Bridgeport in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

James R. Thompson

Photographed by Sean Flynn

1. James R. Thompson Marker

Inscription. Longest serving governor in
Illinois history
1977–1991
He kept the White Sox in Chicago

Erected 2022.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1977.

Location. 41° 49.836′ N, 87° 38.102′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Bridgeport. It is at the intersection of 35th Street and Shields Avenue, on the right when traveling east on 35th Street. The Thompson bust is to the right of the Gate 4 entrance to Guaranteed Rate Field, home of baseball's Chicago White Sox. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 333 West 35th Street, Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Comiskey Park Project Labor Agreement (here, next to this marker); Carlton Fisk (a few steps from this marker); Mark Buehrle (a few steps from this marker); Jackie Robinson (a few steps from this marker); Billy Pierce (a few steps from this marker); Frank Thomas (a few steps from this marker); Nellie Fox (a few steps from this marker); Harold Baines (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. The bust, unveiled outside the stadium in 2022, was created by artist Omri Amrany.

Regarding James R. Thompson. In 1986, the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, broke ground on the Florida Suncoast

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Dome, a publicly funded, multi-purpose domed stadium that was built with the hopes of luring a Major League Baseball team to the Tampa Bay area. St. Petersburg set its eyes on the Chicago White Sox, a founding member of the American League that was seeking a new home to replace aging Comiskey Park on Chicago's South Side. Comiskey, which opened in 1910 as Sox Park with the moniker "The Baseball Palace of the World," was by the 1970s the oldest stadium in baseball, four years older than Chicago's other historic ballpark eight miles to the north, Wrigley Field, home of the National League's Cubs. With the Sox eager for a new stadium and public funding for one in Chicago seemingly a long shot, by the summer of 1988 a Sox move to Florida was to believed to be all but a done deal.

In fact, by the afternoon of June 30, 1988, the final day of Illinois' legislative session for that year, the Sox's days in Chicago truly seemed to be coming to an end. With hours remaining in the session, the state senate was far from the majority it needed to approve the $167 million needed to build the new park. That's when Governor James Thompson, a native

James R. Thompson bust image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, October 28, 2023

2. James R. Thompson bust

The bust is to the right of the entrance to Guaranteed Rate Field, behind home plate.

of Chicago's West Side, stepped in and, as a later article put it, "made the political earth move beneath him." Determined to keep Chicago a two-team city, the governor—who, somewhat ironically, grew up north of Madison Street (the city's north-south divide for addresses) and was thus a fan of the Cubs—spent the evening of the 30th twisting arms and making deals with state legislators, in particular with fellow Republicans who were wary of the deal. Finally late that evening, 30 senators signed on to the bill to approve the funding, and then Thompson moved over to the state's House to try to secure the votes necessary for approval. With further deal-making and cajoling—Thompson's efforts now being enhanced by assistance from the Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan—the requisite 60 representatives were finally secured, and the deal to save baseball on Chicago's South Side was officially signed at 11:59 p.m. on June 30.

The original Comiskey Park hosted its final game in 1990. The new Comiskey Park (later renamed U.S. Cellular Field in 2003 and Guaranteed Rate Field in 2016) opened the next year across the street to the south, at

Gov. Jim Thompson (1936-2020) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by State of Illinois Blue Book, 1987-88, circa 1987

3. Gov. Jim Thompson (1936-2020)

Thompson was Illinois' longest-serving governor, holding office for 14 years.

the same time that the old one was being dismantled. The old field site is now a parking lot for the new stadium, with the only memorial to the old one being markings for the old park's home plate location. The new park has gone through several refurbishments since opening in 1991. Now called Rate Field, it is as of 2025 the seventh oldest stadium in the majors.

Governor Thompson left office in 1991; later he was chairman of a Chicago law firm, and he served on the 9/11 Commission. He died in 2020 at the age of 84.

St. Peterburg's Florida Suncoast Dome was completed in 1990, but it needed several years to find a full-time tenant. An attempt to sell the San Francisco Giants to local investors was nixed by National League owners in 1992. In 1993, the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team moved into the dome—which was renamed the Thunder Dome—and would play there for three years until a hockey arena was completed in nearby Tampa for the 1996-97 season. In 1996 the stadium was renamed Tropicana Field, and two years later the 8-year-old stadium finally got its baseball tenant: the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now the Rays).

Also see . . .
1. Jim Thompson (Illinois politician).

Guaranteed Rate Field image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, October 28, 2023

4. Guaranteed Rate Field

The White Sox home ballpark from across 35th Street. The Thompson bust is visible in the lower-center.

Wikipedia entry (Submitted on November 3, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. White Sox saved for city in their own version of the Chicago way. Chicago tribune website entry (Submitted on November 3, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Additional keywords. Chicago White Sox; Major League Baseball

Old Comiskey Park and New Comiskey Park image. Click for full size.

Melody Miller; courtesy of Chicago History Museum, circa June 1991

5. Old Comiskey Park and New Comiskey Park

A view of the original Comiskey Park during demolition, with a walkway for the new parking lot leading to the new Comiskey Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 374 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 29, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 3. submitted on September 25, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4, 5. submitted on October 29, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.