Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena inRosemont, Illinois, United States, northwest ofChicago, located at the corner ofMannheim Road and Lunt Avenue, just north of Mannheim Road's interchange with the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) about 3 miles (4.8 km) north ofO'Hare International Airport. The facility opened in 1980 as theRosemont Horizon and seats 17,500 forbasketball and 16,692 forice hockey.

Allstate Arena

Allstate Arena in 2023
Allstate Arena Location within Illinois Show map of Illinois Allstate Arena Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Former names	Rosemont Horizon(1980–1999)
Address	6920 North Mannheim Road
Location	Rosemont, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates	42°0′19″N87°53′16″W / 42.00528°N 87.88778°W /42.00528; -87.88778
Owner	Village of Rosemont
Capacity	Concert: 18,500 - 22,000 Basketball: 17,500 Ice hockey: 16,692 Arena football: 16,143
Surface	Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground	September 12, 1978[1]
Opened	May 11, 1980[3]
Construction cost	$20 million
Architect	Anthony M. Rossi Architects
General contractor	Degen & Rosato Construction Co.[2]
Tenants
Chicago Wolves (AHL) (1994–present) Chicago Horizons (MISL) (1980–1981) DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball (NCAA D-1) (1980–2017) Chicago Sting (MISL) (1984–1988) Chicago Bruisers (AFL) (1987–1989) Loyola Ramblers men's basketball (NCAA D-1) (1989–1994) Chicago Power (NPSL/AISA) (1988–1996) Chicago Express (WBL) (1988) Chicago Skyliners (ABA) (2000–2001) Chicago Rush (AFL) (2001–2013) Chicago Sky (WNBA) (2010–2017) Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball (NCAA D-1) (2017–2018)
Website
allstatearena.com

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

The Village of Rosemont issued $19 million in bonds to finance the cost of the arena with exclusive contracts with Araserv, theRingling 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 ofModern Marvels, first broadcast byThe 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 nearbyO'Hare International Airport.

The facility, originally named Rosemont Horizon, was intended to be the home of the Chicago Horizons of theMajor 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 theWHA'sChicago Cougars, but the team folded in 1975, three years before the arena broke ground. The first concert held at the Horizon wasFleetwood 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^{[citation needed]}music videos, including the 1985 music video "Big City Nights" byScorpions.^[5]

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

On December 29, 2002,Creed gave a concert at the arena with lead singerScott Stapp obnoxiously high and drunk. After barely performing and mumbling incoherently through the first songs, he fell asleep onstage for a few minutes and the show ended early. This performance led four concertgoers to sue the band for over $2 million, and contributed to Creed's breakup.^[7]

On December 14, 2003, the floor at the Allstate Arena was named "Ray and Marge Meyer Court" in honor ofBasketball Hall of FamerRay 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]

Allstate Arena has been the home of theChicago Wolves of theAmerican Hockey League since they were inaugurated in 1994.^[10]

Allstate Arena was the home ofDePaul University men's basketball team until the end of the2016–17 season. The Blue Demons previously played on campus atAlumni Hall. That gym has since been replaced withMcGrath-Phillips Arena, home to the women's basketball program through that team's2016–17 season. The building hosted theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament three times: the 1987 and 1993 Midwest Regional first and second-round games, and the 2005 Chicago Regional Finals.

TheArena Football League also has a long history with Allstate Arena. The Horizon hosted anarena football test game in 1987 and theChicago Bruisers were an original Arena Football League team when the league began in 1987. The Bruisers played from 1987 to 1989, and hostedArenaBowl II in Rosemont, losing to the Detroit Drive, 24–13. In 2001, Arena Football returned to the arena with theChicago 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 theKansas City Brigade. After the AFL restructured in 2009, the Rush returned to the Arena Football League.^[11]

On October 25, 2008, the Allstate Arena hostedUFC 90, the firstUltimate Fighting Championship event in the state ofIllinois.

TheProfessional Bull Riders brought theirBuilt Ford Tough Series tour for events in 2006 and 2008.^[12][13] As of 2018, the tour has held the Chicago Invitational event here every year since 2010.^[14][15] PBR plans to continue this event in Chicago in 2019.^[16]

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

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

In 1989,Loyola Ramblers men's basketball became tenants of the arena, moving from theInternational Amphitheatre. The team played its home games at the Rosemont Horizon during their 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, and 1993–94 seasons before moving to a renovatedAlumni Gym on their campus.^[17][18][19]

During the2012–13 NHL lockout, Allstate Arena was the site of the Champs for Charity Hockey Game where current and former Chicago Blackhawks hosted fellow NHL players in front of 10,000+ fans.

DePaul left the arena after the2016–17 season for the newWintrust Arena inChicago, leaving the arena without a permanent college basketball tenant, althoughNorthwestern University moved its men's home basketball games to the arena temporarily for the2017–18 season before returning to its on-campus home atWelsh–Ryan Arena inEvanston, after a full-academic-year renovation of that facility.

