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A little less than two weeks after shocking the city by announcing plans for a new, privately-financed $650 million stadium in downtown Chicago, the Chicago Fire unveiled official renderings and held a town hall hosted by Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd Ward) with their future neighbors.
With the bombshell announcement two weeks ago, the team announced the venue’s location – just south of Roosevelt St. and west Clark St., part of the of The 78, a previously-stalled megadevelopment in the South Loop about a mile and a half down the road from their new $100 million training facility, capacity (22,000 spectators) and planned opening date (2028).
However, in a departure from the way that many other new sports venues have been announced, they did not release a set of stadium renderings with the announcement. Instead, they released only a pen-and-ink style sketch in black and white, saying that renderings would be released “at a later date.”
Today, the team unveiled renderings, including a glass facade punctuated by brick enclosing a natural grass surface, relatively low to the ground compared to the surrounding high rises, but with an unobstructed path to the adjacent Chicago River, where the team plans for a water taxi stop.
Although the long-term plans include a plaza area with a variety of spaces along the river, at the debut, the space will have recreational facilities, with the team showing soccer pitches and tennis courts, as well as space for fan activations and meet-ups prior to games.
Inside a view from the Supporters Section shows an intimate stadium with fans close to the pitch along the entire stadium. That breaks from a pattern seen at several new buildings around MLS starting with PayPal Park in San Jose, where the pitch-level stadium seating is almost non-existent, favoring the revenue that luxury boxes provide over the atmosphere of having a greater number of fans close to the action.
Still, luxury options be a part of the new stadium – which Chicago Fire President Dave Baldwin said will help with affordability. "The stadium is going to offer a bevy of premium options that don't exist today, and by offering new suites and luxury seating, that's going to help suppress the cost of normal season tickets. So, while there will be a newer, higher end tier of products that aren't currently offered, our expectation is that this allows us to offset the cost of some of the other areas. We plan on having affordable options."
The renderings show cover over the entire seating area of the stadium, which Baldwin said will help keep light and sound in the stadium. He said that the team plans a 2,000 strong supporters section at a 35º incline, “the steepest in MLS,” stating that the team wants the supporters to create an intimidating atmosphere. "Our plan and our expectation is that this is the best experience in Major League Soccer, and one of, if not the best sporting experience in all of Chicago," Baldwin said.
The front row of fans, according to the announced plans, will be just 16 feet from the pitch, a full 25 feet closer than at Soldier Field. The top of the stadium’s lower bowl will be level with the raised Roosevelt Road viaduct, meaning that fans approaching the venue on foot from that road – including the nearby CTA rail station – will only have to walk down, not up, from street level to their seat.
Stadium To Anchor New Development At The 78
Although the stadium will be, first and foremost, the home of the Chicago Fire, team officials did say that the stadium would host about 10-15 other large events each year, including international soccer, “high school championships” and concerts.
Alongside those events expected to draw capacity or near-capacity crowds, the team also said that the facility would be used for a larger number of community events each year, alongside many small private events, like corporate meetings.
Although the team’s stadium is already permitted under the 2019 redevelopment agreement, proceeding with the project will still require City Council Approval, including a possible amended redevelopment agreement with the city.
Today’s town hall meeting was an important step towards that goal, where few projects receive City Council approval without the support of the local alderman, giving residents significant sway over what is built nearby. MIR97 Media understands that to help smooth this process, team officials, along with representatives from The 78 developer Related Midwest have been discussing the project over a period of months with Dowell and city officials including Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The team’s stadium presentation was only a few minutes, with the majority spent by Related Midwest and their partners. The developers announced plans for the site when fully built, but also unveiled a much more modest plan for 2028, with a new parking structure to the north of the stadium and recreational areas alongside the river.
Following presentations, developer and team executives took questions from residents read by Ald. Dowell. In what may be a relief to the Fire and Related staff, most of the questions seemed to be generally inquisitive or supportive of the plans – something that is likely to help speed approval.
In the question section, Curt Bailey from Related Midwest said that the team is "solely focused" on the plans they announced today, which does, notably, not include room for a new stadium for the Chicago White Sox at the site.
The team will hope approvals can come swiftly: The team intends to break ground this fall, and will still have a sprint with just two and a half years until the calendar turns to the team’s planned launch date of 2028.
