The City of Chicago recently announced design concepts for renovations to Soldier Field, the home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
The proposal includes three options: converting the venue to a domed stadium, keeping the facility open-air but ready to accommodate a dome, and making the historic structure a multipurpose venue tailored for soccer. The Bears, who do not own Soldier Field, have declared their intent to purchase a large suburban tract to build a new stadium.
The city’s new renovation proposal includes more capacity and amenity upgrades:
- Expanded seating from 61,500 seats up to 70,000 seats including additional fan activation areas.
- Increased number of traditional suites from 133 to 140.
- Six new major club and experiential areas, none of which currently exist in Soldier Field.
- Quadrupled food and beverage square footage from 50,000 sf to 200,000 sf.
- Addition of as many as 20 secondary club and activation areas.
- Expanded opportunity for major sponsorships and naming rights.
- Creation of more flexible event space and multi-purpose venues including up to four venues with capacity ranging from 5,000 to 60,000 or more.
The dome plan would cost about $2 billion and would only be undertaken if the Bears remain in the city. The low-end proposal without the Bears would cost roughly $1 billion. Each of the city’s options would retain much of the original structure including the historic colonnade. Soldier Field opened in 1924.
The Mayor’s Museum Campus Working Group, chaired by Richard Price, executive chairman of investment management firm Mesirow, developed the plan to renovate the museum campus area of the city that includes Soldier Field. The plan to add a dome involves constructing four “super pillars” outside of the stadium to support the dome roof. The design for the dome was inspired by a hybrid concept of designs used for Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings.
Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the plans to renovate Soldier Field and the surrounding area will benefit the city even if the Bears leave. Lightfoot said the city is in discussions with other potential long-term tenants for Soldier Field.
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
| Jan 19, 2011
Industrial history museum gets new home in steel plant
The National Museum of Industrial History recently renovated the exterior of a 1913 steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa., to house its new 40,000-sf exhibition space. The museum chose VOA Associates, which is headquartered in Chicago, to complete the design for the exhibit’s interior. The exhibit, which has views of five historic blast furnaces, will feature artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution to illustrate early industrial America.
| Jan 19, 2011
San Diego casino renovations upgrade gaming and entertainment
The Sycuan Casino in San Diego will get an update with a $27 million, 245,000-sf renovation. Hnedak Bobo Group, Memphis, Tenn., and Cleo Design, Las Vegas, drew design inspiration from the historic culture of the Sycuan tribe and the desert landscape, creating a more open space with better circulation. Renovation highlights include a new “waterless” water entry feature and new sports bar and grill, plus updates to gaming, poker, off-track-betting, retail, and bingo areas. The local office of San Francisco-based Swinerton Builders will provide construction services.
| Jan 4, 2011
Luxury hotel planned for Palace of Versailles
Want to spend the night at the Palace of Versailles? The Hotel du Grand Controle, a 1680s mansion built on palace grounds for the king's treasurer and vacant since the French Revolution, will soon be turned into a luxury hotel. Versailles is partnering with Belgian hotel company Ivy International to restore the dilapidated estate into a 23-room luxury hotel. Guests can live like a king or queen for a while—and keep their heads.
| Dec 17, 2010
Toronto church converted for condos and shopping
Reserve Properties is transforming a 20th-century church into Bellefair Kew Beach Residences, a residential/retail complex in The Beach neighborhood of Toronto. Local architecture firm RAWdesign adapted the late Gothic-style church into a five-story condominium with 23 one- and two-bedroom units, including two-story penthouse suites. Six three-story townhouses also will be incorporated. The project will afford residents views of nearby Kew Gardens and Lake Ontario. One façade of the church was updated for retail shops.