New Stadium Proposed for Downtown Chicago

Chicago’s White Sox, Cubs and Bears could be playing games at a new, $230 million downtown sports complex as early as the 1989 season under a proposal put forth by a coalition of local businesses.

A scale-model of the complex, designed by architects Bruce Graham of Skidmore, Owings & Merill and Helmut Jahn of MurphyJahn, was unveiled Monday at a news conference by the Chicago Central Area Plan.

That organization, a not-for-profit group whose members include Sears, Roebuck & Co., advertising giant Leo Burnett Co. Inc., and People’s Energy Corp., among others, researches and develops projects for downtown.

The complex would consist of two separate arenas sharing a retractable, lightweight dome. The baseball stadium, which would seat 54,000, and the football stadium, with a capacity of 78,000, would share a series of support towers with the dome shuttling along tracks atop the towers to cover either arena.

One major benefit of the retractable roof would be to allow both stadiums to use grass playing fields.

The site would occupy a total of 40 acres on the west border of the city’s downtown business district, said group spokesman Franklin Cole, chairman of the investment and consulting firm, Croesus Corp.

“This complex would have a ‘flywheel’ effect on the downtown,” said Cole, “spinning off jobs during construction and afterward. It would encourage business people to stay downtown at night, it would encourage out-of-town visitors to stay an extra day.”

A market study conducted for the organization indicates a new stadium, centrally located, could increase attendance for all three teams, Cole added.

According to those surveyed, the average Bear fan would attend four games per season instead of the current two; Cubs fans would attend 10 games rather than six; and White Sox fans seven, instead of four.

The enterprise would be built, operated and owned by private investors known as The Chicago Sports Complex Corp. Financial projections indicate the complex would pay off its debts and begin returning a profit to investors “within a reasonable amount of time,” said Cole, given this set of circumstances:

--Both baseball teams draw about two million fans per season.

--The Bears draw an average 70,000 fans to each of 10 regular-season and two exhibition games each season.

--Eight “special events,” probably music concerts, draw another 360,000 people.

--A $90 million return comes from the sale or long-term lease of luxury “sky suites” and a 10,000-seat “preferred” section.

Cole said the group has talked with all three professional sports teams, adding, “No one has made any commitments, but what we tried to design reflects the conversations we had with all three.”

The National League Cubs play in Wrigley Field, the last major league park without lights, and its owner, Tribune Co., has talked of leaving the site.

Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn, co-owners of the American League White Sox, have discussed moving that team because of the escalating costs of maintaining Comiskey Park, the nation’s oldest active ballpark.

The National Football League Bears recently signed a 20-year accord with the Chicago Park District to keep playing at aging Soldier Field.

Cole also cited the need for cooperation with the Chicago City Council, saying the city’s power of eminent domain would be required to ensure acquisition of the land and the issuance of bonds.

If all goes well, he envisions groundbreaking in early 1987, with the Bears likely the first team to play at the complex in 1989.