Elmhurst Residents Getting 2 Bandshells

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst needed bandshells, officials said. Now, the city is getting two, and they'll be close to each other.

The city of Elmhurst is building a bandshell next to its Elmhurst History Museum, 120 E. Park Ave. Construction is expected to be finished next month.

Meanwhile, local voters last month approved a $90 million Elmhurst Park District referendum, which included $2.5 million for a bandshell at Wilder Park, 175 S. Prospect Ave.

In an interview, Dave Oberg, the museum's executive director, described the two planned bandshells as an "apples and oranges" situation.

The museum's bandshell would be a small raised public performance space on the museum's east lawn, he said.

Oberg said it was the "next logical step" for the museum. It will be a good place for living history presentations and performances of American music such as bluegrass and jazz, he said.

"It allows us to maximize our campus," Oberg said.

A bandshell will be the "next logical step" for the Elmhurst History Museum's campus at 120 E. Park Ave., its executive director said. (David Giuliani/Patch)

A couple of years ago, the city got a state grant of about $700,000 for the bandshell. A fundraising drive by the museum's foundation added another $60,000 for the $750,000 project, according to the museum.

"Since 2015, we’ve been growing our roster of family-friendly outdoor programs, often enhanced by music," Oberg said in an email to Patch. "Some of these programs are now drawing 1,000 or more people to our site in a single day."

Jim Rogers, executive director of the Elmhurst Park District, said the community wanted the district to build a bandshell.

"I can’t really speak to the plans of the history museum, but what I can tell you is that a bandshell was identified on our community survey by nearly 6,000 households as the second most needed outdoor amenity after the restroom buildings," Rogers said in an email to Patch. "That is why it was included as part of the referendum and, why I would imagine, a majority of voters supported it."

The bandshell, Rogers said, would serve as a backdrop for music and theater performances and serve as a gathering place.