When Renovations Ruin A Stadium - Soldier Field
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- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2021
- Soldier Field is the historic home of the Chicago Bears of the NFL. The stadium was designed in 1919 and opened on October 9, 1924 as Municipal Grant Park Stadium. The name was changed a year later to Solider Field as a memorial to U.S. soldiers who have died in the line of duty.
Upon its design and construction, Soldier Field was one of the most massive and modern stadiums in the world. It could hold a massive 74,280 fans and was expandable to well over 100,000 with additional temporary seating. The original cost of solider field was $13 million dollars. When you factor in inflation, that cost is around $174 million dollars today. For comparison LA’s Memorial Coliseum which was built around the same time cost only $1 million dollars.
Amazingly it wasn’t until 1971 when the Chicago Bears moved into the stadium on a three year commitment. They had spent the first 30 years of their existence playing at Wrigley Field, but as a result of the AFL-NFL merger Wrigley was deemed too small by new NFL standards. The relatively short three year contract was signed as the Bears planned to build a new stadium in the Arlington Heights suburb north of Chicago. The Bears renewed the contract for short stints before finally signing a 20 year lease beginning in 1978 after the Chicago Park District agreed to renovations to the then aging Soldier Field. AstroTurf was even installed at the stadium before being removed and replaced with natural grass in 1988. Some of these renovations include a new pressbox, 116 skyboxes, as well as the wooden bench seating was replaced with individual seats with backs and armrests. By the 1990s further renovations were needed, which included building new seating into the open end of the U shaped stadium, and moving the field closer to the stands to give fans a more intimate experience. The 50 yard line seats were the closest to the field of any stadium in the NFL until MetLife Stadium opened in 2010.
The truly extreme controversy of Soldier Field began in 2001 when the Chicago Park District announced plans to what basically amounted to building a new stadium inside the shell of the old stadium. The interior would be completely gutted, but the exterior would be preserved as much as possible.
The plans drew immediate criticism from local media and fans as disliked the new stadium proposals smaller seating capacity and the decision to continue on with a natural grass field. Demolition on what we’ll call the original Solder field began on January 19, 2002. No more than 36 hours after the Bears loss to the Eagles in the playoffs, 24,000 seats had been removed from Soldier Field. Locals and former players rushed to save seats from the stadium which were left out in the South Parking lot of the stadium. The new stadium renovations were described as a fiasco by notable Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman. Others noted the new stadium looked like a “spaceship landed on the stadium”. Thanks fully to the renovations, the stadium lost its status as a National Historic Landmark. The title was officially stripped of its historic title on February 17, 2006.
The stadium has remained relatively untouched from its renovation rebuild, aside from achieving LEED status for being an extremely energy efficient building in 2012.
Despite the $632 million dollar renovation less than 20 years ago, the end of Soldier Field may be near. On June 17. 2021 the Chicago Bears submitted a bid for the land that currently houses the Arlington Park Racetrack. If the bid is approved, it looks more than likely that the Bears would move from their home for the past 50 years, Soldier Field. This is truly a disaster for stadium officials, but would mark a growing trend of NFL teams moving to city suburbs for more land and appealing local tax incentives. It should also be pointed out that Arlington Heights is the same area that the Bears considered moving to in the mid 1970s. Perhaps this is just a move nearly 50 years in the making.
Soldier Field is a cautionary tale of how to do a stadium renovation wrong. The original stadium although not the greatest facility, had a certain historic draw due to strong traditions along the lines of Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The renovation removed any trace of these long lost traditions, and the stadium is now a modern shell of its former self. 
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Soldier Field is a historic field with a lot of history. You'd think they would've taken that into consideration before destroying the beauty of it.
I like the pun when the narrator said the renovated stadium is a SHELL of its former self.
You must not know much about the Bears or the city of Chicago
Old Soldier Field was one of the most iconic appearances in all of sports. It pisses me off they ruined it so badly. The area that was similar to Roman/Greek columns was so damn unique.
I lived in Chicago in the early 1990’s. Attended two Bears games as a guest of my employer. I could not believe how antiquated that old building was. It did not feel safe to me, especially if there was a panic evacuation.
