Rosemont’s robotic mayor delivered to village hall ahead of history museum opening
Years in the making, the Donald E. Stephens Rosemont History Museum will open to the public inside village hall on Tuesday, Aug. 18, officials announced.
The centerpiece of the $3 million, 4,300-square-foot repository of artifacts, displays and interactive exhibits — a talking animatronic version of the town founder — was wheeled into the red-carpeted digs of the re-created mayor’s office Monday.
Still under wraps — literally and figuratively — the lifelike figure will be motion activated and deliver a set of prerecorded lines from behind the mayor’s old wooden desk that was kept in storage all these years. The robot was sculpted and fabricated by Jacksonville, Florida-based Sally Dark Rides design studio.
Among those there for the android’s delivery to the back door of village hall at 9501 Technology Boulevard Monday morning were some of the members of the Stephens family who run the small town today: son Brad Stephens, mayor since the elder Stephens’ death in 2007; grandson Christopher Stephens, executive director of the convention center that bears the late mayor’s name; and grandson Brad Stephens II, general manager of the Parkway Bank Park entertainment district.
But the robot was the brainchild of a grandson the former mayor never got to meet: Joseph Stephens, the current mayor’s 13-year-old son, who saw similar animatrons during a family trip to the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World in Florida.
There’s much more now being pieced together in the local gallery space, which was designed by Chicago Scenic Studios and Peter Hyde Design: a 1950s-era aircraft fuselage and simulated flyover experience highlighting the impact of O’Hare International Airport on the town’s growth; a small theater rotating short films; memorabilia from village-owned venues including the Allstate Arena and Rosemont Theatre; interactive learning hubs with trivia-style questions; multimedia experiences showing photos and videos; and a visual timeline.
Also on display will be a good number of the old mayor’s M.I. Hummel figurines. The collection used to be in a now-closed village Hummel museum.
“As we celebrate Rosemont’s 70th anniversary, there is no better time to officially open a museum dedicated to preserving and sharing our story,” Brad Stephens said in an official village announcement. “Many people know Rosemont as a destination for entertainment, conventions, dining and tourism, but few know the incredible story of how this community came to be.”
Admission to the museum will be free. Regular hours are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.