Editing Soldier Field (section)

====2002–03 renovation and landmark delisting====
[[File:Soldier Field Chicago aerial view.jpg|thumb|Soldier Field aerial view (1988) before interior redesign]]
In 2001, the [[Chicago Park District]], which owns the structure, faced substantial criticism when it announced plans to alter the stadium with a design by [[Benjamin T. Wood]] and [[Carlos Zapata]] of Wood + Zapata in [[Boston]]. The stadium grounds were reconfigured by local architecture firm Lohan Associate, led by architect [[Dirk Lohan]], grandson of [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]]. The stadium's interior would be demolished and reconstructed while the exterior would be preserved in an example of [[facadism]]. A similar endeavor of constructing a new stadium within the confines of a historic stadium's exterior was done with [[Leipzig]]'s [[Red Bull Arena (Leipzig)|Red Bull Arena]], which similarly built a modern stadium while preserving the exterior of the original [[Zentralstadion (1956)|Zentralstadion]]. Fans and radio hosts, such as [[WSCR]]'s [[Mike North]], criticized the small seating capacity of the new venue, and others have criticized the Park District's lack of care to the field surface after the first seasonal freeze and a refusal to consider a new-generation artificial surface, leaving the Bears to play on dead grass.
[[File:Soldierfield2002.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Aerial view of Soldier Field during renovation, April 2002]]
On January 19, 2002, the night of the Bears' playoff loss to the [[Philadelphia Eagles]], demolition began as tailgate fires still burned in trash cans in the parking lots. The removal of 24,000 stadium seats in 36 hours by Archer Seating Clearinghouse, a speed record never exceeded since,{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}} was the first step in building the new Soldier Field. Nostalgic Bears fans recalling the team's glory seasons (especially [[1985 Chicago Bears season|1985]]), as well as some retired players, picked up their seats in the South parking lot. The foremen on the job were Grant Wedding, who installed the seats himself in 1979, and Mark Wretschko, an executive for the factory who made the new seats. As Soldier Field underwent renovation, the Bears spent the [[2002 NFL season]] playing their home games at [[Memorial Stadium (University of Illinois)|Memorial Stadium]] at the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois]]. On September 29, {{nfly|2003}}, the Bears played their first game at the renovated Soldier Field, in which they were defeated by the [[Green Bay Packers]], 38–23. The total funding for the renovation cost $632 million; taxpayers were responsible for $432 million while the Chicago Bears and the NFL contributed $200 million.<ref name="tribune2002">{{cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Andrew|last2=Ford|first2=Liam|last3=Cohen|first3=Laurie|title=Bears play, public pays|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=April 21, 2002|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-04-21-0204210349-story.html|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207220258/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2002-04-21-0204210349-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="baltsun2003">{{cite news|last=Chapman|first=Steve|title=No cheers for Chicago's ugly, expensive new stadium|date=September 16, 2003|newspaper=Baltimore Sun|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-09-16-0309160073-story.html|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207220258/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2003-09-16-0309160073-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:The Soldier Field.jpg|thumb|Soldier Field after interior rebuild, with maintained exterior below.]]
Several writers and columnists attacked the Soldier Field renovation project as an [[Aesthetics|aesthetic]], political and financial nightmare. The project received mixed reviews within the architecture community, with criticism from civic and preservation groups.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chicago Journal; Soldier Field Renovation Brings Out Boo-Birds|first=David|last=Barboza|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/16/us/chicago-journal-soldier-field-renovation-brings-out-boo-birds.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 16, 2003|access-date=September 4, 2012|archive-date=December 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230012838/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/16/us/chicago-journal-soldier-field-renovation-brings-out-boo-birds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Prominent architect and native Chicagoan [[Stanley Tigerman]] called it "a fiasco.<ref name="field">{{cite news|title=Field of Pain|newspaper=[[Chicago Magazine]]|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/November-2002/Field-of-Pain/|first=Robert|last=Sharoff|date=November 2002|access-date=February 14, 2012|archive-date=April 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130414010937/http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/November-2002/Field-of-Pain/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' architecture critic [[Blair Kamin]] dubbed it the "Eyesore on the [[Lake Shore Drive|Lake Shore]],"<ref>{{cite news|title=Soldier field plan: On further Review, the Play Stinks|last=Kamin|first=Blair|author-link=Blair Kamin|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=April 5, 2001|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-010405soldier,0,6775465.story|access-date=February 14, 2012|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231004703/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-010405soldier,0,6775465.story|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Monstrosity of the Midway; Mr. Mayor: Stop the Madness and Admit That the Lakefront Is No Place for the Bears|last=Kamin|first=Blair |author-link=Blair Kamin|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=June 11, 2001|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/06/11/the-monstrosity-of-the-midway/|access-date=February 14, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A tale of Hungry Bears and White Elephants|last=Kamin|first=Blair |author-link=Blair Kamin|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=July 11, 2001|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/07/11/a-tale-of-hungry-bears-and-white-elephants/|access-date=February 14, 2012}}</ref> while others called it "Monstrosity on the Midway" or "Mistake by the Lake".<ref>{{cite news|title=Chicago Journal; Soldier Field Renovation Brings Out Boo-Birds|last=Barboza|first=Barboza|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 16, 2003|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/16/us/chicago-journal-soldier-field-renovation-brings-out-boo-birds.html|access-date=February 18, 2017|archive-date=March 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310011723/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/16/us/chicago-journal-soldier-field-renovation-brings-out-boo-birds.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The renovation was described by some as if "a spaceship landed on the stadium".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/10/best-worst-nfl-stadiums-capacity-rankings-lambeau-field-solder-field-size-super-bowls |title=Ranking the best and worst NFL stadiums |date=October 16, 2015 |website=For The Win |language=en |access-date=September 19, 2019 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224151620/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/10/best-worst-nfl-stadiums-capacity-rankings-lambeau-field-solder-field-size-super-bowls |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/csac-bt-030914soldierfieldchapmancommentary,0,44019.story|title=A stadium deal that is hard to bear|last=Chapman|first=Steve|date=September 14, 2003|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=May 21, 2010|archive-date=March 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312030009/http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/csac-bt-030914soldierfieldchapmancommentary,0,44019.story|url-status=live}}</ref> Lohan responded:

