Sox looking at building in South Loop

[southsider2k5]

Hey Twiiter, what is trending?

 

[Tnetennba]

30 minutes ago, nrockway said:

This could be interesting, it's a great location. it would have a really great skyline view and could feature wonky dimensions to fit into the rest of the development. But I think they should just stay put. the city and state can kick in money to develop a ballpark as well as all those parking lots, seems like a better use of public money and potentially good for the people who live around there. plus the current park is more accessible than this this place is. it's not close to an L stop nor is it directly off the i90 like 35th/Shields is. 

I'd be very surprised if this comes to fruition, this land will be developed before the Sox decide to build a new park. I really can't see Reinsdorf building a new ballpark in his lifetime and I don't want him to because he'll f*** it up

Red, Orange, Green Roosevelt stops are a block away. #12, #24, #29, #62 busses all close by. 

I could see a public/private partnership as part of the stalled 78 redevelopment. JR’s saber rattling about Nashville or moving elsewhere were the first indicators that something was in the works. 

[southsider2k5]

6 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

Red, Orange, Green Roosevelt stops are a block away. #12, #24, #29, #62 busses all close by. 

I could see a public/private partnership as part of the stalled 78 redevelopment. JR’s saber rattling about Nashville or moving elsewhere were the first indicators that something was in the works. 

Didn't it come out that he wasn't meeting on his own behalf,  but for TLR's group looking to put an expansion team there?

[Tnetennba]

6 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Right, I knew the railroads slowly abandoned it after passenger rail was consolidated. Going off of areal photos I’ve seen it was still in use through the early 70s but looks completely abandoned by the late 70s. Either way, it has a long history of failed redevelopment plans going back decades, despite gentrification enveloping everything to the north and east. 

[Tnetennba]

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

Didn't it come out that he wasn't meeting on his own behalf,  but for TLR's group looking to put an expansion team there?

Correct, but there was a lot of speculation around the time he bought up more land near the United Center. I seem to remember a few articles hinting that they were exploring a move out of GRF around the same time. 

[Lip Man 1]

56 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Didn't it come out that he wasn't meeting on his own behalf,  but for TLR's group looking to put an expansion team there?

Correct. He was trying to boost a new ownership group led by TLR and Dave Stewart.

[Rounding_Third]

What!  Both parks on Clark?  No way!  That could be pretty cool.

[tray]

I dislike the 78 site. It's a dump. All the railroad tracks converging there and the quality of the river at that point. It's awful.

And really no special views of the lake or the loop that warrant moving there. 

Sox are sitting on a goldmine as it is as with all of the existing parking and infrastructure and with Bridgeport and Bronzeville continuing to gentrify year after year.  They don't need a new stadium and if and when they do, just build on the site of the original Comiskey.

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

1 hour ago, tray said:

I dislike the 78 site. It's a dump. All the railroad tracks converging there and the quality of the river at that point. It's awful.

And really no special views of the lake or the loop that warrant moving there. 

Sox are sitting on a goldmine as it is as with all of the existing parking and infrastructure and with Bridgeport and Bronzeville continuing to gentrify year after year.  They don't need a new stadium and if and when they do, just build on the site of the original Comiskey.

I hope I used the TLR reaction appropriately here. I'm assuming that's the one we use as our dislike button.

[South Side Hit Men]

What the Sox (or any team) should shoot for is to look something like Pirates Stadium, bringing fans closer to the field, especially the Upper Deck seats. You can’t get the same intimate  feel as say upper deck seats at the OG Comiskey Park or Tigers Stadium (or Chicago Stadium), but you can do a lot better than even the reconfigured UD at Comiskey Park II.

The new Rangers stadium looks terrible, at least on TV, but what they did get right was bringing seating closer to the field.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/mlbs-newest-ballpark-is-a-shift-away-from-retro-era-stadiums/

Edited January 18 by South Side Hit Men

[Y2Jimmy0]

6 hours ago, tray said:

I dislike the 78 site. It's a dump. All the railroad tracks converging there and the quality of the river at that point. It's awful.