I am not a cheerleader for pro sports extorting communities to build shrines to millionaires and billionaires, but that old Soldier’s Field had to go. As some teams move their stadia to the suburbs, Minnesota Vikings, Twins and Wild and Detroit Lions did the opposite in the last 30 years.
@@mplsmark222 The old stadium had to go without a doubt. However, the old columns did not need to go and did not need to be adjusted to a new location in the new stadium. They could have easily just followed the old stadiums appearance much like new Yankee Stadium did and then just added the columns to the top again. But instead they pretty much hid them off to the outside of the building and it looks awful. So, yes, the old stadium was a shit hole and it needed to be replaced. However, they could have saved what made it a historic building and just copied that, reinforced it, and used modern materials so it would last a hundred or so years. Now we have this eyesore in the middle of the city that few like.
@@mspionage1743
I always felt that politics and patronage is very overt in Chicago. Like what happened to Meig’s Field. I now live in Minneapolis, things seemed to move more slowly and with more accountability here.
@@mplsmark222 Well yeah, it's Chicago, you aren't getting anywhere unless you know someone, are connected, or are of the old bloodlines. Even the politicians people see are mere puppets to the real powers behind everything. That is how it has been and seemingly always will be.
@@mspionage1743 the columns are made of concrete, not stone. They’d likely crumble if you tried to move them
I was lucky enough to go to Soldier Field before it was torn down to see a Bears game, and the new stadium isn't so bad, but I will say that the Bears organization is probably one of the worst run organizations under the McCaskey family. Honestly, we as Chicago love that we have one football team we can stand behind, but we're saddled that the team is run by an aged patriarch and the whole family are a bunch of tightwads who won't spend a dime to make the team a winning franchise.
They are terrible owners but I blame Daley for this particular mess. Less than a mile west of the stadium is the long standing vacant land right along the Chicago River where they could’ve built a new modern stadium for the Bears and keep Soldier Field the way it is and allow the Chicago Fire to use it. But good old Daley insisted they play along the lakefront (even tho the Chicago River is again less than a mile away from the lake) which left the McCaskeys w no choice but to renovate it the way it was done in order to add more fans to the games.
Also that would’ve made it easier for ppl from across the Chicago metro area to get to the games since it’s closer to I-90/94, I-55, and the Eisenhower.
Sounds about Daley
@@lucasrichards7247 they didn’t add more fans there’s actually 6,000 less seats inside the renovated stadium. The owners just wanted nicer luxury boxes and owners boxes inside the stadium and had the tax payers pay for that ugly renovation. McCaskey family doesn’t care about its team’s fans, it’s a cash machine they inherited and that’s why they’re so bad at business and have made their accountant the head of football ops in Ted Phillips the past 30 years and haven’t been any good for 95% of that tenure. And the only reason they’re moving to Arlington Hts is so they can sell the team for a bigger price tag not because it’s what us Bears fans “deserve”
@@Andrewbag6 the Bears don’t own the stadium, so while it was taxpayer funded the reason was the park district did not want to turn over ownership to the Bears.
They should have taken notes from the Packers and Lambeau Field.
How do you mess a building up sooo badly that it gets its status as a historical landmark REMOVED???
Current owners probably love it, as you can resell non-historical landmark buildings much easier, or tear them down, making the real estate more valuable often.
@@raylopez99 You can't; Soldiers Field and the land around it is OWNED and MANAGED by the City of Chicago, not Bears.
Unlike Wrigley Field, the Bears couldn't do shit with that stadium, due to both city's politics and team's broke-ass coffers.
Understand the criticism of the outside for sure but the interior seating layout works very well because the seats are right on top of the field. Can’t beat the priceless piece of land it sits on either. Hope they stay and renovate but not looking good.
no your wrong.. It's the smallest stadium in the NFL. We have one of the largest cities in the US. but we cant even seat fans because the stadium is to small. just go to the museum or planetarium if you want to see the prime real-estate.
As a longtime resident of Chicago and Bear’s fan, I’m rooting for them to move to Arlington height’s. The potential for an awesome stadium and better fan experience is worth the commute for me.
