Tinley Park village officials received an award for their work on the Harmony Square plaza, which opened in July after more than a decade of planning.
Since its opening, the plaza has hosted concerts including well-known performers such as the BoDeans and high school bands, along with special events that attracted about a quarter million people, according to Tinley Park Mayor Michael Glotz.
A synthetic ice skating rink opened in November and remained until Feb. 15, attracting about 5,200 skaters, Glotz said.
He said the plaza attendance has positively affected businesses and the entire southwest region.
“I can’t thank our staff enough for all their hard work in making the new plaza so successful,” he said.
The plaza, at 6700 North St., was named as one of the American Public Works Association Southwest Branch’s 2025 Project of the Year in the structures $25 million to $75 million category, alongside other area projects such as a roundabout in New Lenox.
The plaza has received support and some constructive feedback from Tinley Park residents.
Patsy Chigaros, a 25-year Tinley Park resident, said Tuesday she likes that the plaza brings people together and said it introduced her to new friends, such as Jody Crossley, a 25-year Tinley Park resident who works at Durbin’s and Teehan’s.
Chigaros and Crossley both said the downtown area has felt busier since the plaza opened. They also said they still feel safe walking around, even at night.
Chigaros said she brought her two grandchildren to the ice rink, and she appreciated there was an enclosed tent where people could get ready to skate and take their time, instead of being in the cold weather. Although, she said, this past winter season was especially cold, which made skating outside less appealing.
She also said it was fun and beautiful to dine in one of Durbin’s temporary igloos, which she said Crossley helped make accessible for one of her friends who is paralyzed.
“It was nice because then we kept inviting everyone who was outside to come inside and check it out,” she said. “It was a blast.”
She said she goes to Teehan’s Tavern, which was remodeled as a part of Harmony Square construction, four days a week after work, where she feels known as if she is on the show “Cheers.”
She said there was a transition period where longtime residents were weary about losing the old Teehan’s building, but that over time the bar became almost like a home again, due to friendly staff and familiar memorabilia from the old bar.
But overall, Chigaros said she has concerns about the plaza overshadowing other downtown businesses. She said some business owners told her the plaza attracts customers away from their business because most events center on the plaza, instead of throughout downtown.
“Instead of bringing that business throughout, it’s localized in certain areas because obviously this is where it’s all at,” she said. “I love it, it’s nice, but I feel other places don’t love it so much.”
Bill Carrig, a lifelong Tinley Park resident, said Tuesday he attended several concerts at Harmony Square and said the plaza is a great use of space.
He said he likes the venue’s “picnic atmosphere,” where people can bring their own food and drinks.
He also said he likes leaning into the idea of Tinley Park being a music-centric village. He said downtown always held music events, but noticed more people traveling from outside of Tinley for the events.
“It’s nice to see that people have a reason to get off the train to come do something fun instead of blowing past us to head to the city, and I’ve definitely noticed a lot more of that,” he said.
He said he would like to see the village lean even more into being music centric and bring more popular artists for concerts. He also said it would be nice to see more creative events at the plaza in the weeks between the concerts.
The property for Harmony Square is 6 acres, including planned townhouses and apartments, according to the village.
Village Administrator Pat Carr said the village is in discussions with prospective vendors who are interested in occupying retail space at Harmony Square.
“While I can’t elaborate further at this time, our focus is to attract a business that will complement our events and add extra value to the downtown Tinley experience,” he said Wednesday.
He said construction at the adjacent West Point at Harmony Square is ongoing, and will include 4,350-square-feet of commercial space, 63 residential units, 60 townhome units and other modern amenities.
“West Point is a perfect companion development to Harmony Square and helps to further our vision for a world-class downtown,” Carr said.
Shannon Mcauliffe-Corcoran, a manager at Durbins in downtown Tinley Park, said as the Harmony Square winter season wraps up, she is gearing up for St. Patrick’s day celebrations, an Easter brunch, a Mother’s Day event and a series of fish fry events.
awright@chicagotribune.com