After months of rumors surrounding a new stadium for the Chicago Bears, it turns out that there's another Chicago team that could be exploring a new home.
A report from the Chicago Sun-Times earlier this week stated that the Chicago White Sox are considering constructing a new stadium on a plot of land in the city's South Loop known as "The 78."
The move would take place after the expiration of the team's lease at Guaranteed Rate Field, which ends following the 2029 season.
The White Sox have called Guaranteed Rate Field, formerly U.S. Cellular Field and Comiskey Park II, home since the 1991 season. The team's previous home, Comiskey Park, hosted the South Siders from 1910 to 1990.
Through the entire time, the White Sox have been based on the South Side, with the stadiums located in the Armour Square community area while the team has a deep association with the city's Bridgeport neighborhood.
A move to The 78 would see the White Sox leave their longtime neighborhood for the first time, moving the club to a plot of land in the South Loop bordered by Roosevelt Road on the north, the Chicago River to the west, Clark Street to the east and train tracks near Ping Tom Park to the south. Wells Street would run through the planned development.
The area would feature considerable public transit access, with three CTA lines stopping right at Roosevelt and State Street, just a couple of blocks east of the property: the Red, Green and Orange Lines.
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Several bus lines also provide close access to the area: the 3, 4, 12, 18, 24, 29, 62, 130, 146 and 157 lines. For fans who want a ride down the river, there is also a water taxi stop at Ping Tom Park.
"The 78" was given its name to reference Chicago's 77 officially defined "community areas," with The 78 being marketed as an addition to the city's neighborhoods.
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Consisting of 62 acres of land in a prime location in downtown Chicago, The 78 is currently planned to be the site of several office and residential buildings, including a 200,000 square-foot "Innovation District."
The website for The 78 currently does not acknowledge any talks with the White Sox that were referenced in a report from the Chicago Sun-Times.
The area for The 78 was originally created from a landfill project to straighten the South Branch of the Chicago River that ran from the 1910s to the 1920s.
At this time, the space was used as a rail yard. According to “The 78”’s development website, in the 1970s the rail lines were removed and the space was vacant by 1977.
Former Chicago mover and shaker Tony Rezko bought the land in 2001 and had plans for mixed-use development, but those plans never went anywhere. Development group Related Midwest bought the property in 2016. They’ve already made plans to develop other big projects on the site, like the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute.
The development's website said that the groundbreaking for the project is anticipated in 2024.
