Lightfoot asks working group to ‘reimagine’ museum campus — with or without the Bears

Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to “reimagine” the Museum Campus along the lakefront, which includes Soldier Field (upper left), Field Museum (just north of the stadium), Shedd Aquarium (upper middle) and Adler Planetarium (top right). One looming question is whether the Chicago Bears will continue to play in Soldier Field, just south of the Field Museum, after their lease is up. | Sun-Times file

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday asked nearly two dozen prominent Chicagoans to “re-imagine” the 57-acre museum campus and recommend ways to “maximize” its year-round benefits — with or without the Chicago Bears.

Ever since the Bears signed an agreement to purchase the 326-acre site of the now-shuttered Arlington International Racecourse for $197.2 million, Lightfoot has sounded almost resigned to moving on at Soldier Field without the team.