combining classic with modern is common in Europe. I think the architects pulled it off here. They kept the best aspects of the old stadium with a cool futuristic look with nice details in the cladding.
It looks way better than the previous Soldier Field. I think it's underrated and not as bad as people make it out to be. I do like the newer Soldier Field renderings with the roof over it. I do think the Bears will stay in the city when its all said and done.
I don't have a problem with the concept of keeping the facade of Old Soldier Field, but the problem is that the "inner stadium's" architecture is so out of place compared to the outer facade. They really need to have the architectures match and complement each other. And at this point they're just trying to put lipstick on a pig.
Huge omission from your video: new Soldier Field was the BEARS plan, not the city's. The Bears gave state legislators hours to vote on the funding, or the Bears and the NFL were going to pull their pieces of the funding. The city wanted a different design: dig down and build whatever you wanted, and add a retractable roof. Also allow for flexible seating so Chicago could host the Olympics, the Final Four, etc. The Bears would not agree or negotiate. At the time they said "We are an outdoor football team". Chicago lost their bid for the Olympics in part because Soldier Field does not meet the seating requirements. Now the Bears are considering a retractable roof for the potential stadium in Arlington Heights. In Summary, Bears hold state hostage, Bears get what they wanted, Bears now not happy with what the current stadium they designed.
Because of Grant Park Stadium (Soldier Field) status as a National Historical Landmark, the exterior of the stadium had to be maintained. It could not be torn down because of a federal law that protects historical sites. Since that time Soldier Field has been delisted as a National Historical Landmark.
The Bears are also dead set against artificial surfaces after their number one WR, Wendell Davis, suffered a career ending injury caused purely by the artificial surface in Philadelphia.
They also weren't continually adding seats to the old Solider Field like the video claims. They were actually removing them. The stadium started out with a capacity over 100,000. By the time it was torn down, it was only a little over 60,000. Also, that wall of seats isn't low to the ground like the video claimed. The last row of the entire old stadium sat lower than the first row of the new stadium's upper deck. That said, it is still one of the best stadium's in the NFL when judging purely by the interior. It's an amazing place when the Bears are good. It has great sight lines. It's very intimate. It has very good concession access. And, it's one of the louder stadium's in the NFL thanks to the fact they had to build almost straight up in an enclosed manner in order to keep the new stadium inside of the old stadium's exterior, which captures the noise much like the Seahawk's stadium.
@@americandeathtrip6881 then he repeats the same thing 3-4 times in the videos, often times in the exact same way, in order to stretch the video to the optimal 10min length. Churning this many videos out per day does come at the expense of quality.
Dempsey fought Tunney at Soldier Field in Sept 1927 before a reported crowd of 150,000. In November USC played Notre Dame before a reported crowd of 123,000
Not a Bears fan but I wanted to like the New Soldier Field. Most NFL stadiums are pretty cookie cutter but Soldier Field was unique looking and I really, really was hoping the unique look would grow on me but it never did.
The White Sox problem is that they built a bad stadium to begin with. They had to tear down a level of seats. The area isn't the greatest but it is better than it was 30 years ago. Obtw, it does help to have a good ball club. The one thing they could do is have more bars in the area but it's right next to the Expressway. The Sox wanted to leave before because of Old Comiskey Park. They should have tried to duplicate that place with better seating lines for their were places where a pole was in your line of sight. Otherwise it was a fun loud and crowded place in 1983 at least. I worked for the Cubs at Wrigley Field and at that time before the renovations, the bathrooms were horrible. They had stalls but not enough as most of the people relieved themselves in something that looked like a horse stable. They stayed put after renovations
Arguably , with the stunning backdrop of the Chicago skyline coupled with Lake Michigan ,this is the best stadium in the NFL. Tell me So-Fi backdrop and location is more postcard perfect than Soldier Field , you can’t….
@@GoOp790 Obviously my comment was a “big picture” comment that took more than just the stadium ( which is beautiful) into consideration , come on man…
Chicago is very particular about its architecture and preserving it. The Bears were given the condition that they had to keep the columns to preserve their historical architecture status but ended up losing anyway a few years after the stadium opened. Most hate the location anyway cause there is no easy way to access it and its in the museum district so there’s no bars or restraints nearby.
