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Allstate Arena

Coordinates: 42°0′19″N 87°53′16″W / 42.00528°N 87.88778°W / 42.00528; -87.88778
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42°0′19″N 87°53′16″W / 42.00528°N 87.88778°W / 42.00528; -87.88778

Allstate Arena
Map
Former namesRosemont Horizon (1980–1999)
Address6920 North Mannheim Road
LocationRosemont, Illinois
OwnerVillage of Rosemont
CapacityConcert: 18,500
Basketball: 17,500
Ice hockey: 16,692
Arena football: 16,143
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 12, 1978[1]
OpenedMay 11, 1980[2]
Construction cost$20 million
ArchitectAnthony M. Rossi Architects
General contractorDegen & Rosato Construction Co.[3]
Tenants
Chicago Horizons (MISL) (1980–1981)
DePaul Blue Demons (NCAA) (1980–2017)
Chicago Sting (MISL) (1984–1988)
Chicago Bruisers (AFL) (1987–1989)
Chicago Power (NPSL/AISA) (1988–1996)
Chicago Express (WBL) (1988)
Chicago Wolves (AHL) (1994–present)
Chicago Skyliners (ABA) (2000–2001)
Chicago Rush (AFL) (2001–2013)
Chicago Sky (WNBA) (2010–2017)
Northwestern Wildcats (NCAA) (2017–2018)
Website
www.allstatearena.com

Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States. It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Interstate 90, adjacent to the city limits of Chicago and O'Hare International Airport. The facility opened in 1980 as the Rosemont Horizon and seats 17,500 for basketball and 16,692 for ice hockey.

The arena is home to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL) and has served as the home arena for a number of other professional and collegiate teams, most notably the DePaul Blue Demons from 1980 through 2017.

History

The Village of Rosemont issued $19 million in bonds to finance the cost of the arena with exclusive contracts with Araserv, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and MFG International.

On August 13, 1979, the uncompleted roof of the Rosemont Horizon collapsed, killing five construction workers and injuring 16 others.[4] The collapse was featured in the "Engineering Disasters" episode of Modern Marvels, first broadcast by The History Channel on April 20, 2006.

One distinctive feature of the Allstate Arena is its timber roof, designed to muffle the sounds of any passing aircraft descending into and taking off from O'Hare International Airport.

The facility, originally named Rosemont Horizon, was intended to be the home of the Chicago Horizons of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and was home of the 1980–1981 season but the franchise folded in 1982. It was also intended to be the home of the WHA's Chicago Cougars, but the team folded in 1975, three years before the arena broke ground. The first concert held at the Horizon was Fleetwood Mac on May 15, 1980, as they cut a red ribbon on the stage during the opening of the show.

The Rosemont Horizon was featured in many music videos, including the 1985 music video "Big City Nights" by Scorpions.[5]

Insurance company Allstate signed a 10-year contract worth more than $10 million on June 9, 1999, to acquire naming rights to the arena and renovate it.[6]

On December 29, 2002, Creed had an infamous concert at the arena, where, after a bad reaction with a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, the lead singer Scott Stapp was inebriated during the concert. After barely performing and mumbling incoherently through the first part of the concert, he fell asleep on the stage. He woke up after a few minutes and the concert was ended early. This poor performance led four concert-goers to sue the band for over $2 million, and this concert contributed to the break-up of the band. [7]

On December 14, 2003, the floor at the Allstate Arena was named "Ray and Marge Meyer Court" in honor of Basketball Hall of Famer Ray Meyer and his wife. Meyer coached DePaul's men's team for 42 seasons and is the school's all-time winningest coach.[8][9]

Events

Arena during the 2019 Calder Cup Finals

Sports

Allstate Arena was the home of DePaul University men's basketball team until the end of the 2016–17 season. The Blue Demons previously played on campus at Alumni Hall. That gym has since been replaced with McGrath-Phillips Arena, home to the women's basketball program through that team's 2016–17 season. The building hosted the NCAA basketball tournament three times: the 1987 and 1993 Midwest Regional first and second-round games, and the 2005 Chicago Regional Finals.

