Aldermen approved a Chicago Cubs-backed plan Wednesday to allow three new signs to go up on buildings overlooking iconic Wrigley Field.
The team will be allowed to add one new sign up to 69 feet tall on North Sheffield Avenue, as well as two new smaller signs on its West Waveland Avenue rooftops.
Wrigleyville Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th, said the team has not yet shared plans for the signs. The smaller two signs are expected to replace banners advertising rooftop seats, he added.
“They are selling to advertisers. They may show me a sign that says Coke, it’s not going to be Pepsi because that’s not their partner, but it could end up as Southwest or Wintrust or whoever one of their corporate partners is,” he said.
Team officials did not immediately respond when asked about their plans for the signs.
Aldermen approved in 2024 the construction of the large Coca-Cola sign on yet another building overlooking Wrigley Field’s left field on Waveland Avenue, as well as an advertisement for paint company Benjamin Moore over right field on Sheffield Avenue.
According to Lawson’s current ordinance, the new signs must be static, meaning screens won’t be allowed. They also cannot go more than seven feet higher than the buildings to which they are fixed.
The larger sign may only be backlit during games and stadium events.
Lawson said the signs will not affect sightlines in the ballpark and “really won’t impact the community.”
“They’re only on during games, there’s no noise, there’s no movement of the lights or anything like that,” he said. “You don’t see them unless you are in the ballpark, and really the whole point is to be seen on TV, that’s where the revenue comes from.”
The ballpark is a landmarked space, making it difficult to add signs inside the stadium, but the advertisements will be profitable for the team, Lawson added. The team has already fostered an environment with little intrusive advertising and created an open space for fans, he said.
“This is the one team without any public financing. They’ve got a landmark tax break and they pay their full property tax bill,” he said. “It’s an option to keep them viable. There’s a lot less advertising in the outfield of Wrigley Field than every other stadium, probably by half.”
