1937 Wrigley Field Ricketts Rooftop

The Wrigley Field Ricketts rooftop in 1937 is a crazy coincidence. It has nothing to do with the Nebraska billionaire Joe Ricketts family, who buys the North Siders from the Chicago Tribune in 2009 for a cool $1 billion. These (John E.) Rickett’s are from Park Ridge, Illinois. And they operate the Ricketts Restaurant and Bar, which stood for decades at 2727 North Clark Street in Wrigleyville. It is just one of several Chicago-area restaurants the Park Ridge Ricketts own and operate until the early 1970s.

The construction in the foreground – just below the Wrigley Field Ricketts rooftop in the image – is for new concrete bleachers, which replace old wooden ones. It’s part of a massive, Bill Veeck Jr.-inspired renovation project that also includes a new scoreboard and ivy on the outfield walls. The work is done during the 1937 baseball season and opens for business in September. 

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