Rendering courtesy of The Cordish Companies
As the St. Louis Cardinals and rival Chicago Cubs prepare to face off this weekend, there's a new kind of competition: rooftop seating.
Since 1914, Cubs fans have peered over Wrigley Field's outfield wall while atop the 16 buildings along Sheffield and Waveland avenues. The rooftops were originally accessible only by the buildings' tenants. But in the 1980s, a number of rooftop owners began selling seats and upgrading the facilities. After drawing the ire of the Cubs organization, the two sides settled in 2004, in a deal in which rooftop owners would share 17 percent of the revenue. Today, however, the two sides are embroiled once again, this time over proposed updates to Wrigley Field.
The range of rooftop experiences varies in Wrigleyville, but most options include rooftop seating and a clubhouse feel inside, with food and drink provided as part of the ticket price. (For a list of venues, check out this directory; the Cubs organization endorses certain rooftops.)
For Cardinal fans, of course, there's now the newly minted Ballpark Village. Towering over Busch Stadium's outfield, it boasts two rooftop sections. Budweiser Brew House offers a general-admission party deck with patio seating, as well as numerous bars and food options. Tickets for the deck typically go on sale a month prior to each home game, and the deck is available to rent out.
Similar to many of Wrigley's all-inclusive rooftops, Cardinals Nation's AT&T Rooftop includes 336 seats, sold as individual tickets per game. In addition to the outdoor seating, there's a buffet and bar available an hour and a half before the first pitch, as well as access to an indoor dining area, private restrooms, and the Cardinals Hall of Fame. (Tickets for the Budweiser Brew House and AT&T Rooftop are available through the Cardinals' official website.)