@@ABCRapster glad someone has some sense! Could you imagine something like sofi being built in Arlington! Huge screen in the middle so everyone can get a good view no matter the seats. I don’t care if it’s not directly in the city. And look how hard it is to get in and out of soldier field. No fun. The tailgating in Arlington would be huge!
@@TheGoonSquadd dont do it. That stadium is trash
@@walterwhite1 Really? What did you not like about it? Anything online usually preaches how great it is so I am genuinely interested in why think that.
Mid 1980's, warm balmy Saturday evening, beautiful clear sky, watching Paul McCartney and Wings perform. Fireworks soared while they played Live or Let Die. I will never forget the experience.
It looks odd and the rebuild destroyed the historic appeal of the original. I understand why the reaction was negative. But it is actually a nice stadium to see a game, the layout works, and the location is great. It seems inevitable the Bears are moving, which is too bad.
I think everybody would be fine if soldier field has a good capacity (80kish) but 60,000 seats in the 3rd largest market in sports just doesn’t work
The location is terrible. You have to walk a half mile to get in. They could have built it half a mile down the lake and it would have never been abandoned by the bears in a few years
@Elijah Boyd no worries. Rebuilding it was an impossible task and in the end didn’t work. It’s days are numbered now, so you win.
Jets fan here, agreed, not happy with 'renovations'. So Iconic, it was.
When you compare the renovations of Soldier Field and Lambeau Field, it's night and day. The Lambeau renovation didn't completely destroy the visual appeal of the stadium, while the Bears' renovations of Soldier Field left it unrecognizable.
Hmmm interesting. As an international fan, the renovated soldier field has always been one of my favourite nfl stadiums
People just love to complain, and want us to have an old traditional poverty stadium like the Packers
@@thedon897 huh, majority of the fans don't like the stadium including me. Looks like a crashed spaceship. Doesn't even hold 70k fans... which means we cane host the superbowl...the grass used to be horrible..players around the league said it was one of the worst fields to play on...should I continue? We been asking for a new stadium for years...don't get me started on the politics in my city and how that hurt the bears... Chicago park district suck
@@MR.STOKES97
Y'all wouldnt hold a Super Bowl in todays age regardless. Its an open-air stadium that far north.
It's too cold to host a SB there that time of year.
I actually like it.
And we trust you when you say that you are an international fan because you spell favorite/favourite with a u
@@Jshaw6614 they played in New Jersey (met life stadium) couple years ago and got lucky with the weather.. could've easily been a cold and snowy day so please stop the ignorance and nobody said the new stadium has to be open. It's called a dome, enclosed or retractable roof...
Before the Bears moved to Soldier Field, there was talk of of them possibly moving to then-Dyche Stadium and even Notre Dame Stadium. Soldier Field hosted the largest crowd ever to see a collegiate football game - 120,000 - when Notre Dame and USC met there for the first time.
Never heard of talk about Notre Dame, but Dyche was their plan until Evanston passed an ordinance limiting events at the stadium outside of Wildcats football.
I love my hometown Chicago and the bears I can't wait to see our new stadium 💙🧡💯🐻⬇️🏈
The Oakland Coliseum was a great Baseball stadium until they erected mount Davis. Now you can't see anything that happens on the warning track from the seats in the outfield and the cool breeze that used to come in from center field is no more.
Richard M. Daley was Mayor in 2001 when this happened. Daley was the same Chicago mayor that had Meigs Field bulldozed in the middle of the night back in 2003.
The interior is awesome for watching football!!! Way better than the old bowl. The outside is no big deal.
Among al the options over the years (tear the *_entire_* stadium down and rebuild, move out to the suburbs, and landing the spaceship), this was probably the best way to go. The two parts are a bit incongruous, but then, Chicago is full of very old buildings and very new ones, so there's always going to be that aspect there. There are ideas out there to even build a roof over Soldier Field in an attempt to keep the Bears there. I hope the McCaskets can be convinced to sell the team before they run off to AH.
Went there when they did the renovation it sucks never going back
And to think you need at least $2 BILLION for todays stadiums
Daley should’ve been thrown in jail for that stunt he pulled. I’m embarrassed to show anyone from out of town.
