Leaked rendering of the proposed Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop.
Renderings for a potential future ballpark for the Chicago White Sox have surfaced.
It was recently announced that the White Sox would possibly be looking to build a new ballpark in the Chicago area. The move would come after the team’s lease with Guaranteed Rate Field expires in 2028. The current ballpark is one of the older MLB parks, opening in 1991, and its area leaves much to be desired.
What is “The 78”?
Real estate developer Related Midwest is seeking partnership with the White Sox to build the ballpark. The selected location appears to be a 62-acre site in the South Loop, which has been nicknamed “The 78.” The name comes from the potential to develop the area into Chicago’s 78th district. Plans for the area have come and gone in the past few years, with previous plans to build a casino there in 2021 scrapped.
Early Thursday morning, three images appearing to be official renders of the ballpark leaked on Twitter, now known as X. They were swiftly deleted, but not before some sleuths managed to save the images, and post them to Reddit.
Proposed Stadium
From the images, the ballpark appears to be situated in the central portion of the site. The location appears to be alongside the river, with new developments surrounding it. The 35,000 seat stadium appears to have a split upper deck design, and a large video board in the outfield.
If the White Sox are seeking a move, the plot of land called The 78 only makes the most sense. Teams routinely seek “ballpark districts” where the land around the stadium is developed into housing and retail. This transforms the ballpark and its surrounding area into an entire new and lively neighborhood.
The 78 calls for developing the site into an entire district. Combined with the ballpark and the sweeping views of Downtown, it’s a home run. If only the White Sox valued winning as much as they did new stadium proposals, the game of baseball would further grow.
