Everyone seems to know the Chicago Bears are done with the City of Chicago — except the City of Chicago.
Let’s face it, the day that we heard the news about the Arlington Park property — it was over. More seats, more parking, infinitely more ways to control their revenue growth? It’s a no brainer for the McCaskey family.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled a plan this week that addresses none of those shortcomings the Bears deal with now at Soldier Field — but it does include the potential of adding a $1.5 billion taxpayer-sponsored dome. (I guess we’ll just keep slapping on layer upon layer to that place, until it topples over?)
The Monsters of the Midway may be vacating — but there are some excellent ideas in the new Museum Campus proposal that will bring into a brand new era.
Of the proposals covered by Block Club Chicago, the biggest win would be moving Huntington Bank Pavilion between the Field Museum and the stadium. It always feels like a monumental trek whenever you catch a show there and a more permanent structure might finally make that venue feel less — temporary. It would also make Northerly Island a more nature-friendly place to walk and visit on the lakefront.
We also forget that Soldier Field has another tenant: The Chicago Fire. Soccer’s popularity in this country has tripled over the last decade — it would be no surprise to me to see it continue to climb. Why not embrace this franchise by giving them a dedicated home?
Soldier Field had a life decades before the Chicago Bears moved down from Wrigley — when the team moves, it can still have a place in Chicago for decades to come.