I’ve been to this place and I like it. It’s a great place to watch a football game despite it being small capacity wise but then again, if it was as big as FedEx Field, they be complaining about it being too big. There’s no fine median anymore.
It's the smallest stadium in the NFL, it's literally on one side of the spectrum. So I don't believe you know what a fine median is.
Been to two games there and I actually enjoyed the experience once actually on stadium property. The walking up and down the ramps that cross the railroad tracks? Meh. But it's a nice stadium for sure.
And actually, since I've never driven there and parked on site (actually shuttled in from a tailgate about a half-mile away), I actually appreciate the experience more not being caught in traffic coming or going. I'm a season-ticket holder at MetLife Stadium, which is an absolute disaster getting out of after a game.
The people in LA, VEGAS AND DALLAS will disagree with you
@@mountainbikerdave70000
As someone who has attended many games at Soldier field, all I can say is great things. I personally can affirm that no matter where you are in the stadium, you have a great seat.
Soldier field does an amazing job of also recognizing the brave who served our country. There is a memorial on the south end of the stadium and nearly every game a service memento is recognized. The stadium is full of history even if you recognize it or not. I don’t think the Bears will leave this place. Chicago will agree
Well the Bears are soon going to get a new stadium in Arlington Heights
No one in Chicago ever criticized keeping grass. They just wanted 80k seats
The complaint about old Soldier Field is that the seats were too far from the field. A friend of mine used to say that the last row at Michigan Stadium, Row 90, was much closer than the last row of Soldier Stadium, which was in the 60s.
The other problem is that the grass field is terrible. The water table is very high, so the turf can't establish deep roots. This means the turf gets far more torn up, when compared to other NFL and college stadiums. Yet, the Bears and the Park District haven't been able to agree on cost sharing for a PAT field.
But, Soldier Field is home to the Chicago Fire and hosts international soccer matches. Soccer clubs prefer grass, no matter what.
My grandma was an iron worker when she worked on soldier field!
Should have built a modern stadium and relocated the historic columns to each end zone where they would be prominent similar to the LA Coliseum end zone. But keeping the look of the stadium that matches the columns.
They did. The current stadium is not the original Soldier Field. The old place was torn down and replaced by that ugly thing.
The best description of the renovated Soldier Field is “Klingon meets Parthenon”.
Never seen this Stadium but after seeing pictures, I smashed my computer screen in rage! I was so horrified to what they done to Soldier Field, I broke down in tears! My children started screaming! My wife's in shambles. I'm paising back & fourth as I type this on my phone. This stadium is so embarrassing!!! My mother-in-law won't come downstairs. My families so ashamed. I will be calling the City of Chicago in the morning!
Yep, i live in Chicago and my dad broke down after seeing what they did. He was a veteran and was proud of having a hometown stadium that represented the soldiers. He said it was disrespectful to his mates that died during the war. Unfortunately he passed away from cancer (anal) years ago. He came out as a homosexual on his deathbed and his boyfriend never left his side. The doctors said homosexual men are prone to anal cancer due to damage that occurs in that area. I'm never going to another bears game again
@@westyboi1845 bro what
@@hiyves9880 Sorry I should of explained it better. My dad was a Vietnam veteran. It was a proxy war that involved the USSR and America
@@westyboi1845 i thought you were joking sorry for your loss bro
@@hiyves9880 Nah bro I wouldn't joke about the war. Wish my dad told me about being a homosexual earlier. He had nothing to hide and he's bf was a great guy. I'm still friends with my dad's boyfriend and play ball from time to time. He's a big African American guy and the doctor said size could of been a factor.
The thing that made him go to the doctor was the smell. He had scar tissue around his anus that had pockets. His feaces would collect in the pockets and cause a foul smell. The funny thing is it wasn't a crap smell. Kinda like a farm smell but really strong. I ended up having to wipe him and I used toothpicks to pick out the hardened feaces that collected in his anal scar pockets. They drop onto the floor like coins. The sad part is when I think of my dad. All I recall is the stench. It was heinous and made me white as a ghost
this just proves that there is nothing the city of Chicago cannot eff up.
