Developer Related Midwest has unveiled renderings of a potential new Chicago White Sox ballpark along the river in the city’s South Loop, providing the first public look since the baseball team’s interest in The 78 development site first emerged last month.
Images from the developer show a ballpark along the Chicago River on Related Midwest’s 62-acre site that runs between the South Loop and Chinatown, with dramatic views of the city’s skyline — as well as new towers that would be built as part of a long-planned mixed-use development on the long-vacant site — looking north from home plate.
The renderings provide a clearer vision of how a White Sox relocation 2 miles north from the MLB team’s longtime home on the South Side could reshape a former railyard site that has been unused for decades despite its proximity to the Loop business district.
Images indicate the ballpark would be placed at the center of The 78, which is named because Related hopes it will one day be large enough to be considered the city’s 78th neighborhood. Renderings show the planned University of Illinois-led Discovery Partners Institute and other buildings south of the proposed White Sox venue, with other new towers on the north part of the site.
Long before COVID-19, and more recently the baseball team’s interest in the site, Related gained city zoning approval for a $7 billion mixed-use megadevelopment on the site that could include towers rising up to 950 feet tall. The initial plan included a mix of office, residential, hotel, retail, entertainment and restaurant space.
New renderings show areas along the river for water taxis and other boats to arrive at the ballpark, possibly helping reduce some of the traffic that would descend on the site for more than 80 games per year. An already planned train station on the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line also could help ease some congestion, but the site as laid out now has limited access points for vehicles.
Part of today's site was formed in the 1920s, when a curved section of the river was straightened to help the flow of barge traffic.
The half-mile-long site is bordered by the river, Roosevelt Road, Clark Street, and Ping Tom Park in Chinatown.
Creating a ballpark within a mixed-use project would allow the White Sox to follow recent trends in professional sports venues.
Reinsdorf also owns the NBA's Chicago Bulls. That team shares ownership and usage of the United Center on the city's Near West Side with the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.
The White Sox's current ballpark gained state financial backing in 1988 as the team considered a move to St. Petersburg, Florida. The ballpark now called Guaranteed Rate Field opened in 1991, and the historic Comiskey Park next door was demolished.
“The development would be a catalyst for the creation of Chicago’s next great neighborhood, create tens of thousands of permanent and construction jobs and bring a state-of-the-art White Sox ballpark to the South Loop riverfront,” Related Midwest said in a statement that accompanied the renderings.
If the White Sox were to proceed with a ballpark on the site, those plans could change significantly.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and the alderman whose ward the new ballpark would be in, Pat Dowell, have spoken positively of the initial plans.
Many questions would need to be resolved before a ballpark project could proceed on the site, including how it would be funded and how many public dollars could help fund the project itself or much-needed infrastructure to support it.
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and other team officials have yet to offer any detailed comments on their vision for the site.
The White Sox’s interest in the project comes as the team determines its future beyond a lease that expires at its current Guaranteed Rate Field in Bridgeport after the 2029 season.
If the team were to move, it would leave the existing ballpark and an undeveloped sea of parking lots around it with an uncertain future at 35th Street and Shields Avenue.
There has been some public speculation that another team, such as the NFL’s Bears or MLS’ Fire, could build a new ballpark on the site.
The Chicago-based developer, part of real estate titan Related Companies, took an early stab at that question with the first public release of renderings. They appear to depict a soccer stadium alongside a large amount of low- and mid-rise residential structures.
In the statement, Related said that “while we do not own the land at 35th & Shields, Related Midwest has a long history of working in communities.”
The firm added: “We knew there would be questions about 35th Street use, so we put together conceptual ideas, understanding there would a robust community process to determine the best use for this land.”