Breaking down each Soldier Field renovation proposal

Option 1: A dome over Soldier Field

The first option proposed is really the only option that makes sense if the Chicago Bears opt to stay in the City of Chicago. Even so, it shouldn’t be enough to keep the Bears at Soldier Field.

In this option, the north and south end zones would be rebuilt to allow for the structure to support a dome over the entire stadium, enclosing the venue and allowing it to be used year-round.

As you can see in the rendering above, Soldier Field would look almost completely unrecognizable. Architecturally speaking, the only remaining feature looks to be the historic colonnades on the east and west sides of the stadium.

In the words of famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan, “Form follows function.” In other words, the form of the building should be a direct reflection of the purpose that it serves.

From a form standpoint, this makes the most sense for the function of a Soldier Field Chicago Bears stadium. It would allow for events such as the Final Four and Super Bowl to be hosted in Chicago, in addition to potentially hosting events year-round such as trade shows, conventions and concerts.

But it still doesn’t fix the fact that a modern Soldier Field is an eyesore along the beautiful Chicago lakefront. Instead, it makes the stadium even more prominent along the water and skyline.

Additionally, a capacity of just 70,000 is still much too low for the third-largest football market in the country compared to the 82,500 in New York and 81,441 in Green Bay.

Not to mention, the Bears would lose their trademark “cold weather football” with a dome, as the team would be playing indoors. Gone would be the days of playing in beautiful 70 degree weather in September, or a crisp autumn day in October. Never again would Bears fans get to experience a snow-covered spectacle in December.

Though this option would be the most practical, they’re still limited in what they can do as a result of the existing shell of Soldier Field and the ill-planned infrastructure around the ballpark.

It would make much more sense to start over and build new in Arlington Heights.