Love the videos man. There were a few times I had to rewind to understand what you were saying FYI. Keep up the good work through
They should rip out the new Soldier Field and then build yet another stadium on top of it. Maybe every couple decades or so they should just add a new stadium. In 100 years people can look back and admire all of the stadium layers that were built right on top of each other.
Jim Rose said get over it....has he gotten over Cheryl Burton?
As a kid I remember seeing the columns during the game. It’s a shame they couldn’t keep those displayed
Hopefully the outer wall of Soldier Field can be saved and be turned into some kind of public venue. Easier said than done when it comes to dismantling the spaceship though.
I'll never understand why they didn't make the renovation match the original structure. It couldn't have been that hard to do.
Same thing with the Coliseum in Los Angeles!
@@rockyracoon3233 They didn’t fuck up the LA Coliseum.
It's not the first time a company left the remains of a building that once was there to just ignore what it was. Facadism, it's not just a Movie set idea.
@@Samuelfish2k . As far as I'm concerned they did.
@@rockyracoon3233 I’ve been there since the 300 million renovation. I think it looks great. What did they mess up?
I worked on the renovation of the Stadium. we worked a lot of overtime.
I like how Soldier Field is unique in having a modern stadium built inside an old stadium shell. I like the contrast of old and new.
If they move, it would be a slap to the face of soldiers it was built to honor.
Fun fact: Soldier Field has the smallest seating capacity in the entire NFL and the Bears are the only team in the NFL to not own their own stadium
Your claim that the Bears are the only team not to own their stadium would be correct if you forget about the LA Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, and Minnesota Vikings.
So, you know, the vast majority of the league.
It’s fun in that the second part could hardly be less true
Ngl soldier field might be my favorite looking nfl stadium rn
Soldier field is actually one of my favorite nfl stadium and
You didn't really explain how any specific renovations "ruined" the field. The seating looks nice and I've noticed the turf has been in better shape than the disaster it was about 10 years ago, and it seems the Bears are just dead set on a new stadium... so maybe the renovations "saved" Soldier Field for a while
It didnt.
So what's wrong w the renovation?
@@cjones3710 they tried to build a modern stadium in a footprint of an older stadium without actually demolishing the entire structure. This meant they were restricted on some of the things they could do.
Also the Bears have no ownership rights on the stadium, so any improvements they wanted or special features had to be approved by the park district.
While the renovation kept the Bears at soldier field and Chicago for another 20 years it was ultimately a bad choice by both parties. The Bears are worth significantly less than if they owned a modern stadium that could host other events that they could profit from and the park district has a huge financial burden and building that is out of date and in need of another remodel to bring it up to par with other venues like kind.
Its the smallest stadium in the NFL & very hideous looking. Arlington Park is inevitable
@@retiredstalker Small is not bad. Ravens cannot sell out seats,why go to crime filled Baltimore when a supporter a football club can cheer from home for far less expense and risk of being robbed or dui ed. As moat rav3ns fans want an excuse to get drunk and talk of nonsense at work.
It looks like a drinks can torn in 2 halves littering the lakeshore. Soldier Field used to have such architectural and civic beauty. Asymmetry is sometimes a worthwhile design trait, but here it starts to look like a rough drunken sketch taken literally from a napkin
I miss old soldier field so much bros
When the lease is up in 2033 expect and 85,000 capacity retractable roofed Stadium in Arlington Heights and i hope they incorporate the Columns of Soldier Field into the design
that sounds more like an LA bullshit design than the blue collar chicago stadium design i could think of.
3:18 When you guys that much of it, it’s basically not the same stadium anymore.
Good analysis
It’s not a bad stadium. Yea I’ve heard people say it looks like a toilet bowl from overhead shots but I’ve been to the stadium and it’s pretty good
I will say the food i had there was amazing
For those of us who understand the historical significance of the Bears......I ask, I beg; PLEASE GOD JUST RIP OUT THE SPACESHIP AND PUT SOLDIER FIELD BACK THE WAY IT WAS IN THE LATE 90'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You mean with the lack of bathrooms where guys would leave cups full of piss? No thanks.
