Chicago Metal Rolled Products Company has been bending steel since 1908, but only in the past 20 years for sports arenas.
We’ve joined the tidal wave sweeping across the country as more MLB and NFL stadiums have been built in the past 20 years than at any previous time in history. 25 of the 30 major league baseball teams are playing in stadiums either built or dramatically refurbished in 1989 or later. Coors Field in Denver, which opened in 1995, is the 4th oldest stadium in the National League.
The numbers in the NFL are similarly impressive, with 23 of 32 teams playing in stadiums built or refurbished since 1992. Since most of these buildings are designed to be both practical and aesthetically pleasing, structural steel bending is a major component of the construction process. And that’s a natural marriage for Chicago Metal Rolled Products Company where our capacity includes bending of beams up to 44″ x 290# the “hard way,” i.e. against the strong axis.
Our work can be seen in PNC Park in Pittsburgh (Tee bending for the light towers.), Miller Park in Milwaukee (Profile bending of rail for the retractable roof) and Soldier Field for our hometown Bears. (Beam bending to form the western edge of the bowl.) Chicago Metal’s structural steel bending has helped host a World Series (2006 Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO, Tigers-Cardinals) and a Super Bowl (2008 University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ, Giants-Patriots).
The question could be asked, “With all these new stadiums, is the market already saturated?” Maybe for the MLB and NFL for now, but we’ve made forays into the college markets, notably at Ohio State University’s famed “horeshoe” and at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. (Pipe bending for the curtain wall.) Chicago Metal Rolled Products Company will continue to strive to help build every new arena and to help renovate every existing arena. Who knows, this work might even include Wrigley Field some day!
