Rate Field, who? Justin Ishbia dreams big for a new White Sox stadium

A White Sox palace could one day rise against this iconic Chicago skyline. | (Jacek Boczarski/Getty Images) The White Sox are apparently thinking bigger than The 78, and that is saying something. Justin Ishbia, billionaire and hopefully sooner-than-later Sox overlord, is reportedly snapping up the 47-acre Amtrak Coach Yard at 14th Street, tucked by the Loop’s southwest edge, as reported today by Crain’s Chicago Business .

If this goes through, forget Bridgeport because Chicago could be staring down a stadium campus on the South Branch, a full-on baseball dream for the South Loop. Shore Capital, Ishbia’s Chicago money machine, says it’s in the early stages of plotting a mixed-use monster for the site. What kind of details do we have?

Not much. But the whispers are loud that a ballpark is on the table, maybe with Northwestern Medicine tagging along for some healthcare and innovation window dressing. The yard is parked right across the river from The 78, where the Fire are already building their own shiny new stadium.

Ishbia could have a front-row seat to dream up a Sox home for when the Rate Field clock runs out in 2029. Ishbia’s blueprint is still a sketch, but the Amtrak site is a blank canvas. Neighboring BNSF yards and live tracks could let him go even bigger, if he wants.