Images: A historic look at 60-year-old Rosemont
Rosemont celebrates its 60th anniversary on Wednesday. Here are some images from the village's past and present.
Mayor Donald Stephens poses by a Rosemont population sign in 1962. The population had grown from an initial 84 residents in 1956.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
The Higgins Road strip mall west of River Road still includes Village Pizzeria.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
Mayor Donald Stephens, left, recognizes the village's 10th anniversary in 1966.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
An aerial view shows the intersection and River and Higgins roads in the mid-1970s.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
The pool at Rosemont Elementary School opened in 1968. A water slide is added in 1984.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
The O'Hare Exposition Center opened in 1975. It has been renovated and expanded multiple times, and was renamed in 2000 for Mayor Donald Stephens.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
The village-owned Rosemont Horizon, later renamed Allstate Arena, opened in 1980. Five workers were killed during construction when the roof collapsed.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
Officials celebrate the opening of the Rosemont Horizon in 1980.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
Mayor Donald Stephens drops a ceremonial puck at a Chicago Wolves game. The Wolves have played at the Allstate Arena, then known as the Rosemont Horizon, since 1994.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
Rosemont's old water tower, left, was replaced by the one that still stands today. It was later painted with a rose and stem.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
This Rosemont Voters League annual summer picnic includes the dunk tank.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
A large hummel statue is transported from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center to its eventual home in a strip mall on Higgins Road. The late Mayor Stephens was a collector of the German figurines.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
Donald Stephens was Rosemont's mayor from the town's incorporation in 1956 until his death in 2007.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
Mayor Donald Stephens lobbied for a casino - and even started construction of a parking garage - but the Illinois Gaming Board later withdrew the license following allegations of mob involvement in the casino deal.
Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com, July 2002
Mayor Brad Stephens stands at the construction site of Rosemont's entertainment district, which opened in 2012.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
Rosemont's MB Financial Park district features 200,000 square feet of restaurants, bars and entertainment offerings. It is located east of the Tri-State Tollway and north of Balmoral Avenue.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com, October 2012
Rosemont's convention center was renamed for Mayor Donald E. Stephens in 2000.
Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com, April 2002
The 4,400-seat Rosemont Theatre opened in 1995. Mayor Brad Stephens has left open the door to its demolition, should the neighboring Fashion Outlets of Chicago mall decide to expand.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com, August 2003
The 2,000-seat Stadium at the Ballpark at Rosemont, home to the Chicago Bandits women's softball team, opened in 2011.
Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com, June 2011
The 530,000-square-foot Fashion Outlets of Chicago mall opened in 2013, and mall owner Macerich has suggested it may expand in the future.
George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com, August 2013
This illustration featuring Rosemont landmarks and celebrating the town's 60th anniversary is being used on village vehicle stickers and the 2016 village calendar.
Courtesy of Village of Rosemont
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