Bears' proposed stadium features translucent roof, view of Chicago skyline

The Bears’ future home will have “translucent roof and massive glass panels that would bring in sunlight and allow for views of Chicago’s famed skyline” should the $3.2B stadium unveiled yesterday come to fruition, according to Andrew Seligman of the AP. The team plans to “host major concerts throughout the year as well as Super Bowls, Final Fours and Big Ten championship games.” Though Soldier Field’s famed colonnades would be preserved, the actual stadium installed in the previous renovation two decades ago would be “torn out and replaced by playing fields as well as park space.” The plan “calls for a pedestrian mall, food and beverage options, a promenade and plaza” (AP, 4/24). The Bears have pledged to contribute $2B to the project, and in Chicago, Laurence & Ecker wrote that would be a “complicated mix of loans and future revenue streams that can be borrowed against to begin construction.” The bulk of the money will “come from revenue raised through marketing opportunities at the new stadium,” including naming rights and loans from the NFL. The team also hopes to raise hundreds of millions through the sale of PSLs (CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS, 4/24).

DO THE EVOLUTION: In Chicago, Spielman, Armentrout & Sfondeles wrote the proposed stadium, which was designed by architectural firm Manica, “likely will be seen by many as a vast improvement over the much-criticized, spaceship-like seating bowl plopped onto Soldier Field’s historic colonnades in 2003.” Warren said that fans will be “protected from the elements but ‘feel like they’re outside.’” He indicated that the team “considered but dismissed the possibility of a retractable roof, since it would have added hundreds of millions of dollars to the cost.” It also “likely would have been used just a handful of times each year” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 4/24).

TRYING TO ACT FAST: In Chicago, Jason Lieser noted the Bears ideally would “break ground on the stadium in 2025 and open it for the 2028 season,” though that depends on the state passing a funding bill before the current session ends in May. A team spokesperson said that the venue will have “roughly 65,000 seats,” similar to Soldier Field, but “hold a larger capacity because of increased standing-room-only areas.” Capacity would be 77,000 for events like a Final Four (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 4/24).

APPEALING TO THE MASSES: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan after seeing the renderings and listening to Warren asked, “How could anyone dare say no to this idea?” The renderings “did look kind of cool.” There are “so many reasons to get this done it boggles the mind,” and the “sooner the better before the White Sox ask for their handout.” Sullivan: “The No. 1 reason, of course, is the possibility of a getting Super Bowl down the road” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/24).