Should the Chicago White Sox leave Guaranteed Rate Field when their lease is up in five years — and should the team choose to remain on Chicago’s South Side — a newly released rendering has provided an initial glimpse of what a new downtown ballpark could look like.
The Sox have held “serious talks” about moving to a new location along the Chicago River. The stretch of land is mostly barren at the moment, but promises to become The 78, a new neighborhood development.
The plan from Related Midwest would also see the team’s current stadium redeveloped into a new home for the MLS’ Chicago Fire.
The Chicago White Sox have proposed a new stadium in the South Loop's 'The 78.'
If the Sox moved to the South Loop, their current Guaranteed Rate Field could be converted into a soccer stadium for the MLS' Chicago Fire. pic.twitter.com/Xat55svBnV
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) February 8, 2024
Per the Chicago Sun-Times, Related Midwest believes the development would feature a $9 billion investment, an economic impact of $4 billion per year, at least 10,000 construction jobs, at least 22,000 permanent jobs and 1,000 affordable housing units.
The stadium renderings also show the Sox correcting one of the biggest mistakes made during construction of their current stadium: facing the park away from Chicago’s iconic skyline.
The Willis Tower (née Sears Tower) is visible over the outfield in these drawings. The new stadium also sees culturally historic elements of the current and former homes of the White Sox incorporated, including the pinwheels and exploding scoreboard.
There is still a long, long, long way to go here, but the vision itself is one that should be easy for Sox fans to rally behind.
