The 78 Update: Fire Stadium Under Construction, Research Hub Now Downtown

Where The 78 stands now

The 78 is a roughly 62-acre former railroad site along the South Branch of the Chicago River, wedged between the South Loop, Chinatown, and Pilsen. The developer Related Midwest has long pitched it as the city's symbolic 78th community area, with a long-term plan for millions of square feet of construction, open space, a riverwalk, and thousands of homes.

As of mid-2026, the most concrete activity on the site is a soccer stadium. According to Chicago Fire FC and reporting from the Chicago Sun-Times and WTTW, Chicago Fire FC broke ground on a privately funded stadium at The 78 on March 3, 2026. The remainder of the district, including the bulk of the housing and the public realm, is still in planning and phasing.

The stadium that is actually being built

The Fire's stadium is the first major vertical piece of The 78 to move into construction. Coverage put the cost in the range of 650 to 750 million dollars; the Chicago Sun-Times and WTTW reported a roughly 750 million dollar figure at the March 2026 groundbreaking, while earlier coverage cited 650 million dollars. Because outlets differ, treat the exact cost as approximate and trending toward the higher figure as plans firmed up.

Per Chicago Fire FC, the open-air venue is designed to seat more than 22,000 fans, with a natural grass surface and 360-degree seating, and the team is targeting the 2028 Major League Soccer season for opening. The construction team named by the club includes Related Midwest as master developer, Gensler as lead architect, and a partnership of Pepper Construction, GMA Construction Group, and All Construction Group.

The research anchor that moved

For years, the headline tenant at The 78 was supposed to be the Discovery Partners Institute, a University of Illinois research and technology hub slated to break ground first. That plan unraveled. In 2024 the University of Illinois pulled out of building its bespoke headquarters at The 78, and in early 2026 the university system moved the institute downtown instead, to an office building on Wacker Drive across from Willis Tower.

So the research hub is real and proceeding, just not at The 78 anymore. That distinction matters for anyone reading neighborhood news: the institutional anchor that once justified the district's timeline now sits in the West Loop. The 78 is currently anchored by a sports venue rather than a daily research campus.

A common point of confusion

There is a separate quantum-computing megaproject in the Chicago headlines, and it is easy to conflate with The 78. They are not the same site. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, anchored by the firm PsiQuantum, is rising on the former U.S. Steel South Works land on the Far South Side lakefront, not at The 78 in the South Loop.

If you own near one site, do not let news about the other distort your read of what is happening on your block. The 78 is a riverfront South Loop project anchored, for now, by the Fire stadium. The quantum park is a South Works lakefront project miles to the south.

What it means for South Loop and Near South Side owners

Here is the practical read for owners in the South Loop, Chinatown, and Pilsen. A privately funded stadium under construction is a genuine catalyst. It brings crowds, transit demand, and a reason for restaurants and housing to follow, and it signals that Related Midwest is actively building rather than just planning. That generally supports nearby values over a multi-year horizon.

The honest caution is that a stadium is event-driven. It fills the site dozens of days a year, not every day, and the everyday-neighborhood part of The 78, the homes, the riverwalk, and a possible new Red Line station, remains pending. Owners should treat The 78 as a long-horizon catalyst that just gained a real anchor, not as a finished neighborhood that already lifts every nearby block.

If you own near The 78 and want a grounded read on what a shifting megaproject means for your value and your timing, our investor-led team helps Near South Side owners think that through, with no pressure to act.