Rate Field today is the White Sox ballpark. The proposed Bears dome is a separate concept. Photo: Omar Landaverry / Pexels · Pexels License

At 35th and Shields, where White Sox fans head to Rate Field, Chicago architects are imagining a different game day. On October 28, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill released drawings for a new domed football stadium on the site, with housing, entertainment, hotels, parks and recreation around it. As of November 4, the Bears had made no announcement selecting Rate Field. The drawings show what could be built there if the White Sox move and the Bears decide to pursue the site.

Watch NBC Chicago’s report on the stadium concept

Two moves would have to line up

The White Sox still play at Rate Field in Armour Square, next to Bridgeport. Their lease runs through 2029, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. In September, Canal Edge LLC, a company owned by White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia, released a South Loop development proposal called The Railyards. It includes a baseball stadium along the Chicago River between Roosevelt Road and 18th Street. That proposal would require relocating an Amtrak maintenance yard, and the proposed replacement yard in Bridgeport faces federal environmental review.

Even if the Sox moved, the Bears would still need to choose the site and work out a deal. The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority owns Rate Field. The October drawings outline what architects envision for the area. A funding plan, a construction schedule and the terms of any agreement would be separate developments to watch for.

Read the Sun-Times reporting on Rate Field and The Railyards

Where the Bears’ search stands

In August, Bears president Kevin Warren said the team was focused on Hammond, Indiana. In late October, Reuters relayed a Crain’s Chicago Business report that talks had brought the team-owned Arlington Heights property back into play. That reporting described progress on a possible Illinois deal. As of November 4, it had yielded no publicly announced stadium selection. The team’s schedule still lists Soldier Field for its November 8 home game.

Read the reporting on the Illinois talks · See the Bears’ official schedule

What to watch on the South Side

Rate Field already has access to CTA and Metra service and sits beside the Dan Ryan Expressway. For neighbors, the useful questions are how a new stadium would handle crowds and street closures, what would happen to the surrounding land, and which of the promised public spaces would be open on an ordinary weekday. For South Loop readers, the first thing to watch is whether the proposed Sox ballpark advances. For Bears fans, watch for a team announcement naming a site.

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If the Bears built at Rate Field, what would you want the project to deliver for nearby residents on days when there’s no game?