And really no special views of the lake or the loop that warrant moving there. 

Sox are sitting on a goldmine as it is as with all of the existing parking and infrastructure and with Bridgeport and Bronzeville continuing to gentrify year after year.  They don't need a new stadium and if and when they do, just build on the site of the original Comiskey.

I just don’t think it’s possible. Any new stadium has to have a ballpark village like Atlanta, Cincy etc and I don’t believe the older Bridgeport residents will ever allow something like that 

[Dick Allen]

6 hours ago, tray said:

I dislike the 78 site. It's a dump. All the railroad tracks converging there and the quality of the river at that point. It's awful.

And really no special views of the lake or the loop that warrant moving there. 

Sox are sitting on a goldmine as it is as with all of the existing parking and infrastructure and with Bridgeport and Bronzeville continuing to gentrify year after year.  They don't need a new stadium and if and when they do, just build on the site of the original Comiskey.

It's a dump now. It's probably where they should have moved 30 years ago. Still Southside. A little over a mile from the loop. Red, Green and Orange line stops a couple of blocks away. Water taxis on gamedays. You should get a decent view of the skyline from the upper dack there. People must  remember, ballparks must face NE or SE. It's OK for the LF or RF to have sun in their eyes, but batters could be killed.

[WBWSF]

1) In 1967 former White Sox owner Art Allyn wanted to build a new stadium at this South Loop location. Allyn was going to pay for the stadium himself. The Mayor of Chicago wouldn't give him the permits to build it. 2) This same site was offered by the City of Chicago in the 1980s to JR. JR declined the offer because he wanted to build a new stadium in Addison where he owned the land. 3) I'm assuming that this is were the new stadium will be built. I hope the details get worked out sooner rather than later. I think its great news.

[The Mighty Mite]

2 hours ago, WBWSF said:

1) In 1967 former White Sox owner Art Allyn wanted to build a new stadium at this South Loop location. Allyn was going to pay for the stadium himself. The Mayor of Chicago wouldn't give him the permits to build it. 2) This same site was offered by the City of Chicago in the 1980s to JR. JR declined the offer because he wanted to build a new stadium in Addison where he owned the land. 3) I'm assuming that this is were the new stadium will be built. I hope the details get worked out sooner rather than later. I think its great news.

This is where it should have been built 33 years ago or even as far back as the 60s when Arthur Allyn was owner. The  Sox have never been a huge draw at 35th and Shields for whatever reasons, the Cubs even outdrew us in the 2005 Championship season and the afterglow season of 2006. The Sox are one of the few teams in MLB that have never drawn 3 million in a season though we did come close the year it opened and 2006, close but no cigar.
I would build the new park along the lines of old Comiskey but without the posts and also without an upper deck in left field so fans at the game and on TV would have great views of the skyline to the north of the park. Whatever is built it needs to be a gem that out of towners would want to see a game at, living here in Florida 30 years and  meeting many people who have visited Chicago I have met only 2 people who took in a game at GRF but most of them went to Wrigley for a game. A few more saw games at old Comiskey. 
One other thing I find interesting and not sure if it’s been mentioned but it seems to me if JR wants a new stadium could it be that he when he dies he wants the team to remain in JR’s heirs hands, not sure if that’s good at bad.

 

Edited January 18 by The Mighty Mite

[hogan873]

Interesting.  The timing seems right if there's any validity to this story.  It would take all of the five years before the Rate lease is up.  The Sox have an opportunity here to build one of the best stadiums in the league with the best background.  Let's hope.

[WhiteSox2023]

18 minutes ago, The Mighty Mite said:

One other thing I find interesting and not sure if it’s been mentioned but it seems to me if JR wants a new stadium could it be that he when he dies he wants to team to remain in JR’s heirs hands, not sure if that’s good at bad.

Not necessarily.  Even the promise of a new stadium being built in the future greatly increases the value of a sports franchise.  I could see JR doing this just to jack up the final sales price for his heirs.