A few things: * Those aren't pillars. They are colonnades, which is a fancy term for a long series of columns. Usually the term is used for columns in structures having the classic Greek/Roman styles (even if modern). Colonnade, yes. Column, acceptable. Pillar, no. * The redesign was attempting to retain the Landmark status of the original Soldier Field. Keep the outer shell as is and gut the interior, stay a landmark. Which limits your options. In the end, they lost the status as the changes were deemed too much. * Ultimately, the Bears are just a tenant. The Chicago Park District owns the stadium. And this also cuts into the extra money from parking, concessions, and so on. * Many teams are building complexes around their stadiums for year round entertainment. The Bears can't. Soldier Field is within the Museum Campus and Grant Park. Can't really build within that.
Nice video. I actually like soldier field. Not just because I am a Packers fan and at least 2 of the franchise's greatest wins were played there but I just like unique stadiums. But the truth is that the greatest stadiums are the ones the where the greatest games were played. Like candlestick park is the coolest venue in sports history even though it was a shitty baseball stadium conversion. Moving to Arlington is odd since it would shave like 25 minutes off of packer fans commute.
there is a stadium in Melbourne Australia named the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) built in the 1853. there is nothing left of the stadium from when it was built (but they have been playing on the same spot since then.
If Soldier Stadium fails, Chicago Fire FC, Chicago Red Stars and Chicago Bears at Guaranteed Rate Field as Soccer ⚽️/Football 🏈 Material or a new Stadium next door to United Airlines Center where the Bulls, Blackhawks and Sky sands there
A new stadium for the White Sox where Soldier Field is a terrible idea. Traffic after Bears game is a nightmare. Imagine being a season ticket holder and have to deal with it 81 times a season !
In 2002 removing all the seats and reconfiguring the seating layout would have been great. Before the stadium was renovated in 1971 to get the team out of Wrigley Soldier Field capacity was over 100k. In 02 it was about 66k so they could easily got another 15k-20k new seats in the old footprint, along with Skybox’s and suites. Capacity would have sat around 75k at least. It was truly a missed opportunity.
You need to do better research. They couldn't just knock the stadium down. Its exterior had landmark status and it was nearly impossible to demolish under Illinois law. Also, the reason the surface sucks has very little to do with the weather. The stadium is owned by the city and they allow two high school games per week to be played there, which makes it impossible for the Bears to properly maintain the grass.
Should have built a new stadium in. the south parking lot back then. Should have torn down the interior of the original Soldier Field like they did and built a small stadium inside the columns for high school football and for small college football.
I don't believe they play any high school football games there anymore..the reason the playing surface always sucks is because they play a bunch of soccer games there every year and the field is already torn up before football season ever starts.
That wasn’t the design for the Carson stadium, it was the City of Industry stadium concept. It was the least popular between the industry, Carson, and State Farm field in downtown LA. Ultimately the SoFi Stadium concept won and it was privately financed.
Once you are in Soldier Fields it’s not bad it’s a good spot to watch a game but having traveled to Detroit and Indianapolis they really could have done a lot more compared to what we got, a modern stadium with a retractable roof would have been 100x better than the mistake on the lake…
Why did it fail? Garbage design by committee, that's how. But if they'd clad it in the same stone as the original exterior, it might have looked reasonable.
Both the Chicago Bears organization and Chicago Park District (which manages the surrounding Grant Park) should have had a deal to build a new stadium on open park space about a quarter-mile from Soldier Field, then have had the old field's exterior architecture (pillars and all) preserved and interior repurposed as greenspace or as a performing arts venue, thus keeping Soldier Field's National Register of Historic Places status intact. Huge missed opportunity by those in charge to do that.
The old Soldier Field was functionally obsolete. It was a National Landmark. They did an excellent job updating it. I have attended games in both the original stadium and the new stadium. The new stadium is excellent. DG ease up on it. Never underestimate the ability of the City of Chicago to F things up.
I always thought the new look was cool but I noticed many people who hated it. I have never been there so I have no informed opinion on that place. That Carson design was the original renderings of the Chargers/Raiders proposal but changed their renderings. The final Carson design was basically Allegiant Stadium without the roof and grass field tray. When the NFL was going to expand to 32, the LA proposal planned on doing the same to the LA Coliseum. While at the time I thought it was a good idea, I am glad Houston got that team because the Coliseum Commission was run by morons who insisted on a $6M per year lease and it would have been deemed obsolete by now. Plus I got my Rams back instead of an expansion team. I have heard the modified Solider Field has really narrow concourses but I have never been there so I don’t know. I also heard that the US Registry of Historical Places revoked Soldier Field’s status.
