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Completion 2: Soldier Field
Cost: $606 million
The original Soldier Field was falling
apart by the time the last Chicago Bears football game was
played there on Jan. 20, 2002.
The foundation, underside of the seating bowl and walkways
were crumbling. The concession areas and toilet facilities
were inadequate to meet the needs of crowds, and the area
around the stadium was blanketed by a blacktop parking lot
that had long been viewed as an eyesore.
The decision to rebuild the stadium resulted from a convergence
of different agendas.
From the standpoint of the Bears, the team had never boasted
a stadium built just for football, and the old Soldier Field
lacked the revenue-producing club lounges other National Football
League stadiums offer.
From the city's vantage point, the project offered a chance
to create a lakefront jewel nestled in a parkland setting,
rather than a parking lot. Along with that, much-needed parking
would be added not only for Bears games, but also for the
popular destinations in the nearby Museum Campus, such as
the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum of Natural
History. By placing spaces for 3,300 cars underground, the
city would be able to enjoy a net again of 1,000 spaces over
the 2,300 that existed before.
The stadium kept its trademark colonnades and will be open
and accessible to the public all year long. Parkland was created
that includes a children's garden, sledding hill, hard-surface
sports area and open spaces for special events.
Tight Time Frame
Because the team was handed an exceptionally tight time frame
of just 20 months, the schedule loomed large over every project
phase.
There were early materials ordering, careful attention to
phasing and logistics and long work for the construction team.
Infrastructure work began in July 2001 - months before the
last game - when sewers and water were rerouted and additional
power was brought to the site so work could begin on time.
In design, it is likely that no National Football League stadium
will match the level of close-to-the-sidelines intimacy.
Because the bowl's new seating was to fit within the existing
colonnades, intimacy was compelled because they are so close
together on the east and west sides.
The first Bears game in the new stadium was held in September.
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Key
Players
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Owner:
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Chicago Park District
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Lessee:
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Chicago Bears Football Club, Lake Forest, Ill.
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Construction Manager:
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TBMK, a joint venture of Turner Construction Co., Chicago;
Barton Malow Co., Southfield, Mich.; and Kenny Construction
Co., Wheeling, Ill.
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Architect:
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LW+Z, a joint venture of Lohan Caprile Goettsch Architects,
Chicago, and Wood & Zapata Architects, Boston
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Developer's Representative:
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Hoffman Management Partners LLC, Chicago
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