Hoffman Estates planning $3.7 million upgrade for Village Green, brew garden
Hoffman Estates trustees Monday approved a $213,450 design contract for a new concessions and restroom building to serve the increasingly popular Virginia Mary Hayter Village Green and the village-owned Hideaway Brew Garden & Bar adjacent to the Now Arena.
The final design by Tria Architecture of Burr Ridge is expected to be ready in time to begin construction on the estimated $3.7 million project after next September’s Platzkonzert Germanfest. The new facility would make its debut in 2025.
Earlier this year, the village received a $500,000 Tourism Attractions & Festivals Program Grant for the project from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The grant requires Hoffman Estates to invest at least the same amount, with the additional money to come from the village’s capital replacement fund.
The project envisions several distinct improvements, including an expansion of the on-site restroom space to three times its current amount.
The building also will include a full-sized commercial kitchen, an increased number of sale stations, and more event space on the roof deck.
The initial outline for the design includes space to load and store food and beverages inside. The presence of the kitchen will do away with the need to cook food in the Now Arena and bring it all the way out to the beer garden.
People queuing outside the building will be able to do so on concrete rather than on grass.
Village Manager Eric Palm said the popularity of the Village Green and beer garden for outdoor concerts and other recreation paved the way for the increased investment.
“It’s really becoming part of the community,” he said. “It’s a major gathering space for the community.”
A private venture demonstrated the potential for a beer garden on the public Village Green when it ran one called Das Bier Garden for four years.
After those operators decided not to renew their lease for 2019, village officials directed Spectra -- the management firm for the arena -- to take control of the beer garden as well, revamping and renaming it.