Images of Rosemont arena's history to grace new mural
From the circus and concerts, to DePaul basketball and the Chicago Wolves, images of the big shows and sporting events through the history of the Allstate Arena will soon grace a building mural across the street.
The "stick-on" art piece will be wrapped across the west side of the box office building on Lunt Avenue as part of an exterior renovation project, Rosemont Mayor Brad Stephens said.
A graphics company is working on the timeline mural, which should be visible not only from the parking lots, but also the Jane Addams Tollway.
Larger-scale brick and mortar upgrades are already underway after the village board inked a $541,546 contract with Rosemont Masonry Corp. this week. The project calls for new doors and windows that would mirror the blue glass color scheme of the stadium itself. A new digital board advertising upcoming shows will be installed at the entrance to the box office.
No interior renovations are planned at the single-story building, which houses the arena's administrative offices.
It also is home to the Skyline Room - formerly known as the Blue Demon Room - a once-popular pregame hangout spot. It's not used much by the public these days, but is mainly an eating area for crews working shows at the stadium, according to Stephens.
The village-owned venue opened in 1980 as the Rosemont Horizon.