Plaque to commemorate West Side Grounds

By Nadeen Nakib 

Few remember that the Chicago Cubs once played on the Near West Side. Known as the West Side Grounds, the Cubs’ former venue stood at Polk and Wolcott Sts. and hosted four World Series—two won by the Cubs.

            “I was reading the book Roadside Baseball by Chris Epting that listed all the famous sites across the nation in baseball history and was surprised” the West Side Grounds “wasn’t on there,” Michael Reischl said. “Even the Chicago Tribune in 2006 listed the ‘100 Greatest Moments in Sports History for Chicago’ and the West Side wasn’t mentioned. That’s how the idea came about for me” to place a marker at the site to make sure Chicagoans remember the old Cubs playing field.

            Reischl, a Chicago police officer, and Brian Bernardoni, former executive director of the University Village Association, have worked hard to keep alive memories of the Cubs’ presence on what is now the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. As part of this effort, they founded the Way Out in Left Field Society.

            Their work paid off recently when Reischl and Bernardoni finally received approval from the Illinois Medical District (IMD) to place a remembrance plaque honoring the West Side Grounds.

            “We want to commemorate the ball players who played there,” Bernardoni said. “To remember the amazing team and fans who have propelled the Cubs to what they are today.”

            Many Cubs fans today are unaware of the West Side Grounds’ importance in World Series history and that it served as the location for the Cubs’ record-setting 116 wins in 1906.

            “There’s a site in Seattle where the Pilots played for only one year in the major leagues, and there’s a plaque to them,” Reischl said. “Northeastern University in Boston has a life-sized statue to remember the first World Series on Huntington Grounds. Chicago was always shortchanged. We wanted to do something to honor the baseball history here in Chicago as well.”

            Reischl and Bernardoni’s desire to proclaim the Near West Side’s rich baseball history has been in the making since 1999. Their Way Out in Left Field Society has hosted fundraisers such as bowling events to raise money for the plaque; they plan to donate all funds in excess of the plaque’s cost to support little league baseball.

            “My part started when I was executive director for the University Village Association,” Bernardoni said. “I was giving tours of Wrigley Field and realized there were no markers to the West Side field. I wanted to do something respectful and proper to memorialize the Cubs’ history on the West Side.”

            Bernardoni soon reached out to Reischl. The two collaborated for years, presenting their proposal to IMD staff and the Illinois State Historical Society, which supported the concept. The plaque will go up soon in an IMD-approved space.

            “Brian’s been great in helping to forge relationships to get this project in motion,” Reischl said. “I’ve met so many great people who wanted to make this possible just as much as Brian and I did.”

            Among the locations considered for the plaque are 912 S. Wood St. (the old clubhouse’s location) and 817 S. Wolcott St. (the ticket window’s site).

            “There’s no greater compliment than having these memories comemorated, something that people can later look at and have a snapshot of history,” Bernardoni said.  “And to have our kids one day come look at it and know that their dads played a role in this rich history will be such an absolute thrill.”

            Reischl estimates the plaque will arrive sometime in late June or early July and that the unveiling ceremony will take place this fall. The IMD still must approve the plaque’s design and wording.

            “We sat at Yak-Zies by Wrigley Field to make sure the application was perfect before sending it in,” Bernardoni said with a laugh. “We were like little kids going over it with a fine-toothed comb to make sure everything was right.”

            Their hard work has paid off. With preliminary approval for the plaque, Reischl and Bernardoni are thrilled about their accomplishment, and Cubs fans will have another spot to visit for honoring Chicago’s oldest team.

            “It’s been so much fun,” Reischl concluded. “Everyone has been so supportive and helpful.”