Question for someone who has seen a game at the new Solider Field: Is it just me, or are most of the seats close to the field? The slightlines seem terrific
It was, we were at section 243 at the back and it was perfection. Been to 9 stadiums and Soldier is my number 2 JUST behind Lambeau. I think all the hate comes from people who have never been to game.
It hasn’t failed. It’s an outstanding place to watch a game. The group think that it’s not is spewed by types that want to sit in a recliner and drink mimosas, If you want open air, great sight lines, and close to the action, it’s a wonderful venue.
Aesthetically I like it. Parking, traffic, seating capacity, the steepest upper deck in the NFL and the wind chill being adjacent to the lakefront making it the coldest stadium in the league is what’s wrong with it. And the fact that the team that plays there has wasted hundreds of hours of my Sundays. You can’t leave the stadium for a smoke.
absolutely crazy that this stadium is already obsolete after spending $1bil+……municipalities should demand a minimum 50 yr guarantee lease before putting up a dime for any new stadium or arena!!!!
Soldier Field is fantastic, have been many times, it is my happy place. That "ugly" upper deck I think looks fine, and provides best in the league sight lines to upper deck fans who aren't in club seats. Fantastic atmosphere.
This guy doesn't do much research...he simply just wants to video spam multiple times a day. I'm pretty sure he looks something up on Wikipedia, then just starts rambling.
Gives me Mt Davis vibes from Oakland. Took an old beautiful timeless looking stadium and bastardized it with modern look. Hope they at least restore Soldier field back to its original look and preserve it. Money would’ve been better spent on a brand new stadium.
Back in 2005 my boss at an architecture firm laid off a guy out of college partially because he kept calling columns “pillars.” Fortunately nobody would ever hire you, so we wouldn’t have to listen to you
Whats your favorite stadium and why? I'm a pats fan so I'll say Gillette, also because it's the only one I've ever been to.. but I really like allegiant stadium and want to see a raiders game there some day.
Read what the opinion of Chicagoans and the press was back when they were planning this disaster. Everyone was against it except the one person who mattered. Rchard M.Daley. The same one who tore up Meggs Field in the middle of the night. He should have ended up in jail for how he left his mark on these two projects. The Park District and insider construction companies were the ones who made out because Daley insisted. Terrible legacy.
It has failed because they landed a Space Ship on the Lakefront. You go by there and all you see is a glassy look. They want to have a Super Bowl here as well but political haggling keeps that from Happening. The field is a mess especially when they have concerts or soccer playing there. Some team 1 day will have both a field turf and real grass so that you can have those concerts and other things going on while your team plays on real grass. The turf can be just like they have in Arizona or that other place. I think Vegas. Not sure. It also helps to have a team in contention for the playoffs and Super Bowl more regular than they go now.
I hope the Bears move to Arlington Park and the old parts and exterior of Soldier Field can be preserved and demolish most of the newer stadium parts and reuse it as something of a memorial park, or Soccer stadium, Maybe part of a new White Sox ballpark if they move to downtown instead of staying on the south side
As I’m from Scotland, and our stadiums are all needing at least a £350m renovation to each of the 50K+ ones. I can say this, I’d love to have the current or the new soldier field here. Alas, our stadium infrastructure is old and outdated now.
I enjoy your videos. How about a broader question: why do some NFL stadiums fail and some succeed today? What are the factors? Location. Parking. Non-revenue extras (architecture). Revenue producing facilities. City/team/market. Traffic/mass transit. Revenue sharing with municipalities. Neighboring real estate opportunities.
tear down the new soldier field and build a new mls stadium in the art deco style so the pillars and the old parts blend well with a new mls stadium that seats around 25k
They kept the colonnade and exterior walls of the stadium and built inside in an effort to keep its designation as a historic landmark. That's why they gutted the inside and why they couldn't "just move the columns."
Hay man you should make a video on the perfect place for oakland to make a new beautiful baseball location. It might have the best location in baseball is to make a stadium on the old alameda naval air field. It is directly across from howard terminal. This piece of empty land has some of the best views around.
Let the Bears leave. Remove a couple of rows of seating to accommodate a CFL team there. CFL is STILL football. Chicagoans will love CFL football. Soldier Field is meant for football. Don't let the soccer team, the Fire waste it away.
