio-like atmosphere, built on center field concourse. Outfield steel framework and underside of canopy roof painted dark gray; concrete in seating areas and on pedestrian ramps stained gray. A life size bronze statue of Charles Comiskey was placed on the center field concourse behind section 100. Capacity is increased from 45,936 to 47,098. Phase III renovations cost approximately $20 million. Phase IV (2004 season) U.S. Cellular Field in 2004 with the new roof and lighting A translucent wall in the upper deck was added in 2004 to block the elements. Upper Deck Seating Area – Eight rows and 6,600 seats were removed from the top of the ballpark's upper deck.[22] A flat roof, elevated 20 feet (6.1 m) above the seating area, has replaced the old sloped canopy-style roof, covering 13 of the 21 rows of seating. Upper Deck Concourse was partially enclosed from the weather by a translucent wall. Fan Deck in center field upgraded to feature tiered seating and standing room. Lower Terrace balcony added to provide an additional party area and outdoor seating. The outfield wall was redone with pictures of White Sox players who've had their number retired. A life sized bronze statue of Minnie Miñoso placed on the center field concourse behind section 164. Capacity is decreased from 47,098 to 40,615. Phase IV renovations cost approximately $28 million. Phase V (2005 season) U.S. Cellular Field in 2005, with the new Fundamentals Deck in left field 314-seat "Scout" seating area directly behind home plate added. FUNdamentals Deck, an area for kids to work on various baseball skills, was added above the left field concourse. Green seats, modeled after those in the original Comiskey Park, replaced the old blue seats in the Club level and some scattered areas around home plate. The bleachers in left-center field were painted green. A bronze statue of Carlton Fisk was placed on the center field concourse behind section 164 on August 7. Phase VI (2006 season)Green seats reminiscent of those in the original Comiskey Park replaced the old blue seats in the entire Upper Deck and the Lower Deck between the dugouts. Enclosed, ground level restaurant was completed, providing a lounge and dining area for the Scout Seats. New banners were hung down on the outfield light towers. One for the 2005 World Series, one for the 1906 and 1917 World Series, one for all White Sox American League pennants, and one for all the division championships. The flags for these titles, now on the banners, were replaced with flags of all the Sox logos in club history. Bronze statues of Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio were placed on the center field concourse behind section 100. Phase VII (2007 season) U.S. Cellular Field in 2007 Green seats replaced the old blue seats in the Lower Deck from the dugouts and the entire outfield seating area (including the left-center field bleachers which were previously renovated). The green seats between the dugout and the foul poles have been slightly turned, re-directing them toward the center of the field. (Visually Re-Directed Seats) The seats where Paul Konerko's Grand Slam (left field) and Scott Podsednik's walk off home run (right center first row) landed in game two of the 2005 World Series are the same original blue seats in use at that game and stand out from the all-green seats. The Scoreboard in right field was painted green. A new premium seating/restaurant named the Jim Beam Club (known as the Home Plate Club as of 2014)[23] was added in the former press box behind home plate on the stadium's Diamond Suites 200 Level. A new press box was added on the first base side on the Diamond Suites 400 Level. The facility features 32 flat-screen televisions, wireless internet access and seating for 100 working members of the media. A new custom T-shirt shop was added. A bronze statue of Billy Pierce was placed on the center field concourse behind section 164 on July 23. A Thome Ticker counting down to Jim Thome's 500th career home run (hit on September 16 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim). The ticker was located in right field on the right advertising board, and was taken down after the 2007 season. The beginning of the White Sox Champions brick plaza in front of the stadium (Gate 4) and Phase I of brick sales. Extensive renovations (2008–present)Renovations were added that were not part of the original plan: 2008 seasonThe Illinois Sports Facilities Authority unveiled the first environmentally friendly permeable paving parking lot to be used by a Major League sports facility on April 8. The new lot (Lot L) saves taxpayer money by substantially reducing the amount of water entering Chicago's stormwater system, improving overall water quality and help reduce the Urban heat island effect. The White Sox Legacy Brick Program unveiled its brick plaza outside Gate 4 on April 11. Each Legacy Brick is inscribed with a personalized message and has become part of a new baseball diamond-shaped plaza outside the main entrance to the ballpark. A white, bronze and granite sculpture weighing over 25 tons that celebrates the 2005 White Sox World Series championship stands at the center of the plaza, with a historical timeline of the franchise along the diamond's base paths. Players on the sculpture from the 2005 team are Paul Konerko, Joe Crede, Orlando Hernández, Geoff Blum, and Juan Uribe. Plasma flatscreen television sets were added throughout the outfield concourse and at the top of its beer concession stands. A bronze statue of Harold Baines was placed on the right field concourse behind Section 105 on July 20. 