Concept rendering at dusk: an enclosed stadium with a glowing orange crown and glass lake wall on the wooded bluff above Lake Michigan, reflected in the water.

Highland Park, IL 60035 · Fan concept

Bring 'Em North.

A new home for Chicago football, on the bluff above Lake Michigan at Fort Sheridan.

Concept rendering · not an official design

Concept renderings

See it on the bluff.

Aerial concept rendering: the stadium and its plaza in a clearing on the wooded Fort Sheridan bluff, Lake Michigan to the east, transit decks and the historic tower to the west. — **From above**The stadium sits in a clearing on the bluff, with the lake on one side and the promenade to Metra on the other.

Night concept rendering: the stadium glowing orange on the bluff with the Fort Sheridan tower beside it, seen from Lake Michigan. — **Game night**The orange crown lights up the North Shore, visible from the water and up and down the lakefront.

Artist's concept renderings. Not an official design.

The site

The lakefront, with room to breathe.

The Bears have spent years weighing Arlington Heights, the South Loop lakefront and Northwest Indiana. We think the best answer sits about 28 miles north of Soldier Field, where the North Shore bluff meets the water.

Fort Sheridan already has the bones of a game-day district: a Metra stop on the Union Pacific North line, Sheridan Road along the lake, and US-41 a short drive west.

42.22° N87.81° W, on the bluff at Fort Sheridan

UP-NMetra's Fort Sheridan station, steps from the gate

EastEvery seat faces the lake through a glass wall

1891The historic Fort Sheridan tower, kept as the district landmark

Concept site plan, not to scale. Footprint, decks and plaza are illustrative.

The idea

Three pitches. One lakefront.

Each proposal on the table got something right. Highland Park lets us keep all three.

From Arlington HeightsThe roof

An enclosed, year-round building that can host Super Bowls, Final Fours and January playoff games without a frozen field.

From the South LoopThe lake

Football next to Lake Michigan is a Chicago tradition. Here the whole east side of the bowl is glass, so the lake is the backdrop for every snap.

From Northwest IndianaThe room

A site big enough to build it right the first time, with transit, plazas and tailgating designed in from day one. And it stays in Illinois.

Game day

Ogilvie to kickoff, no car required.

OgilvieBoard the Metra UP-North line downtown.
The North ShoreRide up the lake through Evanston, Wilmette and Winnetka.
Fort SheridanStep off and walk the promenade to Tower Plaza.
The lake wallTake your seat with Lake Michigan behind the far sideline.

Join the push

Tell them where it belongs.

To the Chicago Bears, Highland Park City Council and Lake County leaders, I'm writing to ask you to seriously consider a new Bears stadium on the Highland Park lakefront at Fort Sheridan. The site offers what every other proposal has been chasing: a lakefront setting, a Metra station steps from the gate, and room to build a year-round venue. It keeps the team in Illinois and on the lake. Please put Highland Park on the list. Signed, A Bears fan on the North Shore

Two ways to help

Paste the letter into an email to your city council member and county board representative.

Share this page with your neighbors, your tailgate group and your season-ticket section.