I am happy the old colonnades and building will live on in some way, even if a small stadium remains for municipal use. Kezar stadium is like that in a corner of golden gate park in San Francisco. I wish that was the case with a lot of old stadia, like Ebbets field and others.
There is NO way they would've demolished the old structure to build a new stadium. Chicago citizens would not have stood for that because of it's historic and iconic status.
I've been to the old Soldier Field, but not in it. I've been to a game at the new Soldier Field. My take is that it was better than what they had, but not something to write home about. It looks good, but from inside the stadium the levels seem to go straight up. Looks like everyone is on top of the field. I thought the I've looked good. It just seemed like the smallest stadium I've been in. Even college stadiums. If the stadium wasn't across the street from the Field Museum they probably would have ditched the columns.
If they do decide to build a new stadium altogether, I hope they at least include the pillars somehow like incorporated into the new stadium kind of like the open end of the stadium like where the Raiders have their flame they should have pillars in the backdrop
I personally feel that the original Soldier Field is the greatest stadium ever built (followed VERY CLOSELY by the LA Coliseum), and your modern version at the 2:02 mark is just so fucking perfect.
Soldier Field is just funny looking. I wasn't aware of the history, but they should have NEVER tried to preserve an old structure into a new structure. Knowing the history, I just look at the stadium in disbelief
for the last time, this is an entirely new stadium, it doesnt deserve the “oldest stadium” moniker, especially since it was stripped of being a landmark
Instead of building these ugly behemoths, why not stick to simple designs? That's the problem with stadiums these days. Baseball has the same issue. They build these stadiums with all these extra bells and whistles that are completely unnecessary, in my humble opinion. There's a reason why old parks like Fenway and Wrigley are so popular and still standing. They're SIMPLE! They cater to the game, not take/distract from it. That's also why, as I mentioned in another video, why stadiums such as Dodger, PNC, Petco, Pac Bell and perhaps GABP, will have a very very long life, because they're simple. They have charm. Just because they spend billions on stadiums doesn't mean they're going to be appealing. Quite the opposite. These mammoth stadiums are boring, once the newness wears off. They're just blocks of concrete. The Bears should just stick with something like the old Soldier Field if they intend to build another stadium. Who cares if it has a college football stadium field. After all, people go to stadiums not for the damn stadium, but to watch the game!! I've never heard of someone saying, oh, I'm going to go look at the stadium! Simply put, simple will always be better!
The interior looks great, but the western exterior looks horrible. Like a UFO. It’s also egregious that it’s got the lowest capacity in the NFL for the nations 3rd largest city/metro area
omg this isn't rocket science, the Chicago DMA is the #3 DMA, that's designated market area, they just renovated an old stadium, kinda like Key Arena, we saw how well that worked out for the Sonics, right?
the Bears need to head to the 'burbs, they bought the land in Arlington,, time to build a stadium there, the Bills play in a suburb, so do the Jets and Giants, this isn't rocket science
Soldier Field is owned by the Chicago Park district, that's the main reason the Bears want out. Their Deal with the city is just plain bad period. You have all these City workers and Groundkeepers employed , pensioned out by the city. To go with the new field turf would cost a flat out 1.4 million one time payout. Instead with all the employed they think it;s cheaper every year just to keep trying to lay sod down which is 500,000.00 a year. After all these years it's been proven that the grass sod won't take root and stay, plus there isn't heating coils underneath like Lambeau. Try and grow grass in Chicago December, january. I'm all in for the Arlington Heights move, Traveling to the Arlington Heights is easier, the Metra Trains have the Arlingtonn Park platform station right there plus 3 major Highways. The Arlington Park Racetrack property is Huge. All pluses.
For them I hope their new stadium whenever that happens build the monuments or whatever you want to call them and don't bury them make them visible again, make the monuments the tradition to your new place like the Yankees did for New Yankee Stadium.
I’ve been to soldier field and 9 others. It’s better then all but 3 i went too. Lambeau and Viking new stadium are better for obvious reason and obviously LA… (Chicago west when they played there). I like soldier field better then Detroit, arrowhead (yes the crowd was great but stadium was old and smelt like piss ), Jacksonville, Washington (absolutely the worst, Cincinnati, St. Louis (rip), Oakland (rip).
