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Soldier Field

Football stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Key facts

Former names: Municipal Grant Park Stadium (1924–1925)
Address: 1410 Special Olympics Drive
Location: Chicago , Illinois, U.S.
Owner: Chicago Park District
Operator: ASM Global
Capacity: 66,944 (1994–2003) 62,500 (since 2003)
Surface: Bermuda grass (since 2022) Kentucky Bluegrass (1924–1970, 1988–2022) AstroTurf (1971–1987)
Acreage: 7 acres (2.8 ha)
Public transit: Metra : 18th Street Roosevelt Red Orange Green
Groundbreaking: August 11, 1922 ( 1922-08-11 )
Built: 1922–1924
Opened: October 9, 1924 ( 1924-10-09 )
Renovated: 2002–2003
Closed: January 19, 2002 ( 2002-01-19 ) –September 26, 2003 ( 2003-09-26 ) (renovations)
Reopened: September 29, 2003 ( 2003-09-29 ) (renovations)
Construction cost: US$13 million (original; $244 million in 2015 dollars) , US$632 million (renovations; $1.11 billion in 2015 dollars )
Architect: Holabird & Roche (original) Wood + Zapata, Inc. Lohan Associates (renovations)
Project manager: Hoffman Management Partners, LLC (renovations)

via Wikipedia infobox

Article

Soldier Field (historically often referred to as Soldiers' Field) is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1971, as well as Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) since 2020. It also regularly hosts stadium concerts and other large crowd events. The stadium has a football capacity of 62,500, making it the smallest stadium in the NFL. Soldier Field is also the oldest stadium in the NFL and MLS.

The stadium's interior was rebuilt as part of a major renovation project in 2002 and 2003, which modernized the facility but lowered its seating capacity, eventually causing it to be delisted as a National Historic Landmark in 2006. Soldier Field has served as the home venue for a number of other sports teams in its history, including the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL and University of Notre Dame football. It hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, and multiple CONCACAF Gold Cup championships. In 1968, it hosted the inaugural World Games of the Special Olympics, as well as its second World Games in 1970. Other historic events have included large rallies with speeches, including by Amelia Earhart, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr.