Elmhurst Bandshell Battle May Go To Voters

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst park officials decided on a location for the planned Wilder Park bandshell six months ago.

But it keeps coming up.

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Last week, opponents of building the bandshell on the lawn east of Wilder Mansion submitted a petition to the Elmhurst Park District.

In an email to Patch, resident Andrea Hutchinson said she, Donna Geis and Claire Cronin turned in 1,183 signatures to put an advisory referendum on the location for the November ballot.

Hutchinson said the state's election law requires 988 signatures for a referendum to go on the ballot.

If the district finds the petition meets state rules, the outcome would not bind the elected board. But a contrary vote could put pressure on park officials.

In response to a Patch inquiry, Jim Rogers, the district's executive director, acknowledged the petition.

"We are in the process of reviewing the petition that was submitted and have no comment at this time," he said in an email.

The proposed ballot question reads, "Shall the Elmhurst Park District locate a 54-foot-long, 41-foot-deep, 21.5-foot-high new bandshell on the East Lawn of the Wilder Mansion in Wilder Park?"

Many residents said they opposed the mansion site because it would interrupt the sightlines to the mansion, which is perhaps Elmhurst's most iconic building.

They also expressed concern over sound, traffic and parking.

Last fall, the district's own survey showed residents overwhelmingly opposed the east lawn site. Many wanted another location in the park.

Nonetheless, the park board voted 4-3 to proceed after months of sometimes heated debates.

The bandshell was included as a tiny part of a $90 million park district referendum that voters approved in November 2024. The vast majority, $85 million, was earmarked for a new Wagner Community Center.

In May, a City Council committee sent the park district's zoning request for the bandshell to the Plan Commission, which has yet to take it up.

At the committee meeting, Mayor Scott Levin said the Plan Commission would review the presented evidence. He said the location was a park board decision.

"Save Wilder Park" signs are seen around Elmhurst. They refer to the proposal to build a bandshell on the east lawn of Elmhurst's iconic Wilder Mansion. (Courtesy of Andrea Hutchinson)