The well-known developer who owns the South Loop property where White Sox executives are thinking of constructing a new ballpark will meet with two South Side aldermen.
The South Side team is reportedly in “serious talks” to move from Guaranteed Rate Field in Bridgeport to a baseball-only stadium situated on The 78, a sizable, deserted riverfront development site close to Roosevelt Road and Clark Street. This information was published this week by The Sun-Times.
The land, which was also proposed as a casino location prior to Bally’s winning the contract to build it in River West, is owned by renowned developer Related Midwest.
The location designated for the potential 78th official community area of the city is within Ald. Pat Dowell’s (3rd) district. In a statement, she stated that she will “meet soon” with Related Midwest “to discuss the possibility of a stadium being built for the Chicago White Sox.”
“I reserve comment until a formal development application has been submitted and my constituents have an opportunity to review and offer their informed feedback, as is my standard with any proposed project in the 3rd Ward,” Dowell said in the statement.
Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), whose district encompasses Guaranteed Rate Field and Bridgeport, informed Block Club on Thursday that Related Midwest had contacted her regarding a potential meeting. Although she is excited about the conversation, Lee, a lifelong Sox fan, expressed her hope that the White Sox may rethink their decision to remain in Bridgeport and the 11th Ward.
“I’m still committed to keeping them where they are, and I wouldn’t want to see them go.” However, that will require some work,” Lee remarked. “They need to talk about their wish to have the perfect location from which to run their business going forward. Right now, I’m really looking forward to having that chat.
Since 1910, the White Sox have played in Bridgeport. They began their history at the cherished Comiskey Park before relocating to a bigger stadium across the street in 1991 and renaming it Comiskey Park again. After being dismantled, the old Comiskey is now a parking area with a sign indicating the position of the former home plate for adoring fans. The $137 million facility took two years to construct, and some of the funding came from Chicago hotel taxes raised to assist the newly established Illinois Sports Facilities Authority.
The agreement to construct the park was reached in Springfield in 1988 after Governor Jim Thompson halted the clock on the legislative session to secure an agreement that would prevent owner Jerry Reinsdorf from relocating the Sox to St. Petersburg, Florida, where a domed stadium was already being built. The stadium was first known as the Florida Suncoast Dome when it opened in 1990 without a Major League team agreeing to be a tenant. As a condition of an agreement with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who began play there in 1998, it was renamed Tropicana Field.
Though praised at first, the new White Sox ballpark quickly lost favor as retro-themed stadiums started to be constructed across the nation. Since then, the ballpark has undergone renovations. In 2004, for example, eight frequently-unused upper deck rows were removed, the seats’ blue hue was changed to green, the outfield supports were painted black, and a bar-restaurant was added across the street. In 2003, it was renamed U.S. Cellular Field, and in 2016, it became Guaranteed Rate Field.
However, the ballpark’s lease with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority expires in 2029, and it is currently 33 years old. These elements have given rise to several rumors in recent years regarding the Sox abandoning the ballpark and maybe Chicago.
When the White Sox’s lease at Guaranteed Rate Field expires in August, ownership may decide to transfer the team to a new stadium in the city, the suburbs, or even Nashville, Tennessee, according to a story published in August by Crain’s Chicago Business.