Exterior substantially complete on new $34.5M arena, which is on track for August opening
Energetic red and black hues accent the new Rosemont ice rink’s metal panel exterior.
Nicholas & Associates, a full-service contractor providing comprehensive construction management, design/build and general contracting services with offices in Illinois, Wisconsin and Tampa, today announced exterior construction is substantially complete on its new $34.5 million indoor ice arena in Rosemont, Ill., near Chicago. With precast concrete up and joists and roof decking installed, the building’s shell is 95% finished and construction is on track for an August 2025 opening.
Located on three acres north of Allstate Arena, the new 103,000-square-foot twin-sheet arena will offer a “hat trick” of benefits for local ice enthusiasts: prime ice time for youth hockey groups and figure skating; evening ice time for adult hockey leagues; and exclusive daytime use by the Chicago Wolves professional hockey team, which currently practices in Hoffman Estates, Ill., and plays games at Allstate Arena. Because the new facility is only 3 miles from O’Hare International Airport, it also will draw regional and national hockey tournaments, the firm said.
“As a hockey family, we’ve seen firsthand how the sport has become more popular over the years, yet there is just not enough quality ice to meet the demand for the different teams and clubs, forcing kids to not only practice late at night, but also in aged facilities,” said Nick Papanicholas Jr., CEO and managing director of the Nicholas Family of Companies, of which Nicholas & Associates is an entity. “With this new highly amenitized arena, we are expanding opportunities for youth hockey programs in the area and providing a premier training center for the Chicago Wolves – it’s a win-win for everyone.
Nearly a half dozen hockey clubs will be signing on to use the new ice rink in Rosemont by Nicholas & Associates.
“And we couldn’t ask for a better partner on this project than the Village of Rosemont,” Papanicholas continued. “Their commitment to having a world-class ice arena has been evident each step of the way because they know what a positive impact this arena will have on families, players and surrounding businesses. This arena truly embodies what the Rosemont experience is all about.”
Designed by architectural firm ARCON Associates, Inc., the new arena will provide a family-friendly mezzanine-level restaurant, a bar with a viewing area featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking both rinks, an elevated grab-and-go concept, and a physical therapy clinic and gym. The arena also will have staff and team amenities for the Wolves and the Chicago Mission girls hockey club.
The new arena will be operated by the Nicholas Family of Companies’ Spectate Group, which also manages the Nicholas Sportsplex, the firm’s 17-acre indoor-outdoor sports complex with three ice sheets, synthetic turf fields, dedicated team spaces, a restaurant and bar and a hockey pro shop in Mount Prospect, Ill.
Spectate Group will pay the village an annual licensing fee to operate and manage the year-round facility. Under the agreement, both parties will be able to sell naming rights and sponsorships inside and outside the building.
Fueled in part by a new wave of female fans, the National Hockey League is consistently reporting higher revenue YOY, increased ratings and record-setting attendance, with arenas filled to more than 96% capacity. There were 389,820 registered youth hockey players in the 2023-24, up from 340,000 in 2009-10, and over 90,000 girls under age 18 are registered to play, almost surpassing Canada, according to USA Hockey. Several girls hockey teams and organizations look forward to calling Rosemont’s new ice arena home.
Founded in 1978, the Nicholas Family of Companies’ construction arm has become synonymous with big suburban building projects,
The rink’s mezzanine-level includes a restaurant and a viewing area overlooking the two ice rinks.
including public schools and park districts, private residential and retail mixed-use projects, and dozens of recreational facilities, including fitness centers, athletic fields, gymnasiums and, increasingly, ice arenas. The family’s interest in building ice arenas started under patriarch Nick Sr., who transformed a vacant commercial property in Mount Prospect’s Kensington Business Center into the premier ice arena in the Chicagoland area – the Nicholas Sportsplex – in less than six months. Nick Sr. passed away just months after the ice rink opened in 2016. Today, the family’s Nicholas Sportsplex has roughly 40 hockey teams that call the Sportsplex home and attracts approximately 750,000 hockey and sports enthusiasts from around the world each year.
“Rosemont is the epicenter of where families want to be for hockey,” said Papanicholas Jr. “Adding a desperately needed premier ice arena with modern conveniences for our kids to play is incredibly rewarding, especially for a hockey family like ours.”
