Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot presented the Chicago Bears with three proposals for renovations to Soldier Field in an effort to entice the team to remain at the stadium. The team signed a $197.2 million purchase and sale agreement with Churchill Downs Inc. in September for a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights.
At the center of all three proposals is the construction of a domed stadium, which could cost between $900 million to $2.2 billion to construct. The first proposal involves completely enclosing the stadium with a dome by rebuilding both end zones with columns that will support the dome. The second proposal would see these construction efforts happen in order to simply make the stadium dome-ready. The final proposal would require modifications to be made to Soldier Field in order to transform it into a multipurpose stadium that would play host to soccer games as well as music concerts and other events.
Despite the mayor’s efforts, the Bears remain adamant that they will be relocating to a new stadium. “As part of our mutual agreement with the seller of that property, we are not pursuing alternative stadium deals or sites, including renovations to Soldier Field, while we are under contract,” the Bears confirmed in a public statement.