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/09/05/tennessee-titans-team-value-forbes-nfl-valuations.html#:~:text=The Tennessee Titans' franchise value,to be completed in 2027.

The Tennessee Titans' franchise value increased 26% in the last year to $4.4 billion, according to new NFL team valuations released by Forbes. The jump comes months after Metro Council approved a $2.1 billion deal for a new Titans stadium, which is expected to be completed in 2027.

[Springfield Soxfan]

This is all pure fantasy and a pipe dream.   JR just trying to use leverage.  Who is going to pay for a stadium less than a half of mile away from the current stadium (or whatever the official distance is)? It is not going to be JR and it will not be the taxpayers.   

[pcq]

1 hour ago, The Mighty Mite said:

This is where it should have been built 33 years ago or even as far back as the 60s when Arthur Allyn was owner. The  Sox have never been a huge draw at 35th and Shields for whatever reasons, the Cubs even outdrew us in the 2005 Championship season and the afterglow season of 2006. The Sox are one of the few teams in MLB that have never drawn 3 million in a season though we did come close the year it opened and 2006, close but no cigar.
I would build the new park along the lines of old Comiskey but without the posts and also without an upper deck in left field so fans at the game and on TV would have great views of the skyline to the north of the park. Whatever is built it needs to be a gem that out of towners would want to see a game at, living here in Florida 30 years and  meeting many people who have visited Chicago I have met only 2 people who took in a game at GRF but most of them went to Wrigley for a game. A few more saw games at old Comiskey. 
One other thing I find interesting and not sure if it’s been mentioned but it seems to me if JR wants a new stadium could it be that he when he dies he wants to team to remain in JR’s heirs hands, not sure if that’s good at bad.

 

Another free park for the real estate scion?

[chetkincaid]

I’ll believe this when I see it. The city of Chicago shouldn’t give Jerry Reinsdorf another dime. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund stadiums for billionaire owners. 

[Dick Allen]

1 hour ago, Springfield Soxfan said:

This is all pure fantasy and a pipe dream.   JR just trying to use leverage.  Who is going to pay for a stadium less than a half of mile away from the current stadium (or whatever the official distance is)? It is not going to be JR and it will not be the taxpayers.   

It isn't fantasy if JR or someone other that the state of IL builds it. But I do agree, right now this is work for another sweetheart lease and lots of concessions. There is an outside chance the Sox see this area as their Arlington Park. You won't get a better site in the city. 

Edited January 18 by Dick Allen

[bmags]

11 hours ago, KennyPowers said:

This is Related Midwest pivoting after they lost the casino bid. A stadium makes sense for their entertainment district.

https://www.78chicago.com/entertainment-district

Thanks for this. I was surprised by the news as I thought it had been spoken for. This answered it.

[FT35]

Maybe they should build a team before they build a stadium?  

[Tnetennba]

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Not necessarily.  Even the promise of a new stadium being built in the future greatly increases the value of a sports franchise.  I could see JR doing this just to jack up the final sales price for his heirs.

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/09/05/tennessee-titans-team-value-forbes-nfl-valuations.html#:~:text=The Tennessee Titans' franchise value,to be completed in 2027.

 

This is a really good point. This is JR we are talking about. He’s not doing this for the health of the team or to benefit the fans. A new park ups the franchise value, and he sure as hell won’t be the one paying for the new building. It’s all about extracting funds from anyone other than his own pockets. 

[southsider2k5]

The next step is obviously this deal falling apart because it was reported on too early.

[hogan873]

1 minute ago, southsider2k5 said:

The next step is obviously this deal falling apart because it was reported on too early.

"I had a pen in one hand, and my wallet in the other," JR said, chuckling.  "We had such a beautiful park planned, and I was ready to sign multiple free agents in celebration."  With a shake of his head, and a frown on his otherwise pleasant face, he continued, "If only the media had held off for 24 hours.  Ah, what could have been."