Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts closes for renovation with spectacular send-off    

[DEC. 18, 2004]  After 83 years of applause and over 30,000 events, Bloomington's former Scottish Rite Temple, now the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, closed its doors on Dec. 12, following the Pantagraph's third annual "Holiday Spectacular," which drew 7,909 people, including a community cast of 320, to the historic theater during a four-day run.

With its "spectacular" send-off, the center broke all modern yearly attendance and activity records. During 2004, the center welcomed 65,673 people to 577 events and activities, up from 64,275 at 473 events hosted in the previous year.

Beyond holiday shows, 2004 performances in the center's 1,300-seat theater included concerts by the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Wesleyan Civic Orchestra, Sound of Illinois Chorus, Twin Cities Ballet, McLean County Dance, Legacy V and other regional arts groups, as well as the 81st season of the American Passion Play.

The center's ballroom also welcomed over 100 events, including antique, art and stamp shows; youth chess tournaments; Kiwanis pancake suppers; and numerous wedding receptions.

In addition, hundreds of children each month improved reading skills at the Scottish Rite Learning Center or attended dance classes at the center.

"We're delighted at the increasing number of community and civic organizations who see the BCPA as their home," noted Bruce Marquis, director of the Bloomington Cultural District. "The center's renovation will enable us to provide increased capacity and services to support this growing demand."

While saying farewell to the old, cultural district staff members are already looking ahead toward construction and the center's reopening. On Dec. 13, the Bloomington City Council approved solicitation of construction bids for the center. An $11.1 million renovation is planned to begin in February, with completion in June 2006.

Community advisory committees will join staff this spring to begin planning the center's gala reopening as well as artistic and educational programs for the new center's 2006-07 inaugural season.

Staff and volunteers are also continuing their capital campaign to raise $5 million to support new facilities throughout the cultural district.

For more information about the Bloomington Cultural District, visit www.artsblooming.org or call [phone].

[News release provided by Jocelyn Whikehart, Bloomington Cultural District]