@@timmmahhhh Chicago prefers their old ugly outdated stadiums over actual new and up to date stadiums. Case in point Wrigley Field, the most overrated stadium in baseball.
@@joemckim1183 So just like the bears?
@@joemckim1183 I agree that soldier field is ugly and outdated, but wrigley field is really nice and “modern” for a old stadium
@@joemckim1183 can't compare that damn spaceship to Wrigley stadium. Most bears fans want that shit to get torn down..officially lost its historical landmark status in 2006... and made it the smallest stadium in the league
I feel like it is a good balance of the past and the future.
Was A great place for concerts ...
Soldier has amazing sightlines and since its a stadium wedged inside another one.
The average seat is closer to the field than in any other nfl stadium.
Its more like a modern soccer stadium in Europe. Like manchester citys stadium.
I think that’s why it works great for the Chicago Fire and when international teams come to town.
Once the stadium is built in Arlington Heights the bears can buyout their lease and move directly into their new stadium
Chicago has great architecture! But New Soldier Field is hideous! I wish they could, in the future, restore Soldier Field to its original configuration. Old timey is best!
I remember watching the games when I was a kid. It was a nice stadium. Along with the Vet in Philadelphia. Lots of history behind those old stadiums. The greed of ownership.
When a 3 year deal turns into a 50 year lease, no wonder the bears didn't pass up a second opportunity to move to Arlington Heights
Honestly, one of my favorites in the league. I think it’s a perfect renovation.. they preserved the history on the outside and modernized it as one of the coolest looking stadiums in the league.
Sober up.
What is there right now just looks completely stupid. Flying saucer lands on the Acropolis.
I been to both version and enjoy it
Wait, so they planned to build a stadium in Arlington Heights back in the day…fast forward to 2022 they’re buying property with the intent of building a new stadium in Arlington Heights…funny how that happens
Team owners really take advantage of the public’s finances.
What is this dude even talking about lol I find that Soldier Field in its current renovated state is one of the nicest looking stadiums in the NFL.
I am not the only one to say this, but this last game against the Packers, I though soldier field looked awesome. I have been to Chicago quite a few times and I think the stadium is cool. I like it how people can't think for themselves, and someone says the stadium is ugly and then everyone bandwagons on. Stadium looks awesome. It is in an awesome location. If the bears move it will be a mistake. If the bears move into a dome, it will be a travesty. Almost as bad as a team called the Vikings playing in a dome. Monsters of the midway, cold windy soldier field, upper midwest people celebrating their city and their climate, showing grit. Come on Chicago, I am a Packers fan, don't do it, don't leave Green Bay as the only team in the division with an identity. How about you concentrate on running the team better instead of playing me to with a new stadium.
It's definitely something to behold. I was wandering around in Chicago a few years back and thought it was cool to see. It's infinitely more interesting than its neighbor, The Bean.
Exactly, I’m with you 100%.
Even if someone isn’t a fan of the renovation (which I think is excellent), the location of Soldier Field couldn’t be any better for an NFL team… In a nice park so close to Downtown? Couldn’t ask for more beautiful or perfectly-located surroundings than that
Why they would leave that behind to move to the ‘burbs is beyond me
Honestly Soldier Field is lost on most of the locals. Most who I have talked to are excited for the idea of the move. Despite never being inside it, I hate the idea. In part of the history of the land, in part since the state is still paying off both the renovation, and building what used to be called Comisky, where the White Sox play.
I'm a lifelong Bears fan who's been going to the games for over 30 years. I loved old soldier and my memories there as a kid are some of the best ones I have. Although I miss it, I also have liked the new stadium since it was opened and enjoy going to games there as well. Putting my fandom aside, I know it's a business and Chicago politics and taxes can make things more difficult which is why I'm fine with the move to Arlington if they want to build a complex similar to LA. But it has to be open air...playing in the elements is part of the game and the Bears identity. Hard hitting defense is what we love and that style needs to be played in an open air stadium.
@@chrism1598 Then they need to be willing to do, at least some, practice outside. Otherwise they have no more experience in the cold and wind then the Buccaneers do.
