Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Soldier Field History

Are you interested in Soldier Field history? Soldier Field history is long and rich; Soldier field was originally built in the year 1924 and was made available to the public for the purpose of holding sports events. The former name of Soldier Field was Municipal Grant Park Stadium, but the name of the stadium was later adapted to pay homage to the soldiers in the American Military that were involved in the First World War. Up until the year 2001, the old Soldier Field Stadium hosted a number of fantastic sporting events, concerts, and festivals. Also part of Soldier Field history is the fact that in the year 1971, the Chicago Bears began playing games in the stadium on a full time basis.
George Halas, owner of the Chicago Bears did not believe that Solder Field would be a permanent site for the team; the stadium was in dire need of renovations and a look at the old Soldier Field seating chart would reveal seats which had a significant low pitch. The lower pitch of the seats in Soldier Field stadium meant that the higher up that a fan was in the bleachers, the more difficult the gaming events and other events were to see. What’s more, what isn’t revealed by the former Soldier Field seating chart is the propensity for noise to leave the stadium with ease; the low pitch of seating cause noise to flow more readily outside of Soldier Field.
With problems with the structure of Soldier Field ongoing, at one point Halas was prepared to move the famous team to Arlington Heights. To remedy the situation the Chicago Park District, the owner of Soldier Field, worked with the Chicago Bears team to form a 20 year long lease where the Bears would remain at the Soldier Field address in exchange for a newly renovated stadium in 1978. The entire rebuilding process was planned for a period of three football seasons; the new Soldier Field seating chart revealed that all of the old benches have been replaced with new, individualized seating options. The Soldier Field seating chart also changed significantly in terms of the sites seating configurations; the Soldier Field Stadium offered a U shaped or horseshoe configuration and new press and sky boxes, restrooms, and concession areas. The final renovations were completed in the early 1980s.
The renovations conducted in Soldier Field only kept the peace between the team and the Stadium owners for a short while. Many years of Soldier Field’s history passed as renegotiations of the contract established in 1978 continued. The Bears team owner, demanding more improvements and better financial agreements, had even considered moving the team to a number of different locations. It was until 2000 that a new renovation plan for the Soldier Field address was revealed: a plan that relied on more than 580 million dollars to build a new parking garage, a new bowl-style seating arrangement, while still preserving the historical aspects of the structure.