Work Begins On Downtown Tinley Park's Harmony Square Plaza (2024)

Community Corner

Work on infrastructure kicked off Monday, March 25, with some road closures in the area expected through March 29.

Posted Mon, Mar 25, 2024 at 2:16 pm CT

The plaza will be built on 1.6 acres at the corner of Oak Park Avenue and North Street in Downtown Tinley. A contractor has closed 173rd and North streets March 25, for work on the infrastructure in the area, Village officials said. Also beginning this week is the demolition of beloved Teehan's Tavern, to make way for construction of a near-replica of the downtown pub.

“Harmony Square is part of a bigger plan to redevelop Downtown Tinley, which is already underway with the opening of the Boulevard at Central Station and the many new businesses along Oak Park Avenue,” Mayor Michael Glotz said in March 2023. “Once complete, it will be the living room of Tinley Park, a central hub where people will come to hang out and relax.”

Work beginning March 25 at 173rd and North streets includes installation of valves on a 24-inch watermain and installation of the soil retention/watermain protection system. Both roads will reopen by the evening of Friday, March 29. Construction of the new plaza and surrounding buildings, including the reconstructed Teehan's Tavern, is on-track to be completed in time for a spring 2025 opening, officials said.

<< Read also: Tinley Park Unveils Final Vision, Developer For Harmony Square >>

Harmony Square, which was designed by the Lakota Group and will be constructed on 1.6 acres, will include an adaptive plaza space that will have events scheduled year-round. Highlights include a synthetic turf lawn, a splash pad in the summer, a 30-foot by 50-foot concert stage to accommodate larger bands and performances, fire pits, a synthetic ice rink in the winter with curling lanes, and a gateway pergola.

Plans include the construction of three key buildings to house various amenities, officials wrote on the project website. The building at the northeast corner of Oak Park Avenue and 173rd Street will contain the concert stage, a green room/backstage area for acts, skate rental in the winter, and retail space on the side facing Oak Park Avenue. The smaller structure on the northeast corner of the plaza will be a support building with bathrooms and an indoor and outdoor VIP area. The third building will be the newly built Teehan's replacement.

The plaza is part of the Village’s “Life Amplified” branding effort started in 2017, that centers around music. The new plaza was designed using placemaking, a community-driven, collaborative, destination-focused process that pays attention to the interactions between the physical, social, ecological, economic and cultural qualities of a space, Village officials have said.

As officials march ahead with the downtown upgrades, residents have had mixed feelings, specifically about the loss of the 171-year-old Teehan's building. Officials have said the condition of the building and its infrastructure are too poor to work with the existing structure. The demolition process is expected to take about a week, Village Manager Pat Carr told Patch.

<< Read also: Teehan's Tavern Demolition Start Date Set: Village >>

Pub patrons and supporters last fall were disappointed—and some angry—to learn that the iconic building in the heart of Tinley's downtown would be demolished. Little comfort was brought by the news that the Village had purchased the rights to the name, with the plans to build anew. The Village plans to essentially replicate the building — with some modernizations — on the same property and lease it along with the Teehan's Tavern name.

Now weeks after the final beer was poured and last shots taken during the Village's Irish Parade, the Village takes next steps towards the bar's reincarnation. Taken from the building as it stands, for use in its near-replica were "some signs, parts of the bar, ceiling tiles and bricks," Carr said. Plans for the new building include a party room and the addition of an attached building that will have a restaurant with a rooftop bar to allow diners to enjoy the weather and watch concerts in Harmony Square, officials said.

"We are excited about a new chapter in Tinley Park history that will be enjoyed by residents and visitors for years to come," Carr told Patch.

Construction of the plaza will also include the reconstruction and beautification of North and South streets with brick pavers and the construction of a new road called Festival Street, connecting North and 173rd streets.

“Harmony Square will also support the surrounding businesses and, in turn, the entire Tinley Park economy,” Village Manager Pat Carr said in March 2023. “It will reduce the leakage of locally earned money being spent in neighboring communities, increasing the investment and tax base in Tinley Park and dramatically increasing visitor spending locally.”

The Village also has plans for an adjacent mixed-use development called West Point at Harmony Square. The development will have 60 two- and three-bedroom townhomes, as well as a mixed-use building with 63 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, covered parking, an amenity deck, a plaza overlook deck, open space, a fitness center, an on-site office and 4,350 square feet of retail space. The development will also include upgrades to the adjacent utilities, roadways, sidewalks and streetscape. The development is also a controversial addition to the downtown, with residents concerned about traffic flow, crowding, and renters versus owners occupying the units. The developer hopes to break ground in spring/summer 2024 and complete the project within two years.