 Soldier
Field
Chicago, IL
Located in the Windy City,
along the shores of Lake Michigan is Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago
Bears. When some fans think of Soldier Field, they may assume that it is the
oldest stadium in the NFL. However, contrary to popular belief, it is one of
the newer stadiums in the league. The original Soldier Field opened in 1924
and had a seating capacity of 74,000. The Bears moved here from Wrigley
Field in 1971. In the mid 1980s, discussion of a new stadium was the talk of
the city. The Chicago White Sox (MLB) wanted a new stadium, Wrigley Field
was over 70 years old and Soldier Field was over 60 years old. In 1985 there
were discussions of building a new domed stadium in downtown for the city's
sports teams. By 1986, the Bears and the city began studying plans to tear
down Soldier Field and build a new stadium south of it for $120 million.
Financing issues and controversy over where to build the new stadium delayed
the building process for several years. Over the next decade, there were
talks of building a stadium for the Bears in Arlington Heights, McCormick
Place, Elk Grove, in Gary, Indiana, in downtown Chicago and the west side of
the city. Finally, in November 2000, the Bears and the City of Chicago
announced plans to build a new stadium on the same site of their current
home, Soldier Field. The Bears had a rich tradition of playing football at
Soldier Field, the NFL's oldest stadium. The Bears decided to leave
the historic Greek colonnades that
made Soldier Field historic and memorable. The rest of the stadium was
planned to be demolished and the new stadium was to be built inside the
exterior shell.
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