It is yet to be determined when construction will begin, but is hoped to open in 2029, although no plans have been officially confirmed. Some proposals have speculated that it might be publicly owned, though several politicians from the city and state have pushed back on the idea of public funds being used for the stadium's construction.[1][2][3][4]
Background
Upon their founding, the Decatur Staleys played at their games at Staley Field which was owned by the team parent company the A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company.[5] Although the Staley football team was popular in 1920, it struggled financially, partly due to Staley Field's 1,500 seating capacity. Fans were charged $1 to attend games and company employees received a 50 percent discount, which was not economically feasible for the Staleys. The Staley company sold the team to George Halas, who transferred the team to Chicago in 1921 and move the games to Cubs Park (now Wrigley Field), which was owned by the Chicago Cubs,[6] and in 1922, they renamed themselves the Chicago Bears in order to associate themselves with their landlords.[7]
The Bears moved to their current home–the city-owned Soldier Field–in 1971 after the AFL-NFL Merger, the newly merged league mandate instituted after the 1970 season dictated that teams must play in stadiums that could hold a minimum of 50,000 seats. The move was supposed to be temporary–"an interim measure taken of necessity until a new city stadium can be erected"–but in the decades since, the team and the city of Chicago had multiple clashes about the state of the stadium, which caused a desire on the part of the team's ownership to find an alternative stadium owned by the team.[8][9][10] Soldier Field underwent a major renovation that was completed in 2003 and rebuilt the interior of the historic stadium. The outer facade was preserved, but the site lost its National Historic Landmark status amid heavy criticism of its clashing architectural elements.[8][11] Soldier Field remained the smallest stadium in the NFL by capacity, with only 61,500 seats.[8]
Sites considered
Arlington Heights
A move to the village of Arlington Heights, Illinois was first proposed in 1975, as the Madison Square Garden Corp. announced they would determine the feasibility of building a sports stadium on 20 acres of undeveloped land next to the Arlington International Racecourse. The Bears had plans to build a publicly funded 80,000-seat stadium and sign a 35-year lease to use it, but the plan fell through when the city voters refused to approve funding, after the plan to move the Chicago White Sox to the village as well fell through.[12] In 1990 Bears President Michael McCaskey said they haven't ruled out the Arlington Heights project.[13]
In September 2021 the Bears first put a purchase agreement on the 326-acre plot of land in the village of Arlington Heights, Illinois and the Arlington Park properties.[14] In September 2022 the Bears hosted an information meeting to discuss the potential purchase and possible development of Arlington Park at John Hersey High School.[15] The sale was finalized on February 15, 2023, for $197.2 million,[16][17][18] with plans on building a new $5 billion domed stadium on the land.[19] Demolition of former Arlington Park began in May, 2023,[20] but after disagreement over the property tax assessment,[21] prompted the Bears to explore alternative sites for its planned stadium.[22][23] In March 2024, the village of Arlington Heights offered a tax reduction in attempt to lure the team to build new stadium in village.[24] In November, the team and the city reached a tentative agreement over the tax dispute.[25]
The Bears submitted traffic and financial studies for Arlington Heights stadium site in March 2025.[26][27] In September, the Bears announced that their new stadium is planned for Arlington Heights.[4]
Museum Campus
In 2024, the Bears shifted their focus to the parking area south of Soldier Field on Museum Campus. The plan was to build a new domed stadium and to invest more than $2 billion in private money in a publicly owned stadium and park space. The plan also indicated that much of Soldier Field would be torn down to create the additional "green space".[28][29] On April 24, 2024, the Bears revealed plans for a $4.7 billion domed lakefront stadium development.[30][31] The office of Illinois GovernorJ. B. Pritzker would later call the plan a "non-starter for the state".[32]
In September 2024, Friends of the Parks announced their opposition to the Bears' project and their intention to fight it. Executive director Gin Kilgore stated, "We'd like to say you never start with a lawsuit, but you don't take it off the table."[33][34][35][36] In October 2024, Bears president Kevin Warren said he "hopes the Bears can break ground in 2025 on a lakefront stadium, which remains the priority over Arlington Heights",[37] and that they're "exploring private equity as funding source".[38]
By 2025, the focus shifted back to the Arlington Heights site, culminating in the Bears announcing Arlington Heights as "the only site within Cook County that meets" their standards for the project.[4]
Michael Reese Hospital
In November 2024, the Bears stated that they have also considered the site of the former Michael Reese Hospital in the Bronzeville neighborhood after progress on the waterfront site stalled. The site was originally rejected because it was considered too narrow and over an active rail line.[39] In March 2025, Farpoint Development stated that they had a plan for a privately funded 75,000-seat domed stadium and additional parking and infrastructure investment. Demolition of the nearby Prairie Shores apartments would be considered to increase the stadium footprint.[40]
In 1971 the Chicago White Sox offered to have the Bears play in Comiskey Park, which was the home of the old Chicago Cardinals, but Halas declined out of respect for the Cubs.[41] In 1977, the Bears revealed they had contact with then-White Sox owner Bill Veeck about the use of the stadium as a temporary solution, as a result of the deteriorating state of Soldier Field. In 1980, the Chicago Tribune revealed that the Bears were considering playing their 1980 regular season games at the stadium, if they couldn't sign a lease extension with the Chicago Park District, who owns Soldier Field. In 1998, then-Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley proposed that the Bears share New Comiskey Park with the White Sox.
In 1978 the idea of moving Bears games to Notre Dame Stadium was first proposed by Halas, but he also said, "We don't even know whether a place like Notre Dame would let us in".[42] In July 1980 the Bears approached the university officials with a request to play two exhibition games and eight regular season games for the upcoming season, but the team later signed a new 20-year lease agreement to stay in Soldier Field.[43][44]
In 1990 Bears President Michael McCaskey said that a proposal to build a stadium in Waukegan was still on the table.[13]
In 2023 Waukegan reached out to the Bears again and expressed their interest in wanting to be the home of the team stadium.[45]
Roosevelt Road
In 1986, Chicago Mayor Harold Washington proposed a football-only stadium as part of a larger West Side sports complex that would include the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. The plan was rejected by the Bears.[46]
In 1991, DuPage County officials tried for the first time to pursue the Bears to be principal tenants of a vacant site owned by the county airport authority.[47] In 1995 Bears President Michael McCaskey revealed that the Bears plan was to build a $285 million, 74,000-seat stadium, with $185 million to be financed primarily by public funds, at one of three locations, including the western-most portion of O'Hare International Airport.[12] In 1998 the Bears signed a letter of intent that gave them 18 months to decide whether to pursue a new $200 million to $300 million stadium in Elk Grove Village, with state officials saying "they are not willing to make any significant contributions to build a suburban home for the Bears".[48]
In 1995 the Bears announced they had acquired an option to purchase 200 acres in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, as one of four potential locations for its new $285 million, 74,000-seat stadium. At the time it was believed that the Hoffman Estates location was the favorite.[50]
Northwest Indiana
In 1995 a business group called Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Entertainment Inc. tried to lure the Bears with a plan for a $205 million, 75,000-seat open air stadium in Gary, Indiana, as part of a $482 million plan redevelopment project west of the Gary Regional Airport called "Planet Park". However, the plan was rejected by the Lake County Council.[51]
In 2025, the Indiana General Assembly passed a bill to create a commission with the intent of attracting one or more professional sports teams to northwest Indiana, possibly the Chicago Bears. Kevin Warren and the team have not addressed the bill publicly.[52][53][54]
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