Architecture firm pitches a domed Bears stadium at the White Sox's Rate Field site

The Chicago architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill on Wednesday posted renderings of a domed Chicago Bears stadium on the site of Rate Field, the White Sox’s home in Armour Square, next to Bridgeport.^{1, 2} The firm shared the five-slide concept on Instagram.^{1, 2}

The idea assumes the White Sox move to a new stadium in the South Loop, CBS News Chicago reported.² Neither team commented on the renderings Wednesday.^{1, 2}

What the firm proposes

“We envision the new Bears stadium as the centerpiece of a mixed-use district that brings together housing, entertainment, hospitality, parks, and public recreation,” the firm said.² It pointed to transportation already in place at the site, including the CTA, Metra and the Dan Ryan Expressway.^{1, 2}

The firm also said it had found a large amount of publicly owned land around the site that could be used for affordable and market-rate housing, civic amenities and new pedestrian bridges.^{1, 2}

Renderings being shared with stakeholders say the stadium and campus are “presented by Sterling Bay,” the Sun-Times reported.¹ But Sterling Bay CEO Andy Gloor told the Sun-Times by text that the plan is Skidmore’s “work product” and that his company is “not driving this deal although we love the idea of keeping the Bears in Chicago.”¹ A Sterling Bay spokesperson called it “a real viable solution to keeping the Bears in Chicago.”¹

Who owns the land

The Rate Field site belongs to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, a state body.¹ A Bears stadium there could mean the team would not pay property taxes, the Sun-Times reported.¹ About $50 million in stadium authority bonds used to renovate the Sox park will not be retired until 2029, when the White Sox lease expires.¹

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office offered few details.¹ “The Mayor knows that Chicago is and should remain the home of the Bears and will continue to work with stakeholders across the region to do so,” it said in a statement to the Sun-Times.¹

Eleventh Ward Alderperson Nicole Lee, whose ward includes the area, said she was interested in talking about what the land could become but had not spoken with the Bears.¹ Lee called the renderings “real pretty pictures” but said “there’s still a lot we need to have extensive conversations about.”¹ She said the land is in a planned development and would be subject to all of the city’s requirements for one, adding, “So we’re a long way off.”¹

How it ties to the Sox and Amtrak plans

In September, Canal Edge LLC, a company owned by White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia, released plans for the Railyards, a development that would move the Sox to a riverfront site in the South Loop between Roosevelt Road and 18th Street.¹ That site holds an Amtrak maintenance yard, and moving it is tied to a plan to build a new Amtrak facility in Bridgeport.¹ The Federal Railroad Administration said this week that the Bridgeport facility would get a federal environmental review after community opposition.¹

Where the Bears stand

Bears CEO Kevin Warren said in August that the team was still meeting with Illinois officials but was focused on building a stadium in Hammond, Indiana, according to CBS.² Indiana lawmakers have already approved a stadium package for the team.¹ The Bears had hoped the General Assembly would help them build at the former Arlington International Racecourse site in Arlington Heights, which the team bought and cleared.¹

Gov. JB Pritzker, along with several legislative leaders, has met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, according to CBS.² The Arlington Heights mayor said the suburb remains the best opportunity for a new stadium, CBS reported.² The Bears’ lease at Soldier Field runs until 2033.¹