Located in a residential neighborhood, Wrigley Field is nicknamed "The Friendly Confines." With a capacity of under 40,000, Wrigley is one of the smallest ballparks being used in 2004. It is the second oldest major league ballpark and the only remaining Federal League park. When Wrigley Field was built, it had a seating capacity of 14,000 and cost $250,000 to build.
Wrigley Field is known for the ivy planted against the outfield wall in 1937 by Bill Veeck and the manual scoreboard Veeck also erected. No batted ball has ever hit the scoreboard. Lights were scheduled to be added to Wrigley Field in 1942, but after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, William Wrigley donated the lights intended for Wrigley Field to the war effort. Lights would not be added to Wrigley Field until 1988. The first major league night game, played against the Philadelphia Phillies, was held on August 8, 1988 and was rained out. The first official night game was played the following night, August 9, against the New York Mets. In the 1940s, some Womens League night games were played in Wrigley Field using temporary lighting structures.
The Chicago Bears American football team played at the stadium from 1921 to 1970. The team was known as the Chicago Staleys for the 1921 season.
Historic moments
Wrigley Field was also a ballpark in Los Angeles, a team which was also owned by William Wrigley. It was the original Wrigley Field, as it came a year before Cubs Park was renamed for him. Wrigley Field in L.A. was home to two Pacific Coast League teams, the Los Angeles Angels for 33 years, until 1957, for and the Hollywood Stars for 11 between 1926-1935 and 1939. When the Los Angeles Angels became an expansion team in the American League for 1961, Wrigley was the team's home in it's inaugural year. The team moved to Chavez Ravine afterwards. In the 3 years the team had without a PCL tenant before the AL expansion, television's Home Run Derby took place at the stadium.
It was torn down in 1966.