I was at the last game against the eagles. People were taking seats out and leaving with them.
Made it to a game in 2000 to the old stadium. It was cool, but in a sorry state.
I've made it to two games since the renovation. It was clearly a product of the times, where a smaller and more intimate venue was preferred, and really my only complaint is if you are in the top section it can be an endless climb.
Soldier field has limited historical appeal for the Bears other than the '85 team. The city and the parks department are it's biggest issue. Getting updates approved have been problematic and the NFL would want to help the team develop its own to maximize a charter franchise. That's just much more doable on their own land.
Soldier should've been renovated while still keeping its historic charm like Lambeau instead of this asymmetrical postmodernist monstrosity
I’m a Packers fan and I always love it when we kick the bears ass. But what happened to soldier field legitimately breaks my heart.
Good thing that you didn't turn Lambeau Field into a dome back in the 80s. Bears fans would of burned it down !
Too small capacity. They should’ve moved the pillars to the parking lot and just built a brand new stadium. Now they want to move to Arlington Heights.
Me growing up watching the Bears unfold each year as a fiasco a round up to watch them again until the McCaskeys and Halases step away.
They destroyed the Chicago Bears
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Actually, construction began immediately after the game when the Bears lost. Equipment moved in and started ripping up seats.
I worked for a concrete construction company and my boss took me to soldiers field way before the renovation all the seats removed and a large crane with the large pallets with concrete bags and would lower them down if the floor started to sag they would go under and place large timbers to stop the sag.. when we went under there were timbers all around no rhyme or reason to where they were place it looked idiotic..
I'm in the Chicago area and I'm an architect so I get this question a lot: how awful is Soldier Field? Like a lot of things you have to look at context. The context here is that the mayor as I recall required that the city would renovate Soldier Field but not offer a new venue. There were options looked at for a stadium near McCormick place nicknamed the McDome that honestly would have been a lot more practical. Like the old Hoosier/RCA Dome it would have been adjacent to a convention center to provide more flexibility in its use. There was also serious talk about them becoming the Gary Bears which Indiana would have loved of course, at least the northern Lake county residents who needed something to turn their cities around but not the southern suburbanites who didn't want to see their taxes go up. Since the architects (from Boston boo) had to make Soldier Field work they did the best job they could given the restrictions of the old stadium. The bathroom facilities at the old place were horrible and inadequate and you heard lots of stories of paper cups full of urine due to the lack of facilities. So as far as doing an addition to an old facility goes, you can either try to match it or do something that contrasts it all together. Trying to do something that matched what was there would have been a joke and I'm willing to bet would have looked even worse than what is there now for those who dislike what they see. Given those restrictions they had to work with the renovation is the best it could be, which validates the argument as to why they tried to renovate in the first place.
You are mostly correct, but the mayor doesn’t have the authority to require that a team stays in the city.
@@boataxe4605 agreed, I think he mandated that Soldier Field be used rather than do something practical. Something along that line.
I went to the ND-Wisconsin game there. I have no problem with the seating and interior EXCEPT that the upper deck is not continuous. It took us half an hour to walk around and find our way to our seats. But it has a great view of the field. The exterior is a monstrosity and takes away from the otherwise beautiful original columns and the lake view. It is Lake View Drive.
McDome would have been torn down by now, just like the RCA Dome and Metrodome were.
Indiana project fell apart, in part, due to financing and soil toxicity that raised the price
It once had a NASCAR Race in July 21, 1956.
I like the new stadium
I think it looks cool. People are so hard to please.
Now i have a better understanding why the Chicago Stadium has to be built new and outside the Chicago city limits - rehabing a 10+ year old building only results in more rehabing and more cost without making the old into the new and better.
Home of my Chicago bears
Wtf is there to complain about? Looks pretty nice to me.
I will totally admit that I have never been to the stadium, but from the pictures I have seen it looks like they could have done a better design of integrating the facade of the old stadium into the new one.
