Chicago Fire Stadium Pulls $94M Permit for Enclosure Phase

A City of Chicago building permit valued at $94.0 million now covers the enclosure phase of the Chicago Fire’s new stadium in the South Loop, the fourth in a five-permit staged construction sequence tracked through the city’s own permit record. Permit #101084000, issued Oct. 20, lists the work as enclosure-only construction, no mechanical, electrical or plumbing, on a four-story stadium structure built on piles at 1331 S. Wells St., the site known as The 78. The owner of record is Chicago Fire Stadium, LLC, the project entity tied to Chicago Fire FC owner Joe Mansueto.

The permit’s own work description places it after three earlier staged permits on the same site: piling (#101075594), shallow foundations (#101079463) and the superstructure (#101080382). That sequence, pulled directly from the city’s permit record rather than from any outside report, is the clearest public signal of how the build has actually progressed phase by phase since groundbreaking. Related Midwest is the site developer at The 78; Pepper Construction Company is general contractor. The venue, to be named McDonald’s Park under a naming-rights deal reported in May 2026, sits on land Chicago City Council approved for a project reported at roughly $650 million in 2025, a figure some outlet coverage has since put as high as $750 million.

Why it matters

A fourth staged permit pulling on schedule is a concrete signal of fundable progress, not a renderings update. For South Loop-adjacent subcontractors and builders bidding Related Midwest’s other parcels at The 78, an enclosure permit means the stadium shell is now an active, inspected construction phase rather than a line item still waiting on financing or design sign-off.

The numbers

Permit #101084000: issued Oct. 20, 2026, declared cost $94.0 million, enclosure-only scope, no MEP, 4-story stadium structure on piles, 1331 S. Wells St. Prior staged permits: piles (#101075594), shallow foundations (#101079463), superstructure (#101080382). Project budget approved by City Council in 2025: roughly $650 million, since reported by some outlets at up to $750 million.

What’s next

Expect a fifth staged permit covering interior fit-out and MEP systems before the stadium’s targeted 2028 opening. This desk will track each staged filing in Chicago’s South Loop as Related Midwest’s surrounding parcels at The 78 move toward their own permits.