Rosemont

I can still recall some of the many commercials on television in the 1980s and 1990s advertising for various events at the Rosemont Horizon.  So many concerts, wresting matches, monster truck shows have graced the formerly known Rosemont Horizon now known as the All-State Arena.  Until recently, I never knew there has been a section of the Almighty Imperial Gangsters that have lived in an apartment complex right next to the All-State Arena.  The Imperial Gangsters have long resided in this community almost as long as the All-State Arena has been in business.  There has been much connection between the people of Des Plaines’ south side with the apartments along Touhy Avenue that goes back to at least the 1970s.  The Rosemont suburb itself is a lightly populated community that contains more commercial businesses, hotels, entertainment centers, and highways than housing development, hence, the low population of just under 4,000 residents.  Rosemont is one of the safer Chicago suburbs and is not a place one needs to fear or move away from, but Rosemont does have some crime and gang activity, and we will delve into this.

Rosemont is a suburb one mainly visits but does not reside in.  This busting suburb buzzes day and night as the entertainment centers fill up and the expressways roar day and night.  You know you have entered Rosemont once you see the Village of Rosemont building with the red rose on it as one cruises down the 294 Expressway.  The water tower painted as a rose is another landmark one will see from the expressway.  This suburb was designed by the legendary Mayor Donald Stephans to be an attraction for travelers and visitors.  This was not to be a suburb or much settlement but because of this the small population can benefit from the revenue the village receives.  Apparently, Rosemont began as a visiting area for travelers in the 1830s as they passed through the crossroads along River Road.  This was a public road that pioneers could use for mapping, today’s expressway system in Rosemont is a reminder of what used to attract the earlies pioneers.  Despite all the traffic, the area was not ideal for settlement until nearly a century later (Fact source: Https://rosemont.com).

In the year 1933, several lots of land from this area were sold at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago.  The new owners dug up the soil in this area and dumped trash in place which basically turned this area into a dump with no population or development.  This desolate area became ideal for a widow from the west side of Chicago looking for affordable land to raise her children alone.  This was the Stephens family who were the first residents of Rosemont at Higgins and Scott Street.  The Stephens family remained in the area even when Orchard Field Airport purchased much of the land for an airport in 1947.  This was O’Hare Airport which would bring so much industry to cater to the airport starting in the 1950s  (Fact source: Https://rosemont.com).

By 1952 this area was becoming a small town as the Stephens family was no longer alone, the population was 84 residents.  The first signs of becoming a village was in 1952 when the 84 residents formed a home owner’s association.  The rest of the town was plagued with garbage dumps and tire dumps and flooding; therefore, it was not an easy community to live in.  Donald Stephens of the Stephens family helped dig the communities’ first septic system.  Stephens helped neighbors improve their properties as he was seemingly building the community into a functional village.  Stephens was a leader and in 1956, the residents voted to incorporate the village and nominate Donald Stephens as the first Mayor beginning his very long career as Mayor.  The naming of the new village was done by residents writing their ideal name for the town and drawing it from a hat at random.  A slip of paper that said “Rosemont” was drawn from the hat and history was made (Fact source: Https://rosemont.com).

The Village of Rosemont was developing simultaneously with O’Hare Airport that was now striving to increase their passenger business.  Stephens foresaw lots of opportunity for development and impressively masterminded creating a community of high revenue commercial development.  Rosemont would mostly be a suburb or entertainment and shopping.  The expressway system slices right through the heart of Rosemont, but Mayor Stephens knew it would increase even more revenue as travelers could find an assortment of hotels, many of which are luxury hotels.  Despite the high village revenue Rosemont never became a town of several mansions and upper-class housing complexes.  The noise of the airport and the bustle of the entertainment of the village makes upper middle class living uncomfortable for many.  As long as one can deal with noise, the village can be an ideal place to live in the single-family housing subdivisions.  Mayor Stephens was the mayor of Rosemont until his death in 2007.  Donald Stephen’s son took over as mayor after his father’s death and continues to develop the village and maintain it well.  The Stephens represent the foundation of Rosemont and the builders or Rosemont, as Rosemont, is a family ran business.

As Rosemont was commercially developing and under heavy construction in 1965 and apartment complex was built for lower income residents along Touhy Avenue.  These apartments were built around Touhy Ave on the north to Lunt Avenue on the south and from Chestnut Street to Barry Street.  Many of the first residents of this apartment complex were Mexican immigrants or Mexican families moving from Chicago.  A nearby Hispanic settlement encouraged this from the north of Touhy Avenue in the neighboring suburb of Des Plaines.  From the south side of Des Plaines into the Touhy Avenue apartments of Rosemont was tight knitted Mexican identity developing in the later 1960s.  Many of these Mexican residents moved to this area between the two suburbs to work at the many new commercial businesses opening.  There were several jobs at O’Hare Airport, hotels, restaurants and the entertainment centers.  Mexican families helped the development of Rosemont by working hard in the businesses.

