Soldier Field

Sports fans nationwide know Soldier Field as the home of the Chicago Bears. For decades its signature columns provided an iconic backdrop for gridiron matches. But few realize that the stadium has been much more than that. Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City explores how this amphitheater evolved from a public war memorial into a majestic arena that helped define Chicago. Chicago Tribune staff writer Liam Ford led the reporting on the stadium’s controversial 2003 renovation—and simultaneously found himself unearthing a dramatic history. As he tells it, the tale of Soldier Field truly is the story of Chicago, filled with political intrigue and civic pride. Designed by Holabird and Roche, Soldier Field arose through a serendipitous combination of local tax dollars, City Beautiful boosterism, and the machinations of Mayor “Big Bill” Thompson. The result was a stadium that stood at the center of Chicago’s political, cultural, and sporting life for nearly sixty years before the arrival of Walter Payton and William “The Refrigerator” Perry. Ford describes it all in the voice of a seasoned reporter: the high school football games, track and field contests, rodeos, and even NASCAR races. Photographs, including many from the Chicago Park District’s own collections, capture these remarkable scenes: the swelling crowds at ethnic festivals, Catholic masses, and political rallies. Few remember that Soldier Field hosted Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr., Judy Garland and Johnny Cash—as well as Grateful Dead’s final show. Soldier Field captures the dramatic history of Chicago’s stadium on the lake and will captivate sports fans and historians alike.

A Chicago lakefront landmark, Soldier Field (then Grant Park Stadium) was completed in 1924 and renamed a year later in honor of the solders killed in World War I. Designed by Holabird and Roche, the stadium featured Greek columns and a capacity of 120,000. The Chicago Bears came to Soldier Field in 1971, seeking bigger quarters. They agitated for, and got, a beautiful renovation with luxurious skyboxes, premium club seats, steel-frame design, and transparent glass walls. Conceived by Wood + Zapata, the modernized Soldier Field now provides unequaled sightlines and dynamic geometrical shapes. A memorial wall at the north entrance and a restored Doughboy statue inside the south end continue the tribute to fallen heroes. Soldier Field is a welcome addition to Pomegranate's Building Book series, which includes Marshall Field's, The Reliance Building, Sears Tower, The Rookery, The Merchandise Mart, and The Auditorium Building, all by Jay Pridmore.

Located on scenic Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Soldier Field was designed in 1919 and opened on October 9, 1924, as Municipal Grant Park Stadium. The stadium--modeled in the Greco-Roman architectural tradition with classic Doric colonnades--was designed by the Chicago architecture firm Holabird and Roche as a memorial to American soldiers who died in World War I and previous wars. Soldier Field has been the home of the Chicago Bears team since 1971; it served equally as a civic and athletic venue throughout the early and middle 20th century. It played host to the Army-Navy game in 1926, the second heavyweight boxing championship between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney in 1927, speeches by Charles Lindbergh and Franklin D. Roosevelt, rodeos, circuses, the first Special Olympics in 1968, the 1994 World Cup, and the final concert by the Grateful Dead. In 2001, the Chicago Park District faced criticism when it announced plans to renovate the stadium, which had been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1987. An extensive remodeling plan was initiated and the "new" Soldier Field drew mixed reviews when it reopened in 2003. After being rebuilt, the modern stands dwarfed the historic Doric columns, and seating was reduced by approximately 5,000, to 61,500.

The book covers professional, Olympic and collegiate sports and each chapter has a fully developed introduction to explaine the relevance of the articles to be presented.

The phenomenon of urban regeneration has become increasingly prominent on government agendas in recent years. Using case studies of cultural regeneration planning and management from Europe, North and South America, this book explores the role of culture and tourism in urban transformation. Themes covered include; cultural planning for regeneration, cultural regeneration policies and politics, integrated and sustainable regeneration strategies, community-orientated regeneration, ethnoscapes and cultural diversity in regeneration, the cultural regeneration of waterfronts and dock cities, creativity in regeneration, arts-led regeneration, and the role of sports and events in regeneration.

In a series that explores the logic-defying comebacks and tough losses, the dramatic interceptions, fumbles, game-winning field goals, and touchdowns that shape a fan’s greatest memories of their beloved team, this book does not disappoint as the ultimate collector’s item for Bears fans. It chronicles the most famous moments in Chicago football history, including Gale Sayers's six-touchdown day against the 49ers, Walter Payton's 275-yard performance in 1977, Devin Hester's Super Bowl XLI kickoff return, and the dominating team performance of Super Bowl XX. The descriptions of each play are accompanied with game information and quotes from participants, players, and observers with firsthand accounts.

This study uses sociological and historical methodologies to analyze the role of sport in the formation of urban identity in Chicago. The author traces the transformation of Chicago from a frontier town to a commercial behemoth, examining its role as an immigration, transportation, and entertainment hub. The author argues that, as a pioneering leader in American sport history, Chicago allowed teams and athletes to forge a unique national and global identity. This thorough and well-researched study makes a major contribution to debates on the social and psychological functions of sport culture.

This text collects the best of architecture critic Blair Kamin's columns. Using Chicago as a barometer of national design trends, the book sheds light on the state of American architecture during 'the Nervous Nineties'.