Chicago Bears Unveils Halas Hall Expansion

The Chicago Bears recently unveiled the Halas Hall expansion, which included a 162,500-square-foot football operations addition to the already existing 143,000-square-foot facility and a 30,600-square-foot remodeling project on the northeast side of the building. The project broke ground in Lake Forest, Illinois, in March 2018. HOK was the design firm, Mortenson Construction was the general contractor and Corporate Concepts provided the furniture.

As part of the project, a new player entry was designed with a hallway featuring all 14 of the Bears’ retired numbers, wall/ceiling lights that illuminate as players enter and music capabilities leading up to a 46-inch video wall comprised of nine screens. Position meeting rooms and the draft room doubled in capacity, while coaches’ offices increased by 50% and allowed for improved collaboration. A 3,250-square-foot players’ lounge was created, along with an approximately 1,700-square-foot player locker room expansion that includes a barbershop. The coaches/scouts locker room was also expanded and includes a sauna and steam room.

The weight room increased in size by 2,000 square feet, while the equipment room, recovery space and nutrition/fuel station doubled in size; the equipment room now includes a helmet-fitting room, footwear and shoulder pad fitting area, sewing room and high-density storage cabinets. Additionally, the sports medicine space is four times larger than the original area and features two hydrotherapy pools, two plunge pools, a float pod, sauna and steam room. A 13,000-square-foot indoor turf space was also added.

The team and staff café expanded by 4,300 square feet and is now 7,608 square feet, including the dining area and kitchen space. The café features the Bearista coffee bar, a smoothie/juice bar, standalone soup and salad bar, daily live action station and hot food, sandwich and dessert bars.

Adjacent to the café is the Sideline, which provides additional seating and lounge space for the team and staff. Atop the expansion is a 4,200-square-foot rooftop dining area and garden from which the café will source herbs.

Halas Hall now features 20 conference rooms named after Bears legends and football terminology, such as the Brian Piccolo Room and Decatur Room. There are also seven private phone rooms and a newly added learning center for staff training and professional development. Staff can work or relax in two enclosed patios, which feature exterior walls that open completely to allow in fresh air; the renovation also includes a wellness room and expanded staff locker rooms. Coaches and staff each have Huddles featuring coffee and snack bars, refrigerators, microwaves and lounge/dining spaces. In an effort to create more sunlight throughout the building, glass walls were installed and many exterior offices were moved to interior spaces.

New design elements include a brick wall featuring the Chicago Bears traditions script, four individual walls each highlighting a core value (respect, integrity, team, excellence), messaging on various walls displaying the Bears mission statement and inspirational quotes, a customized neon ceiling light of George S. Halas’ signature, a ceiling sculpture representing 100 years of Bears’ records and a 14-by-45-foot mural designed by Czr Prz in the indoor turf space. The main lobby also features video board that is 28 feet by 5 feet 7 inches. There are approximately 175 video displays in the renovated space.

Through a separate construction project, two additional football fields were built to the east of the Walter Payton Center, which allow the team to spread out the field use over four fields throughout the offseason and during in-season practices. That project also included the addition of a training slope, a storage facility and a practice viewing suite for corporate partners and other VIP guests.

Recent upgrades to Soldier Field in Gates 8, 10 and 14 also feature renovated and expanded office space for Bears staff.

Photos courtesy of Chicago Bears.