Hinz: Lightfoot to explore putting a dome on Soldier Field, even as Bears prepare to move out
A mayoral committee is poised to recommend that the city "explore the feasibility" of putting a dome atop Soldier Field in an effort to make the facility more attractive to potential users, including the Chicago Bears.
But the dome "almost certainly" will require some sort of taxpayer subsidy, says a draft of a report that may be released as soon as Thursday by Mayor Lori Lightfoot's Lakefront Museum Campus Working Group.
No cost figures for the dome are listed in the draft, but sources close to the matter say estimates of $400 million to $1.5 billion have been mentioned.
Besides the dome, the panel is proposing a number of other upgrades and changes, including substantially rebuilding parts of the historic stadium and selling or granting potentially lucrative naming rights. But the package may be too late to convince the Chicago Bears to stay put.