2009 season Out-of-town video board (2009–2015) About $15 million in renovations were made to Gate 5 (north of 35th Street) to improve access to the park. The demolition (beginning of November 2008) of the easternmost portion of the pedestrian ramp and removal of the top two levels of the easternmost foot bridge across 35th Street, reducing it to one level with continuing access to the park on the main concourse level. The second foot bridge at Gate 5, about 75 yards (69 m) west of the east bridge, continues to offer access to the park on three levels. The project also included installation of escalators in a new, weather-protected enclosure and installation of elevators which provide additional access for fans with disabilities. The project was completed by opening day on April 7, when the White Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 4–2. Inside the park, a new scoreboard (23 ft x 68 ft) with 913,000 LED lights (similar to Tropicana Field) replaced the older out-of-town scoreboard in right field. In addition to displaying both lineups (that of the Sox and their opponents) the board showed season stats for the current batter and pitcher. It also served as an upgrade to the old "around-the-league" scoreboard that it replaced. While the old scoreboard showed only the current innings, scores, and pitchers' jersey numbers, the new board was capable of showing balls, strikes, outs, locations of any baserunners, and the current batter and pitcher by last name instead of by number. A slight disadvantage is that the new board only showed four games at a time in this manner, whereas the old board showed every game in progress simultaneously. A small plaque honoring Jim Thome located on the center field fan deck for his 464-foot (141 m) home run shot that landed there, becoming the first player ever to do so on June 4, 2008. The White Sox defeated the Royals in that game. Thome duplicated this feat again on September 30, 2008, in a one-game playoff against AL Central rival Minnesota Twins. His home run proved to be the game winner in a 1–0 shutout to win the AL Central. For White Sox players, a new hydrotherapy room with three combinational hot-and-cold whirlpool tubs. An underwater treadmill that can curb problems relating to the abdominals, back and knee and strengthens the muscles and hip, is installed in one of the tubs. "The Catch" was written on the left-center field wall above Billy Pierce's image (now above a blank wall), where DeWayne Wise robbed Gabe Kapler of a 9th-inning home run and ensured Mark Buehrle's perfect game on July 23, 2009. 2010–present2010 season TBD's, an outdoor beer garden was installed by July 26 at Gate 5, accessible to people 21 and older with or without a game ticket. It lasted just one year.[24] Home Plate Club opened behind home plate. Frank Thomas's number and picture were added to the outfield wall when his number was retired.[25] 2011 season Gate 5 entrance, restaurant and bar A new Metra station (Jones/Bronzeville) on the Rock Island line opened east of the ballpark just beyond the I-90/I-94 Dan Ryan Expressway. Designed by Infrastructure Engineering, Inc., built for $7.9 million, it opened a year behind schedule. A multi-level restaurant and bar opened inside Gate 5 (Bacardi at the Park, then renamed ChiSox Bar and Grill).[26][27] A bronze statue of Frank Thomas was unveiled on July 31, the eighth statue on the outfield concourse. 2012 season Chicago Sports Depot, a merchandise store, opened on November 19, 2011, next to Gate 5 and ChiSox Bar and Grill.[28] 2014 season A bronze statue of Paul Konerko was unveiled on September 27. It is the ninth statue to be placed on the outfield concourse. 2016 season 2016 renovations with new HD scoreboards Three new HD video boards were installed before the start of the 2016 season at a cost of $7.3 million.[3] The auxiliary boards in left and right field and the main board in center were all replaced by HD screens. The project was funded via the Sox' capital repairs budget.[29] 2018 season The visitor's clubhouse was renovated. A virtual reality home run derby batting cage was installed in the Chicago Sports Depot. A 30-foot (9.1 m) high safety netting was extended to the outfield end of both dugouts, or from section 122 to 142. A new LED ribbon board was extended to run the entire length of the grandstand, meaning the retired numbers that resided behind home plate had to be moved to the first and third-base lines.[30] 2019 season A 326-seat section dubbed "The Goose Island" (now called "Miller Lite Landing") replaced sections 106 and 107 in right field. The section includes running water fixtures on all four sides to create the "island" of beer and baseball. The section also has individual seating, spaces for group parties, and a standing-room area where fans can interact near the outfield concourse. The first few rows of the section also provide a "modernized" game day experience with cushioned seats, device-charging ports, and TV screens. The revamped section expanded the presence of Goose Island, which is owned by beverage conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev. Craft Cave became the Goose Island Craft Cave. Formerly a 10 foot (3.0 m) Goose Island tap statue overlooked the stadium from the special section. The section opened by April 4.[31] An extension of the safety netting from the dugouts to foul poles was completed.[32] 2021 season The White Sox added the flickering LED lights for when the team comes out of the dugout before the first pitch, hits a home run, wins a game, or when the closer comes out of the bullpen.[33] 2022 season The White Sox removed their outfield banners in their light towers. 2023 season The White Sox replaced eight rows of seats in Sections 516 and 548 with two viewing bars with walk-up beverage service and seats with good views of the field. The project cost about $284,500.[34][35] The White Sox added turf around the monument of the old Comiskey Park home plate outside the stadium. Ishbia brothers likely went to Rate Field to see their Detroit Tigers play games against the White Sox, and disliked the Southside, the White Sox team and their fans. B1tch, I am not impressed with the absurd Railyard plan. Far easier to build a new open-air or retractable dome stadium in Armor Park and invest in that neighborhood rather than abandoning it and letting taxpayers and neighbors holding the bag. Better yet, maybe wait for at least 10 years and focus on building a winning team by investing some of that absurd wealth.
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