The prospective owner of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Chicago White Sox has unveiled plans for a new ballpark as part of a major mixed-use development in the city’s South Loop.
According to Block Club Chicago, the proposed stadium would anchor ‘The Railyards’, a 48-acre redevelopment of Amtrak’s 14th Street Coach Yard that could also feature housing, healthcare, retail and commercial space.
The riverfront ballpark would be located across the Chicago River from the Chicago Fire’s planned new stadium, potentially creating a new major sports and entertainment district in the South Loop. The development could also include a new facility for Northwestern Medicine.
The White Sox currently play at the 40,615-capacity Rate Field on Chicago’s South Side. The MLB franchise is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf. A company owned by billionaire Justin Ishbia, who has an agreement that could see him acquire control of the White Sox in 2034, released renderings of the proposed ballpark as part of plans for The Railyards. The development is earmarked for Amtrak’s 48-acre 14th Street Coach Yard at 432 W. 14th St.
“The Railyards is about turning idle land into opportunity — for patients who need better access to care, for a team and its fans who deserve a dynamic riverfront home, and for a city that needs jobs, housing, and economic investment,” Ishbia said. “This is a Chicago project, built by and for Chicagoans, and we are excited about its potential.”
Newly released renderings depict a vintage-style ballpark with a brick façade overlooking the Chicago River, with a riverwalk running along its eastern perimeter. The plans also show a public plaza immediately north of the stadium alongside a commercial building connected to the ballpark by a skybridge.
A series of new mid- and low-rise buildings would provide a mix of commercial, retail, healthcare and residential uses across the wider development. The project would require Amtrak to relocate its maintenance operations from the South Loop site to a largely vacant rail yard in Bridgeport, adjacent to the White Sox’s current home at Rate Field, 333 W. 35th St.
According to Block Club Chicago, Canal Edge, Ishbia’s company spearheading The Railyards development, recently committed $125 million towards a $900 million project to facilitate the relocation of Amtrak’s rail operations.
