Editing Rate Field (section)

==History==
[[File:New Comiskey Park 1990.jpg|thumb|left|250px|View from the upper deck during construction, September 1990]]

The stadium was the first new major sporting facility built in Chicago since [[Chicago Stadium]] in 1929. It was also the last one built before the wave of new "[[baseball park#Retro-classic ballparks|retro-classic]]" ballparks in the 1990s and 2000s.

A few design features from the old Comiskey Park were retained. The front facade of the park features arched windows. The "exploding scoreboard" pays homage to the original, installed by [[Bill Veeck]] at the old park in 1960. The original field dimensions and seating configuration were very similar to those of Royals Stadium (now [[Kauffman Stadium]]) in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], which had been the last baseball-only park built in the majors, in 1973.

As originally built, the park was criticized by many fans because of the height of the upper deck. The original architect, HOK Sport (now [[Populous (company)|Populous]]), wanted to eliminate the overhang problems present in many stadiums built since the 1970s. With this in mind, the upper deck was set back over the lower deck, and the stands rose fairly gradually. While it gave nearly every seat in the upper level an unobstructed view of the field, it also created one of the highest upper decks in baseball. The first row of seats in the upper deck of the new stadium is as far from the field as the highest row of seats in the upper deck at the old stadium. Due to the field being practically at street level, the original upper deck made the park look like a [[cookie-cutter stadium]] from the outside. Fans sitting in this area did not get much chance for relief, as it was one of the few parks in Major League Baseball that did not allow fans sitting in the upper deck to venture anywhere else in the park, such as the lower deck concourse.

[[File:Openingday1991.jpg|thumb|left|250px|New Comiskey Park on opening day, April 18, 1991]]

In response to fan complaints, the stadium has undergone numerous renovations since the [[2001 Chicago White Sox season|2001 season]] in order to retrofit the facility to current architectural trends. These changes have included building a multi-tiered concourse beyond center field, adjusting the fences to make the outfield less symmetrical, and most significantly, the removal of 6,600 seats at the top of the upper deck.

The uppermost tier of the park now has a white and black screen behind the top row of seats, and is topped by a flat canopy roof supported by black steel truss supports that obstruct the view of a few seats. The original blue seats were also replaced by forest green seats. The new green and black color scheme, upper-level screen set back from the outer wall and canopy roof are reminiscent of the old Comiskey Park, as well as other classic baseball stadiums. Murals to the interior concourses were also added, a prominent feature of the old stadium.

The stadium houses 103 [[luxury suites]] located on two levels, as well as 1,822 "[[club seating|club seats]]" on 300-level mezzanine between the lower deck and upper deck. The club seats receive in-seat wait-staff, and benefit from an enclosed concourse with multiple television viewing areas and bar-style concessions. The stadium has 400 wheelchair-accessible seats, 38 public [[restrooms]], 12 [[escalators]], and 15 [[elevator]]s. The new suites were one example of why the old Comiskey Park was demolished, as suites generate more revenue.

===Naming rights===
Originally called Comiskey Park, the stadium was renamed U.S. Cellular Field in [[2003 Chicago White Sox season|2003]], after Chicago-based telecommunications company [[U.S. Cellular]] purchased the [[naming rights]] at US$68 million for 20 years.<ref>{{cite news|last=Padilla|first=Doug|title=The Cell not in line for name change|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/white-sox/post/_/id/14560/the-cell-not-in-line-for-name-change|work=ESPN|date=April 26, 2013|access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref> U.S. Cellular would later pay $13 million to end the agreement seven years early, saving an estimated $10.8 million.<ref>{{cite news|last=Yerak|first=Becky|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-us-cellular-naming-rights-1105-biz-20161104-story.html|title=Deal to drop Sox Park naming rights early costs U.S. Cellular $13 million|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=November 4, 2016}}</ref>

The stadium's next name, Guaranteed Rate Field, was announced on October 31, 2016, after the Chicago-based private residential mortgage company [[Guaranteed Rate]] purchased the naming rights in a 13-year deal.<ref>{{cite news|last=Merkin|first=Scott|title=U.S. Cellular to become Guaranteed Rate Field|url=http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/197437870/white-sox-ballpark-to-be-guaranteed-rate-field/|publisher=Chicago White Sox|date=August 24, 2016|access-date=August 25, 2016|archive-date=August 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828013014/http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/197437870/white-sox-ballpark-to-be-guaranteed-rate-field/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ecker|first=Danny|title=White Sox home gets a new name: Guaranteed Rate Field|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160824/BLOGS04/160829927/white-sox-home-gets-a-new-name-guaranteed-rate-field|publisher=Crain's Chicago Business|date=August 24, 2016|access-date=August 25, 2016}}</ref> It was later revealed that Guaranteed Rate would pay $20.4 million over ten years for the 13-year agreement. This translates to an average payment of $2.4 million, less than U.S. Cellular's yearly payment of $3.4 million as well as below the average MLB naming rights payment of $3.6 million at the time of the deal's signing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2016/09/01/guaranteed-rate-paid-white-sox-stadium-naming-rights/|title=What Guaranteed Rate paid for the White Sox stadium naming rights|date=September 1, 2016|last=Ricci|first=Peter Thomas}}</ref>

Coinciding with Guaranteed Rate's rebranding as Rate, the Sox announced the ballpark would henceforth be known as Rate Field on December 17, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/white-sox-ballpark-name-change-rate-field-9493d1b0c9625fdd8dd0b59cd813bc0f |title=White Sox shorten ballpark's name to Rate Field |website=[[Associated Press News]] }}</ref>