Bear Digest

Bears Reportedly Considering Michael Reese Site for Stadium

The Soldier Field idea hasn't been backed by the state of Illinois or others and the Bears reportedly are open to the vacant Michael Reese Hospital site now.

Gene Chamberlain

The newest idea for replacing Soldier Field is an old one: the Michael Reese Hospital site south of McCormick Place.
The newest idea for replacing Soldier Field is an old one: the Michael Reese Hospital site south of McCormick Place. / Jon Durr-Imagn Images
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If Plan A doesn't work, it's always good to have Plan B.

Now, it appear the Bear are working on Plan C.

The Bears are taking a more serious look at the Michael Reese Hospital site as an alternative new stadium site to Soldier Field's south parking lot, according to a report for Crain's Chicago Business by Justin Laurence and Danny Ecker.

The Reese Hospital site was bought by the city of Chicago for building the 2016 Olympic village. Of course, they never got the Olympics and so the site wasn't needed.

The site is on the lakefront south of McCormick Place and offers a great view of the city but the Bears rejected this earlier when they were considering where to go, besides Soldier Field and the 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse site they already own.

The complaint Bears president Kevin Warren gave at the time about this site was it was "very narrow." They also said it had to be built over an active rail line. There were also problems in its location being by McCormick Place.

On the other hand, the city already owns the site, just like it does Soldier Field. And more importantly, the Friends of the Parks had directed the team to consider this site instead of Soldier Field.

Friends of the Parks is a watchdog and group and environmental advocate, and has been a longtime opponent of letting the Bears do anything with Soldier Field. They were opposed to the entire new stadium that was built within the outer walls of the old one, the current configuration which opened in 2003.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been opposed to allowing public funds for the south parking lot of Soldier Field, but it remains to be seen if this would be the case for an area like the Michael Reese site, which is simply a blight as an unused vacant area.

The Bears and NFL would account for spending over half the $4.7 billion needed for the proposal. It remains to be seen what more changes to infrastructure would add to the cost at the Michael Reese site.

The Bears have a lease for Soldier Field that expires in 2033.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.