That said, what will happen to it if the Bears move out in 5-10 years as indicated at the end of the video? Just seems like a big waste of money
What the Bears want is a year-round entertainment complex that they control - right now they lease Soldier Field from the Chicago Park District. They don't want just a stadium that's only used for eight or nine football games a year, plus the occasional soccer match and Taylor Swift concert. They want bars, restaurants, theaters, a Bears Museum, a casino if they can get one, and - oh yeah - some place for the Bears to play and for the NFL to have a Super Bowl in every ten years or so. They want a facility that generates revenue for them every day of the year that they completely control.
@@TheRealLaughingGravy I totally get that. What I wonder is what happens to Soldier Field if/when the Bears move? Does it get leveled to make way for something new or does it stay unused because it is considered a historical site?
Can’t wait till the move, I hope it has a retractable roof
Moving to Arlington Heights is a move to sell the Bears to someone who can make the teem perform . And this was ahead of its time as Chicago becomes a unsafe city to be in in the last two years , and I am not trashing Chicago from the out side I was born there . Soon everywhere in Chicago will become dangerous just like Philadelphia , Washington DC . St Louis . Atlanta due to high crime rates and attracting crowds ro games where you are likely to get carjacked is a hard sell . Hence the move .
Dude its on the lake next to the museums. Its not like the stadium is in West Garfield Park...
The crime trends are national. Chicago’s rise in crime is not significantly worse than any other metro area the last couple years. It’s all over the country. Pandemic + higher-percentage profit taking by corporations exacerbate anxiety + hopelessness and the social structures of education and non-profit social responsibility organizations, the aids that the working class depend on for help and hope, are seeing funds shrivel up. That, plus a lack of a national gun policy that makes strict urban gun laws moot points because you can easily buy AR-15s across state lines (across the street in Chicago’s case - Indiana is where most guns in Chicago crimes are purchased), and it’s ripe for nationwide violent crime rates to explode. People just complain about their local city being so bad because it’s their local city, which totally makes sense. But it’s everywhere nationwide.
So why are municipalities funding stadiums and not fixing these basic needs? Oh yeah: The shell game these leagues play in purposely having fewer franchises than cities that can sustain teams, so owners can get their tax breaks and Taj Mahals. When Jerry Jones has more power in dictating to the State of New York what the Bills’ new stadium will have - and cost - than the taxpayers who pay for it, there’s a problem. Chicago’s playing that same game, because other franchises lose money (compared to other road stadiums they play in) when their teams play at the mistake by the lake.
I personally like the mix of old and new with the new soldier feild
What was inside the buildings with the columns on the sides?
I thought it was 100% on target as far as preseving a historic venue and adding all the modeen features people now want.
If Chicago has any hope of hosting a Superbowl by today's criteria, they would have to go with a dome.
Sadly
Honestly as a bears fan it looks fine. I'm a younger one so all I know is the renovation but its looks fine. I never got the hate
I’ll admit I’ve never been to a bears game, but I have been to multiple Chicago Fire games in soldier field and let me tell you. The second you get to your seats it is a world class stadium, everything leading up to that? Not so much.
Do one about the Silver dome, and King Dome if you haven't already
The only part I would disagree with is artificial turf. If they can do it in Green Bay, so can we.
In a perfect world, when the Bears move to their new stadium, Soldier Field will be demolished again (not the pillars) and the White Sox will build a new stadium there. Imagine the potential views of the pillars over the RF wall and the museum over the LF wall!
The only way the bears will make it to a Super Bowl if the fog rolls in every home game and playoffs
I've never been to Soldier field old or new but the new one, from what I've seen, looks weird. Just the design, inside and out. But, based on the comments, sounds like a good place to watch a game. Those scoreboards though, sticking out like that? Odd.
Now they wanna put a dome on it 😂
In the image shown at 2:25 the stadium looks filled in with seats, but would someone be able to tell me what was behind the blue seats?
The old seats. It used to be horseshoe shaped and then they closed off that end zone.
@@RonanOShea do you know if they just left that area with the seats alone or was something actually happening there?
They built a new stadium, which is cool, but they LOST seating capacity, which was really stupid and a built in death knell.
Lambeau Field was renovated the right way. This was a joke.
Lambeau looks awful now with those endzone stands .
This looks better.
Remember seeing the stadium in person and thinking how tacky and weird it looked from the outside