Chicago's South Side Team

“Comiskey Park, however, appeared grand, as you would expect from a place that by 1911 billed itself the Baseball Palace of the World” (ix).

The Book

Baseball Palace of the World: The Last Year of Comiskey Park by Douglas Bukowski is a fan’s reflections on baseball, the White Sox, and the last season in Comiskey Park. Comiskey Park was built in 1910, by White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, and enlarged in 1926. According to Bukowski, “Comiskey Park is not just some bricks and grandstands […]; it is a design meant to fit the working-class neighborhood of Bridgeport” (11). Designer Zachary Taylor Davis created a park that would fit the neighborhood and provide closeness between the players and fans. Comiskey Park was the host of the first All-Star Game and was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. However, the decision was made in the late 1980s to build a new stadium.

Baseball Palace of the World is a result of this decision to demolish Comiskey Park. The chapters are broken into months from October 1989 to September 1990. Each chapter provides information about the White Sox’s seasons, Bukowski’s reflections on the history of the park, and his cynicism towards the new stadium. Throughout the book, Bukowski discusses the difference between a ballpark and a stadium. The ballpark provided a connection between the players and fans; a stadium does not allow for that connection. The reader can’t help sympathizing with the Sox fans that fought to keep the park and its unique history. 

The Place

Having visited both Wrigley Field and US Cellular Field (the White Sox Stadium), I understand the difference between a ballpark and stadium. I would have to agree with Bukowski that a stadium misses an aspect that the ballpark provides.

Today, a parking lot sits on the land Comiskey Park once occupied and US Cellular Field is across the street. The Home Plate from Comiskey Park is on display by Gate 5, Lot B. Statues of famous Sox players and Charles Comiskey are located around the stadium. According to the White Sox website, US Cellular Field includes an exploding scoreboard and arches, both nods to the original Comiskey Park. Even though it is not Comiskey Park, it is still fun to attend a White Sox game; US Cellular Field provides great views of the Chicago skyline and surrounding neighborhoods. 

Chicago's Playground

 “The idea was to impress visitors with what they saw both up close and at a distance” (17).

The Book   

Navy Pier: A Chicago Landmark by Douglas Bukowski is a well written, detailed, and interesting history of Chicago’s 3,000 foot pier. Bukowski includes many pictures from the beginning of Chicago up to the pier today.

Bukowski traces the idea of a pier from Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Chicago Plan to the renovation in the mid-1990s. Charles Summer Frost was chosen to design the Municipal Pier in 1913 and it was dedicated in 1916. The pier was used for military training in both World Wars. It saw the training of carrier pigeons in World War I and the training of Navy pilots in World War II. The name was changed to Navy Pier, in 1927, to honor those who served during World War I. In between the World Wars, the pier became a “place where people could enjoy themselves without fear of violence or moral corruption” (23). During this time, an emphasis was placed on the civic education of the people of Chicago.

Bukowski tells of the growing pains Navy Pier experienced after World War II. The University of Illinois used the pier as a satellite campus from 1947-1964. At the end of that time, the pier was in disrepair from so many different uses and alterations. The upcoming American Bicentennial brought about new restoration for the pier and a renewed interest. Bukowski defines the mid-1990s renovation as a close return to Daniel Burnham’s original plan. 

The Place   

Navy Pier is a place that all ages can have fun exploring. There are high-end restaurants, fast-food, and Chicago favorites. A children’s museum and funhouse can entertain children for hours. An IMAX theater shows new releases and documentaries. The Shakespeare Theatre is located on the pier, along with the Skyline Stage for concerts.

My favorite parts of the pier are the Ferris wheel and walking to the edge of the pier. The Ferris wheel is 148 feet tall and pays homage to the first Ferris wheel at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. It can carry 240 people in forty gondolas on a seven and a half minute ride. I think it provides one of the best views of the Chicago skyline. If you are on the pier you should also walk all the way to the end. You can look back and see the city from atop Lake Michigan or you can look out into the lake at the ships sailing past.