Soldier Field with a dome? Lori Lightfoot releases renderings of possible renovation

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office has released renderings of what a renovated Soldier Field might look like with a dome on it. The mayor is making a strong push for the Bears to consider remaining in the city, even as the organization flirts with a potential move to Arlington Heights.

Lightfoot’s office released three potential plans for the iconic stadium on the lakefront. She estimated that putting a roof on the stadium – the plan the Bears are most likely to be interested in – likely would cost $1 billion-$2 billion.

The Bears are exploring the feasibility of building a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights at the former site of Arlington International Racecourse. In September, the Bears agreed to a $197.2 million purchase agreement with Churchill Downs Inc., which owns the 326-acre Arlington Heights property. The Bears previously said a sale won’t become official until late 2022 or early 2023.

Lightfoot said she will give the Bears time to follow through with their contractual obligations in Arlington Heights, but she believes the team would be “foolish” not to consider remaining in Chicago. The mayor and several members of her team spoke at a news conference Monday afternoon. They pointed out several times that a renovated Soldier Field, although expensive, would be much cheaper than building an entire new stadium in the suburbs.

Next, the city will put together a feasibility plan for the project. Lightfoot indicated that funding for the stadium is dependent on having an anchor tenant, one who likely would foot at least part of the bill. Lightfoot hopes the anchor tenant is the Bears, who are under contract to play at Soldier Field through 2033. But if the Bears do leave for Arlington Heights, Lightfoot noted that other cities have multiple NFL teams.

“Obviously, we look at lots of different scenarios,” Lightfoot said. “I don’t want to get ahead and talk about specifics, but clearly we have thought about the possibility of the Bears leaving, but I feel confident that will not have a negative economic impact on the city or the utilization of Soldier Field.”

New York and Los Angeles both have two NFL teams. In both cases, the teams share a stadium. The New York Jets and Giants play at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Los Angeles Rams and Chargers play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Naming rights for Soldier Field also could generate a huge amount of money for the project. Recent naming rights deals for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas have generated upward of $400 million dollars each.

The key question now is whether the Bears already have made up their mind to move to the suburbs. Would they seriously consider staying at a renovated Soldier Field?

The Bears have indicated that their focus remains on Arlington Heights. Team president and CEO Ted Phillips is in charge of the effort to build a stadium in the suburbs. The plot of land in Arlington Heights is much bigger than the site of Soldier Field and could give the team an opportunity to build much more than a stadium alone. They also could own a stadium in Arlington Heights. Soldier Field is owned and operated by the Chicago Park District.