The Arena Football League also has a long history with Allstate Arena. The Horizon hosted an arena football test game in 1987 and the Chicago Bruisers were an original Arena Football League team when the league began in 1987. The Bruisers played from 1987 to 1989, and hosted ArenaBowl II in Rosemont, losing to the Detroit Drive, 24–13. In 2001, Arena Football returned to the arena with the Chicago Rush. The Rush increased its home attendance each year from 2001 to 2008, and from 2004 to 2008 averaged between 14,000 and 16,000 fans per game. The Rush's highest home attendance is 16,391 on June 23, 2007, against the Kansas City Brigade. After the AFL restructured in 2009, the Rush returned to the Arena Football League.[10]

On October 25, 2008, the Allstate Arena hosted UFC 90, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship event in the state of Illinois.

The Professional Bull Riders brought their Built Ford Tough Series tour for events in 2006 and 2008.[11][12] As of 2018, the tour has held the Chicago Invitational event here every year since 2010.[13][14] PBR plans to continue this event in Chicago in 2019.[15]

The arena is where the monster truck racing track style known as "Chicago-style" was created.

The Chicago Sky of the WNBA announced on August 17, 2009, that the team reached a multi-year lease with the arena.

Loyola University Chicago also played its home games at the Rosemont Horizon in the 1990s, until the on-campus Gentile Arena was built.

During the 2012-13 NHL lockout, Allstate Arena was the site of the Champs for Charity Hockey Game where current and former Chicago Blackhawks hosted fellow NHLers in front of 10,000+ fans.

DePaul left the arena after the 2016–17 season for the new Wintrust Arena in Chicago, leaving the arena without a permanent college basketball tenant, although Northwestern University moved its men's home basketball games to the arena temporarily for the 2017–18 season before returning to its on-campus home at Welsh–Ryan Arena in Evanston, after a full-academic-year renovation of that facility.

Professional league championships and playoffs

2008 Calder Cup Finals

Professional wrestling

The Allstate Arena is also the standard venue for WWE professional wrestling events in Chicago. It is one of two venues (the other being Madison Square Garden) to host WrestleMania three times: namely the second segment of WrestleMania 2 in 1986, WrestleMania 13 in 1997, and WrestleMania 22 in 2006. WrestleMania 22 is also notable for being the last WrestleMania to date to be held in a smaller arena. Due to the event's rapid growth in popularity, from WrestleMania 23 at Detroit's Ford Field, the annual PPV has been held in large venues such as e.g. 70,000+-seat football stadiums (with the exception of WrestleMania 36 which was held in the WWE Performance Center in Orlando without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

The venue has also hosted The Wrestling Classic in 1985, two editions of Survivor Series (1989 and 2019), No Mercy 2007, Night of Champions 2010, two editions of Judgment Day (1998 and 2009), two editions of Extreme Rules (2012 and 2015), two editions of Backlash (2001 and 2017), two editions of Money in the Bank (2011 and 2018), three editions of Payback (2013, 2014[16] and 2016) and all three editions of NXT TakeOver: Chicago (2017, 2018 and 2019).

When it was called Rosemont Horizon, the arena hosted American Wrestling Association events in the Chicago area during the 1980s, replacing the International Amphitheatre. It also hosted WCW's Spring Stampede 1994. During the mid-1990s, Rosemont Horizon was the standard venue when WCW visited in Chicago; having replaced the UIC Pavilion, it was eventually dropped in favor of the United Center.

