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Chicago Bears Stadium Information
Chicago Bears Tickets |
Stadium Information & HistorySoldier Field Stadium History
Stadium Information:
Name: Soldier Field
Inauguration: 22 November 1924
First match: Notre Dame-Northwestern
Renovations: 2002-2003
Capacity: 61,500 seats
Record Attendance: 123,000; Notre Dame-Southern Cal, 1927
Address: 425 East McFetridge Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
In September 2003, the NFL's latest stadium debuted. The Chicago Bears began wanting a new stadium in the late 1990's when other modern state of the art stadiums were being built in other cities. The Bears had a rich tradition of playing football at Soldier Field, the NFL's oldest stadium. Several options on where a new stadium should be built were discussed, but the Bears decided to move nowhere. The Bears decided to build a new stadium on the same site of their current home, Soldier Field. Because of its historical presence in Chicago, the Bears decided to leave the historic colonnades for which Soldier Field is best known. The rest of the stadium would be completely demolished and a new stadium would be built inside the exterior shell.
In order for a new stadium to be built, the Bears had to play the 2002 NFL season at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL. At the conclusion of the 2001 season, demolition and construction on the new stadium began. The Bears new stadium continues to carry the name Soldier Field. The stadium has around 66,000 blue seats in several tiers, improved seating, better sightlines, an enlarged concourse, two 96-foot-by-23-foot video-boards, 8,000 club seats, and 133 luxury suites. To preserve Soldier Field, the classic colonnades remain intact as a lasting monument to Soldier Field's glorious past, and a 250-foot granite-wall sculpture still serves as a memorial to the men and women who served in the armed forces. Fans also are able to walk among the colonnades and the horseshoe promenade. The Chicago Bears played their first game at Soldier Field II on September 29, 2003.
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