On this day in 1910, Comiskey Park opened. Designed by Zachary Taylor Davis, the fireproof steel and concrete stadium was located on the South Side at 35th Street and Shields Avenue and built on a former city landfill. The stadium was originally named White Sox Park but was renamed a few years later after White Sox owner Charles Comiskey. The park was known for being pitcher-friendly, thanks to design input from hall of famer Ed Walsh, with dimensions of 362 feet down the right and left field lines and 440 feet to deep center field. In its eighty years, not a single player hit 100 career home runs there. Carlton Fisk holds the record with ninety-four.

In addition to the White Sox, Comiskey Park was home field for other teams. Because of its larger seating capacity, the Cubs played there instead of Wrigley Field (then known as Weeghman Park) during the 1918 World Series. The Negro American League’s Chicago American Giants played home games at the park in the 1940s and ’50s, and the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals and two North American Soccer League teams (the Mustangs and the Sting) also played at Comiskey. The stadium also served as a concert venue, hosting musical acts such as The Beatles, AC/DC, and The Jacksons. The park went through numerous cosmetic and seating capacity changes over the years, seeing its final game on September 30, 1990. Read more.

“The Encyclopedia of Chicago is no mere collection of fun facts. It is a work of stunning scholarly achievement.” — Tom McNamee, Chicago Sun-Times

Published by the University of Chicago Press, The Encyclopedia of Chicago is the result of a ten-year collaboration between the Newberry Library and the Chicago History Museum. This project brought together hundreds of historians, journalists, and experts on everything from airlines to Zoroastrians to explore all aspects of the rich world of Chicago and its surrounding metropolitan area. Explore the Encyclopedia.