• AFLArenaBowl II
• AHLCalder Cup
  • Qualifier (Western Conference):2002
  • Western Conference Quarterfinals:2002,2003 West Division Semifinals2004,2005,2007,2008,2010 Western Conference Quarterfinals:2012,2014,2015
  • Western Conference Semifinals:2002,2003 West Division Finals:2004,2005,2007,2008,2010 Western Conference Semifinals:2014
  • Western Conference Finals:2002,2005,2007,2008
  • Calder Cup Finals:2002,2005,2008,2019,2022
• IHLTurner Cup
  • 1/8 Finals:1994–95,1995–96,1996–97,1997–98
  • Quarterfinals:1995–96 Western Conference Quarterfinals:1997–98,1998–99,1999–2000,2000–01
  • Semifinals (Western Conference):1999–2000,2000–01
  • Turner Cup Finals:1999–2000,2000–01
• WNBA Playoffs
  • WNBA Eastern Conference Semifinals:2013,2014,2015 WNBA Playoffs Second Round:2016
  • WNBA Eastern Conference Finals:2013,2014 WNBA Semifinals:2016

The Allstate Arena is the standard venue forWWE events in Chicago. For decades, WWE's most prominent figures have appeared at this venue. These includeHulk Hogan,Bret Hart,Ric Flair,The Rock,"Stone Cold" Steve Austin,John Cena,Triple H,Roman Reigns, and Chicago nativeCM Punk. Since 1986, WWE has held numerouspay-per-view,non-televised,NXT,Raw, andSmackDown shows in the arena. Allstate Arena is also one of two venues (the other beingMadison Square Garden) to hostWrestleMania three times: namely the second segment ofWrestleMania 2 in 1986,WrestleMania 13 in 1997, andWrestleMania 22 in 2006—the last WrestleMania to date to be held in an arena setting (all future events have primarily been held in larger-capacity football stadiums, barringWrestleMania 36 which was filmed in a closed studio at theWWE Performance Center inOrlando due to theCOVID-19 pandemic).

The venue has also hostedThe Wrestling Classic in 1985, three editions ofSurvivor Series (1989,2019, and2023),No Mercy 2007,Night of Champions 2010, two editions ofJudgment Day (1998 and2009), two editions ofExtreme Rules (2012 and2015), two editions ofBacklash (2001 and2017), two editions ofMoney in the Bank (2011 and2018), three editions ofPayback (2013,2014^[20] and2016), the two editions of NXT TakeOver: Chicago (2017,2018),NXT TakeOver: WarGames (2019) andHell in a Cell 2022.

As of 2024, there have only been three instances where WWE has hosted an event in Chicago outside the Allstate Arena; that beingSummerSlam 1994, a WWE Road To WrestleMania (34) Live Event, and a 2018 Holiday Tour Live Event, all held at theUnited Center.

When the arena was known as Rosemont Horizon, the venue hostedAmerican Wrestling Association (AWA) events in the Chicago area during the 1980s, replacing theInternational Amphitheatre. It was also the standard venue forWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) events in the Chicago area during the mid-1990s, replacing theUIC Pavilion. WCW heldSpring Stampede at the arena in April 1994, as well as an episode ofWCW Monday Nitro in October 1995. However, it would later switch to using theUnited Center for its shows in the region.

The arena has been the site of many concerts, including byThe Rolling Stones,The Who,Fleetwood Mac,Bon Jovi,Van Halen,Prince,Whitney Houston,Michael Jackson,The Cure,Mariah Carey,Cher,U2,Bruce Springsteen,Madonna,Elton John,Janet Jackson,Britney Spears,BTS,Ateez,Blackpink,Taylor Swift,Ariana Grande,Scorpions,AC/DC,Tina Turner,Metallica,Andrea Bocelli,Green Day,Grateful Dead,Phish,My Chemical Romance,Marilyn Manson,Nine Inch Nails,Ricky Martin,Lorde,Justin Timberlake,Foo Fighters,R.E.M.,Justin Bieber,Queen,Rauw Alejandro,IU,Trans-Siberian Orchestra,Kylie Minogue,(G)I-dle,Enhypen,Tomorrow X Together,Suga, andJ-Hope.

Styx recorded their reunion live albumReturn To Paradise at the arena on September 21, 1996.

Gabriel Iglesias' Netflix special,I'm Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry, was filmed at the arena in 2016.

On December 29, 2002, rock bandCreed were set to perform on tour promoting their albumWeathered. Lead singerScott Stapp (who had endured a widely publicized addiction to alcohol) arrived to the performance too intoxicated to enunciate any lyrics. The band performed three songs before Stapp's incoherent behavior began to noticeably affect their ability to perform. Four concertgoers sued Stapp and the band for failing to complete their performance, though this lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, and many criticized Stapp for his behavior throughout the incident.^[21] Creed later issued an apology on Stapp's behalf.^[22]

On November 4, 1984,Ronald Reagan andGeorge H. W. Bush held a campaign rally in the Horizon, two days before the1984 presidential election.^[23]

• Official Website
• DePaul Athletics - Allstate Arena(web archive)