<blockquote>I would never say that Soldier Field is an architectural landmark. Nobody has copied it; nobody has learned from it. People like it for nostalgic reasons. They remember the games and parades and [[tractor pull]]s and veterans' affairs they've seen there over the years. I wouldn't do this if it were the [[Parthenon]]. But this isn't the Parthenon.<ref name=field /></blockquote>

Proponents of the renovation argued it was badly needed because of aging and cramped facilities. ''[[The New York Times]]'' named the renovated Soldier Field one of the five best new buildings of 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/28/arts/architecture-the-highs-the-buildings-and-plans-of-the-year.html?scp=1&sq=&st=nyt|title=Architecture: The Highs; The Buildings (and Plans) of the Year|last=Muschamp|first=Herbert|date=December 23, 2003|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 21, 2010|archive-date=January 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116171059/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/28/arts/architecture-the-highs-the-buildings-and-plans-of-the-year.html?scp=1&sq=&st=nyt|url-status=live}}</ref> Soldier Field was given an award in design excellence by the [[American Institute of Architects]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mayer|first=Larry|url=http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Soldier-Field-wins-prestigious-award/584E1290-7E72-4455-8A4E-3E67FB5D9764|title=Soldier Field wins prestigious award|publisher=[[Chicago Bears]]|access-date=October 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230231731/http://www.chicagobears.com/news/article-1/Soldier-Field-wins-prestigious-award/584E1290-7E72-4455-8A4E-3E67FB5D9764|archive-date=December 30, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On September 23, 2004, as a result of the renovation, a 10-member federal advisory committee unanimously recommended that Soldier Field be delisted as a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eculturalresources.com/news/787.html|title=Soldier Field loses National Historic Landmark status|date=April 24, 2006|work=General Cultural Resources News|publisher=eCulturalResources|access-date=May 21, 2010|archive-date=December 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205011947/http://eculturalresources.com/news/787.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/story-of-the-week/2006/leveling-the-playing-field.html|title=Leveling the Playing Field|last=Murray|first=Jeanne|date=October 20, 2006|work=Preservation Magazine|publisher=National Trust for Historic Preservation|access-date=May 22, 2010|archive-date=February 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223003030/http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/story-of-the-week/2006/leveling-the-playing-field.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The recommendation to delist was prepared by Carol Ahlgren, an architectural historian at the [[National Park Service]]'s Midwest Regional Office in [[Omaha, Nebraska]], who was quoted in Preservation Online stating, "if we had let this stand, I believe it would have lowered the standard of National Historic Landmarks throughout the country. ... If we want to keep the integrity of the program, let alone the landmarks, we really had no other recourse." The stadium lost the landmark designation on February 17, 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20060428.HTM|title=Weekly List of Actions taken on properties: 4/17/06 through 4/21/06|date=April 28, 2006|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=May 21, 2010|archive-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231002454/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/listings/20060428.HTM|url-status=live}}</ref>