Morningline LeadsGet a free sampleFree sample
Chicago, IL

Wrigley Field Gets a New Air and Drain System Under Its Grass Ahead of the 2027 All-Star Game

Chicago, Illinois issued a $6.5 million permit for a forced-air and drain system under Wrigley Field's playing surface, the latest in a year of permits as the Cubs ready the ballpark for the 2027 All-Star Game.

By Morningline Research · October 29, 2026

The City of Chicago issued a $6.5 million permit on Oct. 21 for a new forced-air and drain system under the field at Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St. The equipment goes beneath the stands on the right field side. Ductwork will run from the new unit out to the field, and more ductwork will tie it to a furnace above the concourse, according to the permit.

It's the biggest permit at the ballpark this year. It lands with the season over and the All-Star Game coming to Wrigley next July.

A year of permits at Clark and Addison

Timeline of Wrigley Field permits and the 2027 All-Star Game
Graphic: Morningline Research, from City of Chicago building permits and the reporting linked in this story.

The field system is the fifth Wrigley permit we've tracked since last November. The city's records show the work arriving in pieces:

Get today’s Chicago report for your trade, free →

Permit values are estimates filed with the city, not contract amounts. The bollard permit says signage and work in the public way are under separate permits.

The All-Star Game set the clock

Wrigley Field from the air, looking northeast toward Lake Michigan
Wrigley Field from the air, looking northeast toward Lake Michigan, June 2022. Photo: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

Major League Baseball awarded the 2027 game to the Cubs on Aug. 1, 2025, the Associated Press reported. It will be Wrigley's fourth, after 1947, 1962 and 1990.

Security was a big part of it. The AP reported that safety concerns about the ballpark's busy neighborhood were one reason the award took years. In June 2025, the City Council approved a $32.1 million security package with wider sidewalks, bollards and relocated light poles, Fox 32 reported. The state is paying $12 million and the city $10 million.

Reports differ on the team's share. Fox 32 put it at $8 million. ABC7 Chicago reported about $10 million, with the Cubs covering anything over the total and the upkeep.

The ballpark sits where city and state roads meet. "Clark is a city street. Addison is a state owned street," Cubs business president Crane Kenney told ABC7. The station reported that the security construction would happen over the two off-seasons before the All-Star Game. This winter is the second.

Our $10.5 million bollard permit covers the stadium's own perimeter. We haven't seen a figure tying it to the $32.1 million public package, and the two shouldn't be added together.

When he announced the game, Commissioner Rob Manfred credited the Ricketts family, the city and the state with "a tremendous investment" in the ballpark and the streets around it, according to the AP.

Inside the bowl

The other permits are about who can get into the seats and onto the field.

The April and June permits add accessible platforms in the lower bowl and elsewhere around the stands. The April permit also gives the clubhouse level a new women's umpire locker room and moves the existing women's locker room.

Big-league umpiring changed last year. Jen Pawol became the first woman to umpire a regular-season major league game on Aug. 9, 2025, working a Braves-Marlins doubleheader in Atlanta, the AP reported.

What the game brings

The ballpark draws about 4 million visitors a year, ABC7 reported. 44th Ward Ald. Bennett Lawson told the station that Atlanta drew 60,000 to 70,000 visitors during its All-Star Week, with an economic impact of $100 million or more. He said Chicago's larger market could see as much or more.

The field work now has its permit. The game is set for July 13, 2027.

See all of Chicago's latest permit numbers, updated weekly.

Want to wake up knowing what’s being built near you?

Tell us what you do and where, and we’ll send you a free sample report.

Your report comes from dave@morninglineleads.com, so please check your spam or junk folder if you don’t see it. Free, no card, no obligation. We work with one company per trade in each area, so if yours is taken, we’ll let you know.

Sources

More from Morningline Research

More numbers: Chicago, IL building permit activity, updated weekly.