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Orland Park Village Center Complex Brings By MARJORIE OWENS, Public Information Coordinator, Village of Orland Park
The Orland Park Village Center Complex has brought a new identity to the southwest suburban area. Known throughout the Chicagoland area and the State of Illinois for its innovative architectural styling, the complex is the site of the Orland Park Village Hall, the Orland Park "Civic Center of Attention" and the Franklin E. Loebe Recreation Center. All three buildings were designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Perkins and Will and constructed by Walsh Construction Company of Chicago. The complex is bisected by a spring fed lake, with an outdoor amphitheater extending into the lake. Future plans include the construction of a Performing Arts Center on the grounds of the complex. Orland Park officially unveiled its complex in the fall of 1989, hosting a Community Open House. The day's festivities included a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony, accented by musical entertainment provided by local high school bands and musical ensembles. In late July the complex was named the recipient of the Distinguished Building Award from the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Only eleven buildings in the Chicago area are receiving this award, which will be presented by the Chicago Historical Society in early November. Located at 14700 South Ravinia Avenue, one block west of LaGrange Road (U.S. Route 45), the complex is neighbored to the north by the Orland Park Police Station, constructed in 1983. To the southwest is John Humphrey Sports Complex, named for the village's first mayor, boasting twenty acres of lighted ballfields, restroom facilities and a concession stand. The Village Center Complex is situated on fifteen acres within the 100-acre village owned tract. The Village Hall, totaling 42,000 square feet is recognized by its ornate clock tower, visible from La-Grange Road. Describing this center of municipal services, Perkins and Will wrote, "The Village Hall orients toward the formal and the informal aspects of the site and is the symbolic center of the complex. Its massing and placement recognize the axis of the entry boulevard from the east, as well as the axis of the village green. It is the only symmetrically composed building that emphasizes its importance." The lakeview level of the Village Hall houses the Community Development, Emergency Services and Building Maintenance Departments. The second level, at ground level, accommodates the Officials', Administrative, Finance, Legal, Public Information and Village Treasurer's Offices. State Senator William Mahar (R-19) leases office space on this level of the building. It is on the ground level that the Cashier's Office is located in the main lobby, along with the Village Board Room, the meeting area for the Orland Park Village Board, its committees, commissions and advisory boards. The third level, accessible via a "monumental stair- September 1990 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 7 case" in the main lobby, or by an elevator, is the location of the Engineering, Environmental Health and Building Departments. Encompassing one level, Orland Park's "Civil Center of Attention" features an exhibition hall for trade shows, receptions, cultural and organizational events. A circular meeting/dining room and elaborate terrace areas are highlights of this 10,800 square foot facility. The "L" shaped lobby area bordering the exhibition hall serves as both a receiving area, along with providing additional exhibition space. Overseen by the Orland Park Civic Center Authority, a separate administrative body, the architects described this building, "The exhibition center is to house formal events as well as informal activities, and therefore is sited to have both a formal and an informal edge. The future Performing Arts Center is designed to have an internal connection with the lobbies of the exhibition center." Orland Park's Franklin E. Loebe Recreation Center, consisting of two floors, totals 34,000 square feet. Located adjacent to the scenic John Humphrey Woods, the center is named for Orland Park's current Village Treasurer of 61 years, Franklin E. Loebe. Loebe's office in the Village Hall overlooks the building named in his honor. The Loebe family has long been associated with the Village of Orland Park, owning the village's first General Store, constructed in the late 1800's. The original building still stands in Old Orland, now serving as the home of one of the many antique shops adorning Orland Park's well known "Antique Row." This center of leisure time activities houses the village's Recreation Department Administrative Offices, a full-sized gymnasium, indoor walking/running track, classrooms, and meeting, dance and wrestling rooms. The younger residents of the community are especially fond of the indoor playground located within the center, offering climbing equipment designed to enhance gross motor skills. Future plans call for the indoor playground, along with other features of the building, to be available for rent for birthday parties. Described by the architects, the Franklin Loebe Recreation Center, ". . . is informal in nature and thus has been located across the lake adjacent to a large stand of mature trees, which will contain a nature walk." Perkins and Will continued, "It also has access to the existing baseball diamonds. It has been placed at an angle and in opposition to the formal village green." Tying all three buildings together is the covered walkway and Outdoor Amphitheater. The amphitheater was used extensively during its debut season, the summer of 1990, serving as the site for the village's free Summer Entertainment Series. The Outdoor Amphitheater and circular covered arcade, Perkins and Will described, ". . . link the Village Hall, the Civic Center and the Recreation Center. It provides a spatial transition between the formal and informal." Orland Park's Village Hall and the Franklin E. Page 8 / Illinois Municipal Review / September 1990 Loebe Recreation Center were financed through a short term demand note, being repaid through existing and future sales tax revenue. The Civic Center was initially financed with a Civic Center Grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, with the village contributing the land and public improvements. The Civic Center has since received a second grant of up to one million dollars for capital improvements, including additional parking, meeting space and exterior improvements. No village taxes have increased as a result of this project. Future plans for the village's 100-acre tract call for the development of the 25 acres south of the Village Center Complex. In response to the Village Board's request, the Community Development Department has prepared the "Village Center Plan," calling for commercial and corporate office development over the next five to ten years. Ravinia Avenue is slated to extend four blocks south as a tree lined boulevard through the center of the village's property. Fashionable specialty shops and restaurants, including sidewalk cafes, have been earmarked as choice developments to cater to government and corporate office workers. This development will serve as a transitional pedestrian walkway connecting the Old Orland Area and the newer developments along LaGrange Road. In August, 1990, R.R. Donnelly Publishing, the Fortune 100 publishing company, announced its move to the Orland Park Village Center Complex. The company plans to construct a 16,000 square foot one story facility which will serve as the southwest regional headquarters for Donnelly Directories. • September 1990 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 9 |
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