Concerts

The arena has been the site of many concerts over the years, including acts such as Enrique Iglesias, Journey (1981-82), Pink Floyd, RBD, Iron Maiden, KISS, The Grateful Dead, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Prince, Paul McCartney, Rush, Oasis, Whitney Houston, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Garth Brooks, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, David Bowie, Pearl Jam, Genesis, Mariah Carey, Cher, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, George Michael, Shakira, Guns N' Roses, Tina Turner, Britney Spears, Kid Rock, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, Phil Collins, Van Halen, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Phish, Andrea Bocelli, Foo Fighters, Rammstein, Christina Aguilera, Fall Out Boy, Justin Timberlake, Green Day, Katy Perry, Scorpions, Rob Zombie, BTS, Blackpink, Justin Bieber, James Taylor, AC/DC, Korn, Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, The Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Panic! At The Disco, Nine Inch Nails, and Weezer, among others. On March 21, 1986, a performance by the band Rush was recorded for broadcast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour.

Other events

George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan holding a 1984 campaign rally in the arena

On November 4, 1984, Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush held a campaign rally in the arena. This rally was held only two days before the 1984 presidential election.[17]

The Arena hosts several amusement and circus events, typically outdoors by sharing the parking lots. Since 1991 the Arena has hosted Wolff's Flea Market on weekends during the summer season. This outdoor event has drawn significant crowds during the summer and has become a popular event in the Chicago area.

Gabriel Iglesias' Netflix special "I'm Sorry for What I Said When I was Hungry" was filmed in the Allstate Arena in 2016.

References

  1. ^ Christiansen, Richard (July 22, 1979). "New Home for Pop, Sports, Greatest Show on Earth". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  2. ^ Sjostrom, Joseph (May 12, 1980). "Horizon Dwarfs Its Party". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
  3. ^ Gorman, John; Enstad, Robert (August 14, 1979). "Probe Arena Roof Cave-In". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  4. ^ "Rosemont Horizon Arena Timber Roof Collapse; Chicago". The Materials Digital Library Pathway. The National Science Digital Library. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  5. ^ Scorpions. "Big City Nights". YouTube. Event occurs at 1:37. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  6. ^ Holt, Douglas (June 10, 1999). "Millions Turn Horizon Into Allstate Arena". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  7. ^ "Some Creed fans are singing a different tune after concert". chicagotribune.com. April 28, 2003. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Meyer remains king of court for DePaul". tribunedigital-chicagotribune.
  9. ^ "DePaul Blue Demons". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  10. ^ "Chicago Rush Team History". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  11. ^ "The Professional Bull Riders Debut in Chicago with the Jack Daniel's Invitational". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  12. ^ "The Professional Bull Riders Return to Chicago for Two Action-Packed Nights!!". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "Built Ford Tough Series". Professional Bull Riding. chicago.thelocaltourist.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Jess Lockwood wins Round 2 at PBR Chicago; Cooper Davis wins event title". Montana Sports. MontanaSports.com. 15 January 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  15. ^ "PBR's Iron Cowboy moves to Los Angeles in 2019". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  16. ^ "WWE Live Event Results - Allstate Arena,Chicago - 12/26/2014". December 27, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  17. ^ "1984 Election Campaign". www.reaganlibrary.gov. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. n.d. Retrieved July 8, 2017. President Reagan and George Bush waving at a Reagan-Bush Rally at the Rosemont Horizon Arena in Chicago, Illinois. 11/4/84..........Reagan watching the election results at a Private Dinner at Jorgensen residence in Los Angeles, California. 11/6/84
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Allstate Arena.
Tenants
Preceded by
first arena
 Home of Chicago Express
1988 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Home of Chicago Sting
1984–1988 		Succeeded by
last arena
Preceded by
first arena
 Home of Chicago Rush
2001–present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by Home of Chicago Sky
2010–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
first arena
 Home of Chicago Skyliners
2000–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
first arena
 Home of Chicago Wolves
1994–present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by Home of DePaul Blue Demons
1980–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Home of Northwestern Wildcats
2017–2018 		Succeeded by
Events
Preceded by Host of ArenaBowl
1988 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of WrestleMania 2
w/ Nassau Coliseum & L.A. Sports Arena
1986 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of WrestleMania 13
1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of WrestleMania 22
2006 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of WWE Money in the Bank
2011 		Succeeded by
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