Inside The Chicago White Sox’s New $900M Stadium
Future Builds
11,758 views
Inside the White Sox’s New $900M Stadium
Why could the Chicago White Sox leave Rate Field for a futuristic new ballpark on the Chicago River?
In this Future Builds documentary, we explore The Railyards, an ambitious proposed riverfront stadium district that could become the next home of the White Sox and completely transform Chicago’s South Loop.
Early renderings show an open-air brick ballpark inspired by classic Chicago baseball architecture, with the Chicago skyline beyond the outfield, home runs potentially landing in the river, new residential towers, retail, public plazas, pedestrian bridges, and a year-round waterfront district surrounding the stadium.
But before construction can even begin, an active Amtrak maintenance facility occupying the 47-acre site would have to be relocated, a move estimated at roughly $900 million.
The stadium itself is expected to be privately funded, although developers could seek public money for surrounding infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and a potential Metra station. With neighborhood opposition, transportation challenges, an expiring Rate Field lease, and the White Sox still evaluating the site, this is far from a finished deal—but if it happens, Chicago could gain one of the most dramatic new stadium and urban megaprojects in America.
From new stadiums and futuristic architecture to massive construction projects, transportation infrastructure, skyscrapers, airports, engineering, and billion-dollar megaprojects, Future Builds explores the incredible projects reshaping the world’s biggest cities.
0:00 A Bold Vision for a New Waterfront Ballpark
1:35 The History and Struggles of Guaranteed Rate Field
3:09 Inside the Concept Art for the New District
7:25 The Complex Logistics of Moving a Rail Yard
8:44 Community Backlash and the Bridgeport Controversy
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Inside The Chicago White Sox’s New $900M Stadium
Future Builds
11,758 views
Inside the White Sox’s New $900M Stadium
Why could the Chicago White Sox leave Rate Field for a futuristic new ballpark on the Chicago River?
In this Future Builds documentary, we explore The Railyards, an ambitious proposed riverfront stadium district that could become the next home of the White Sox and completely transform Chicago’s South Loop.
Early renderings show an open-air brick ballpark inspired by classic Chicago baseball architecture, with the Chicago skyline beyond the outfield, home runs potentially landing in the river, new residential towers, retail, public plazas, pedestrian bridges, and a year-round waterfront district surrounding the stadium.
But before construction can even begin, an active Amtrak maintenance facility occupying the 47-acre site would have to be relocated, a move estimated at roughly $900 million.
The stadium itself is expected to be privately funded, although developers could seek public money for surrounding infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and a potential Metra station. With neighborhood opposition, transportation challenges, an expiring Rate Field lease, and the White Sox still evaluating the site, this is far from a finished deal—but if it happens, Chicago could gain one of the most dramatic new stadium and urban megaprojects in America.
From new stadiums and futuristic architecture to massive construction projects, transportation infrastructure, skyscrapers, airports, engineering, and billion-dollar megaprojects, Future Builds explores the incredible projects reshaping the world’s biggest cities.
0:00 A Bold Vision for a New Waterfront Ballpark
1:35 The History and Struggles of Guaranteed Rate Field
3:09 Inside the Concept Art for the New District
7:25 The Complex Logistics of Moving a Rail Yard
8:44 Community Backlash and the Bridgeport Controversy