Soldier Field

Soldier Field is the stadium where the Bears play.  Municipal Grant Park Stadium was originally opened in 1924 as a memorial for American soldiers.  The name was changed to Soldier Field in 1925.  Soldier Field is known for it’s stone columns, which are still there to this day.  In 1984, Soldier Field was made a National Landmark.  Many different sports have been played at Soldier Field including boxing matches, track and field events, NASCAR races,FIFA World Cup matches, and even a Tractor pull.

In 2003, Soldier Field underwent extensive renovations.  This cause much controversy.  There were many people who felt that these renovations were taking away from all that Soldier Field stood for.  The Chicago Tribune “The eyesore on the Lake Shore”, and many Chicagoans thought that the renovations were taking away a symbol of Chicago.  There were others, though, that saw the renovations as a good thing, in terms of architectural design.  The New York Times named Soldier Field one of the 5 best new buildings of 2003.  Many people agree today that the new stadium is fairly ugly, and many call it a space ship that landed on Soldier Field because the new stadium bowl was built over parts of the old stadium, but that on the inside the stadium is a very nice place.  In 2004, because of the new renovations, Soldier Field’s National Landmark status was taken away out of fear that it would be lowering the standards at which the landmarks were chosen.

Soldier Field holds major significance in the history of the city of Chicago.