The five original oases were built in conjunction with the original tollway construction in 1959. They featured
Standard Oil (Amoco) gas stations and
Fred Harvey restaurants, and were something of a novelty in the region—becoming destinations in and of themselves for driving customers. Because the Illinois State Toll Highway Commission (ISTHC) did not have the money to build the oases, they were built and paid for by the
American Oil Company, which operated the Amoco/Standard Oil service stations and also sub-leased the restaurant areas to the Fred Harvey restaurant chain. The title of the oases reverted to the ISTHC after the original 25-year operating contract ended. During this initial operating period the state received 2.51 cents for each gallon of gas sold as well as 10% of the restaurant profits. The Lincoln Oasis was added in 1968 and was different from the previous five oases in that it was an all-steel building designed by architect David Haid, a one-time student and employee of architect
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The DeKalb Oasis opened in 1975 and was different from the prior six in that it was the only one of seven oases to not be constructed over the tollway. In the mid-1970s,
Howard Johnson's took over the restaurants. One of the oases made an appearance on the silver screen when
Carrie Fisher attacks
The Blues Brothers at the Des Plaines Oasis in the 1980 film. According to the
Chicago Tribune, the Subway restaurants in two oases are managed by the nephew of Rezko, a controversial political fundraiser. In response, tollway spokesmen noted that Wilton Partners was selected during the administration of Governor
George Ryan and that the lease gives Wilton discretion to select the individual vendors. News accounts quoted businessmen who claimed that Jay Wilton, the president of Wilton Partners, encouraged them to donate funds to Blagojevich's 2003 gubernatorial campaign. In December 2003, Wilton Partners reportedly gave Rezko's Panda Express franchise a 50% reduction in its rent at the oases. Further, another food vendor operating in all seven oases who donated to Blagojevich has also received press attention for failure to pay sales taxes and state unemployment insurance. In 2010, SFI Chicago Tollway LLC became the oases' operator. In 2012, SFI paid the Tollway $813,000 for a long-term lease to operate all seven oases, excluding the fuel stations and convenience stores operated by
7-Eleven. On September 26, 2013, ISTHA announced that the Des Plaines Oasis over the Jane Addams Tollway would be closed in April 2014. The structure was demolished to make way for the widening of the toll road and the
O'Hare West Bypass. Additionally, ISTHA has proposed rebuilding and widening the Central Tri-State Tollway (
I-294) to five lanes in each direction with a wide shoulder that could be used as a "flex lane". Under these plans, the Hinsdale and O'Hare Oasis would have to be demolished in order to make room for the wider road. On September 5, 2018, the O'Hare oasis closed to prepare for the widening project. The Hinsdale Oasis closed on September 13, 2021, to also prepare for the widening project. ==Locations==