Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley unveiled a surprise plan for a $395-million conversion of Soldier Field that would add a retractable dome over the stadium where the Chicago Bears play. Back in June, she said the bid for the Arlington land was just a negotiation tactic to get the city to help with the cost of any potential renovations at Soldier Field. Chicago Unveils 3 Proposed Renovations for Soldier Field. Add secondary club and activation areas to as many as 20. The Chicago Tribune did some digging back in July and found that the Bears would be able to get out of the lease in 2026 by paying a penaltyof $84 million. On Wednesday, NFL owners approved a couple of Soldier Field renovation projects for the Chicago Bears. The estimated costs for each option have not been finalized yet, but the city said they are expected to range between $900 million and $2.2 billion. Quadruple the food and beverage square footage from 50,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet. The 2002 renovation of Soldier Field cost $660 million, $432 million of which was funded by the city's hotel tax, and the bonds issued to finance that project are still being paid off. The main reason behind Mayor Emanuel's desire to renovate is likely his desire to bid for the 2019 Super Bowl. Rendering of a proposal to renovate Soldier Field with a dome and thousands of new seats. Of course, that's not exactly true. A renovation of Soldier Field about 20 years ago essentially consisted of building a new seating bowl structure within the confines of the original 1924 stadiums SoldierFieldParking.com advertises that parking is available at Burnham Harbor and the Adler Planetarium for $50, though prices are subject to change without notice. "We have informed the City of Chicago that we intend to honor our contractual commitments as we continue our due diligence and predevelopment activities on the Arlington Heights property. The third option calls for modifications to make Soldier Field a multipurpose stadium suited to host soccer games while also making it a viable location to accommodate major concerts and a range of events. Soldier Field makeover plans are out. Will the Bears care? The options include rebuilding both end zones and enclosing the stadium with a dome; renovating the stadium to make it dome ready; or modifying Soldier Filed into a multi-purpose stadium better suited for its other major sports tenant, the Chicago Fire FC, as well as concerts and other year-round events. As Chicago looks to keep the Bears playing at Soldier Field, with the team currently considering a new stadium outside the city, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has unveiled three potential renovation plans for the iconic stadium, including expanded seat options and the possible addition of a dome. Last year he was fined $12,000 for a hit on St. Louis quarterback Chris Miller. Although the Bears have been looking into making renovations at Soldier Field, they likely came to the conclusion that it was cost prohibitive unless the city contributed a major amount of money. Mayor Lori Lightfoot today rolled out her vision for the future of Soldier Field and, as expected, constructing a dome over the historic arena is one of the options. "And like most Bears fans, we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October. Its the oldest stadium in both the NFL and MLS.Known as the Stadium in a Park, Soldier Field is a 17-acre site A view inside Soldier Field before demolition began in 2002 But when it came time to remodel Soldier Field in the early 2000s, Bey said there was never a serious With the purchase agreement now in place, the Bears will now soon be the proud owners of a 326-acre piece of land that will easily fit any new stadium design they might have in mind. Soldier Field Soldier Field And now, as Chicagoans may be coming to realize, it can also happen when your mayor signs off on a massive public subsidy to rebuild a stadium on the Rehab foes win court round; city warns of delays. Increase the number of traditional suites from 133 to 140. Improve your language skills? "This announcement from the Bears comes in the midst of negotiations for improvements at Soldier Field. Phase one: Reduce the overall capacity of Soldier Field while destroying its historic image and forcing it off of the National Register of Historic Places. That land acquisition could close by as soon as early 2023. Click here to get the full experience on your screen. Yet another reason why the original plan wasn't so great. Plummer worked with the first-team defense at practice this week, and will be back in action Sept. 22 against Carolina after San Franciscos bye week. Option 1: Fully enclose the stadium by rebuilding both endzones with columns that can support a dome structure. At a news conference, Lightfoot, as Crains previously reported, laid out three options: Add the dome; do extensive rehab work that would make the facility dome ready; and repurpose the field with the expectation that the Chicago Bears are leaving for a new stadium in Arlington Heights. Soldier Field was built in 1924, and was originally named Municipal Grant Park Stadium. Mayor Emanuel and the Bears need to work together to make Soldier the best possible stadium for both the fans and team as well as the city as a whole. "All options include major programmatic changes and concourse space improvements and, most importantly, preserve historical components of Soldier Field including the colonnades," the city said. "I think that there's no possibility they're not gonna consider this plan. "An improved Soldier Field will deliver a world-class visitor experience," Lightfoot said in a statement. However, none of the options seem likely to convince the Bears to stay in Soldier Field. "As a season-ticket holder and longtime Bears fan, I am committed to keeping the 'Chicago' name in our football team," Lightfoot said. Earlier this month, the Museum Campus Working Group published its report, Where Worlds Connect, detailing key analysis and recommendations to enhance the Museum Campus. Quadruple the food and beverage square footage from 50,000 sq ft to 200,000 sq ft. Add secondary club and activation areas to as many as 20. As part of our mutual agreement with the seller of that property, we are not pursuing alternative stadium deals or site.. Chicago Bears Soldier Field dome: Landmark Development ", The proposal also would expand seating at Soldier Field from 61,500 seats to 70,000, increase the number of suites from 133 to 140 and quadruple the food and beverage space from 50,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet. Here's What We Know So Far, This 28-Year-Old Pays $62 a Month to Live in a Dumpster He Built for $5,000Take a Look Inside, 25-Year-Old Makes $200/Hour Without a Bachelor's Degree: I Work Less Than 6 Hours a Day', Mayor Lori Lightfoot Asks Texas Gov. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and are an important tool for ending the global pandemic. It sounds like the Bears will be welcoming fans back at Soldier Field in full capacity for the 2021 season, as theyre already one of 30 teams thathave approval for full capacity stadiums to begin the preseason. The centerpiece is a dome, made of steel and translucent plastic, that would slide over the top of the grass playing field in bad weather. In anticipation of the Bears buying the property, the Arlington Heights village boardapproved a zoning change in June that will allow a football stadium to be built on the land, which is currently occupied by a horse racing track. The Bears Originally constructed in 1924, Soldier Field has been home to the Bears since 1971. Gene Washington, the NFLs director of football development, ruled the play by Smith unnecessary roughness, although no penalty was called and Hill was not hurt. Even with the addition of 5,000 new seats, the capacity would still be under the NFL's minimum capacity of 70,000 required to host a Super Bowl. It also discusses the possibility of quadrupling the amount of food and beverage space in the field to 200,000 square feet. Soldier Field, part of Chicago's 57-acre iconic Museum Campus that's also home to the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum, is one of the smallest National Football League stadiums in the country.
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