The apartment complex at Touhy and Barry has been a place of strong Mexican culture since they were built in 1965.  YouTuber and rapper Mikie Da Poet did two YouTube videos about these apartments at Touhy and Barry because he grew up in them for some years in the 1980s.  He recalled in his video “Imperial Gangsters, Latin Brothers & Gaylords – Lil Mexico & Apache Park 1988” that he recalled seeing men take a goat into the alley and slit its throat then cook the whole goat for the whole block feeding everyone.  The nickname of this complex is fitting being called “Lil Mexico” because the Mexican culture is very strong, and many residents lack citizenship.  He painted a picture of a bustling apartment complex where people are often outside, sometimes gathered in large groups and lots of food being cooked. His videos also shed light on the gang culture of these apartments and the Imperial Gangsters that live here.

In the year 1979, Mayor Donald Stephens once again struck success for Rosemont when construction began on the new Rosemont Horizon entertainment center.  The Horizon was built next door to the Touhy and Barry apartments and opened its doors in 1980.  The Rosemont Horizon attracted crowds of thousands when events were happening as hotels and restaurants nearby were stuffed with travelers.  Touhy Avenue is a main vein of Rosemont; therefore, there would be much traffic moving down this road going back and forth to and from the Rosemont Horizon.  The Touhy and Barry apartments faced the Horizon, and the apartments could be seen from the Horizon’s parking lot.  In the 1980s through to the 2000s Imperial Gangster gang murals could seen painted on abandoned building parts and on walls that could sometimes be seen from a distance away.

During the Rosemont Horizon’s early years in the earlier 1980s, a group of Imperial Gangsters started across the street from Rosemont in the Des Plaines suburb in Apache Park.  These Imperial Gangsters formed in the year 1981 when Fullerton and Kimball Imperial Gangsters moved into the townhouses near the park.  Shortly following the creation of the Apache Park Imperial Gangsters, the same IGs group put together another Imperial Gangster group on the south side of Touhy right over the Des Plaines border into the Barry and Touhy apartments.  The formation of the Touhy and Barry IGs may have happened as early as 1981, if not, it was a few years later at most. When IGs formed in Apache Park, Latin Kings from Chicago were moving to Des Plaines in the same 1981 year north of Apache Park.  This resulted in gang conflict between Latin Kings and IGs and Latin Kings would set sight upon the Barry and Touhy apartments because this was an ideal complex to surround the IGs.  IGs ended up getting first dibs on the Barry and Touhy apartments as they recruited successfully.  It took some pretty tough IGs to solidify this area completely but original Rosemont IGs like Slim, Fat Cat, Boba, Flaco, Rogy, Philly G, Danny Diaz Slick and Magic made it happen.  “Magic” and Danny Diaz were the main Imperial Gangster to get this section going as they led this group for years.

Gang fights became the scene on the border of Des Plaines and Rosemont as Latin Kings aggressively invaded Barry and Touhy constantly. Even presently, Latin Kings still invade this complex, and this is why Rosemont IGs have been a tough bunch to take on these mostly Pine Court Latin Kings.  In the 1980s there were many fights and some more severe violence like stabbings and shootings. Not all the violence could be blamed on Imperial Gangsters going at it with Latin Kings because this complex has always been a tough one even before the IGs moved in.

The 1990s was probably the most violent and crazy years at the Barry and Touhy apartments as these became the sight of some hardcore gangbanging.  The village of Rosemont was profitable and quiet besides the commercial noise; therefore, there was not much of gang conflict reported; however, violence has always been here.  Even in recent decades one can still find articles come of up of gang motivated violence and even murder in these buildings.  In 2022, the village was preparing to build a police station/village hall right on Barry Street right behind these apartments.  According to Mayor Stephens it was to save the village revenue but not having a police and fire station separate but I also theorize the spot was also chosen to keep an eye on the apartments at Barry and Touhy.  The plan did not happen, and the police station/village hall was built on the other side of town.  In the meantime, they bulldozed so many vacant walls from old structures that were loaded with Imperial Gangster tags.  IGs hung out in that area since the 80s and tagged the hell out of this open lot.

Rosemont has never been a suburb with a variety of Chicago gangs as the Imperial Gangsters seem to be all they ever had but it can seem like Barry and Touhy has multiple gangs due to the craziness; however, that is from invading Latin Kings.  Barry and Touhy is ripe with Mexican culture and is not a rotten place but it is a tougher area and if you must live in a crime free area these apartments are not for you but they are also not a living hell either.  These apartments would be ideal for lower income residents and on the positive side, residents are located in a beautiful town with several employment opportunities in the service industry.  Rosemont is an overall safe community but I just had to put this suburb on here to give recognition to the Rosemont Imperial Gangsters and their over 30 year existence in the suburb.

Apartments on Touhy. Imperial Gangsters, Latin Kings.  Original IGs were Slim, Fat Cat, Slick.   Magic one of the heads of IGs Rosemont.  Baby started IG in Apache Park.  Boba, Flaco, Rogy, Philly G Rosemont IGs.  Imperial Gangsters, Latin Brothers & Gaylords – Lil Mexico & Apache Park) 1988.  Danny Diaz Fullerton and Kimball IGs he was a leader alongside Magic.  IGs never disrespected families even of rivals.  LBs and IGs were cool with each other.  In Rosemont they killed goats and served the whole block.