CHICAGO — Mayor Lori Lightfoot should consider renaming Soldier Field to raise money and “explore the feasibility” of enclosing the stadium with a dome or roof, an advisory panel she appointed to study Chicago’s museum campus recommended.
The panel’s work marks Lightfoot’s attempt to keep the Chicago Bears, who are exploring a possible move to Arlington Heights, deflect blame if the venerable sports team leaves, and identify potential ways to improve a stretch of land that also includes the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium and the McCormick Place lakefront building.
Lightfoot’s panel recommends transforming Solidarity Drive into a year-round plaza, creating educational programs for kids and adding large-scale art to rejuvenate the campus. For the museum campus, it recommends improving CTA service and adding a trolley and improving traffic around the area. Many of the report’s ideas are likely to run into financial or political challenges as officials wait for the Bears to make a decision and sort out their next steps.
