Back in my old home town of Chicago, the Chicago Bears football team has announced that they are leaving Soldier's Field, located on the lakefront near downtown, for the suburbs. At first, they thought they would build a new domed stadium at the site of the old Arlington Park Racetrack. They went so far as to buy the property and tear the grandstands down before finding out the property tax bill would be increasing from 3 million to over 16 million dollars a year, which would certainly make me stop and think about moving to Arlington Heights. Now, five suburbs are vying to be the site of that new stadium. In my opinion, no matter where you build it, it will be twice as difficult to get to for at least half the city. Chicago has offered to put a dome on Soldier's Field, but the Bears aren't biting. Their lease runs through 2033, and so they have time to think about it, although they will be able to break that lease in 2026 if they ever figure out what to do. The photograph above, by the way, I took around 1970 from the 24th floor of my sister Susan and late brother-in-law George's apartment at 1130 South Michigan Avenue. It shows Soldier's Field before a series of remodelings, and also the sign atop what was then the headquarters of the Illinois Central Railroad. Both the railroad and the buildings themselves are now gone, replaced by parkland and new high rise apartment buildings, including NEMA Chicago, a 76 story apartment tower at the south end of Grant Park. A great location, but I would advise Bears fans to hold off moving there until the stadium issue is resolved. Be sure to check back in 2033.
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