The venue lies on the former site of Meigs Field . On March 30 , 2003 , Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered a midnight demolition of the airfield . The construction crew excavated six large X 's on the runway . Daley stated the continued operation of the airfield was a threat to Chicago 's cityscape , using the events of 9/11 as a reference . The airfield was set to continue operation until 2011 , when it would be turned over to the City of Chicago . No one within state or city government were consulted on the demolition besides Daley . The Federal Aviation Administration fined the city $ 33,000 , with an additional one million paid in grants
9/11
September 11 attacks
Huntington Bank Pavilion