'Wow effect': Inside the Peoria Civic Center's major $45 million renovation

For now, the new 26,000-pound scoreboard at the Peoria Civic Center rests on the ground in the middle of Carver Arena. But soon, the new high-tech jumbotron will be raised to the ceiling, where it will serve as the most visible crown jewel of the Civic Center's $45 million renovation.

The new jumbotron, LED ribbon boards, new concessions, new bathrooms and new video boards are just some of what Peoria Civic Center officials hope will give patrons a "wow effect" when they unveil the building's overhaul in September.

"We're happy that we're finally doing things the public can see," said Beau Sutherland, Civic Center director of sales and marketing. "We want them to walk through the doors next season and just have the wow effect between the video board and carpet when they walk in, to theater carpet, restrooms and certainly when they walk into the arena they'll be hit with the video board, LED screens and all the different new food options we're going to have for them."

Bradley University athletics and the Peoria Rivermen hockey teams will remain the anchor tenants for the arena next year, and fans attending those events should notice almost immediately the upgrades made to the game day atmosphere inside.

"This season, more than any other ... I think I am more excited about opening the doors up for the next sporting season than I have ever been," Sutherland said. "Just because I want to see people's faces when they walk through and the significant upgrades we have. It's going to be nice."

New concessions, bathrooms coming to Peoria Civic Center

Concession offerings at the Peoria Civic Center will be almost entirely revamped. Two new concessions stands — a Mexican cantina and a BBQ joint — will be added to the arena as well as two grab-and-go options for quick snack service. Last year, the Civic Center added an Avanti's stand.

"Those will be welcome additions ... more than just your typical concession food will be available next year, so we think our patrons will like that," Sutherland said.

The Avanti's concession stand will be moved toward the arena's main concession area on the north side. The BBQ joint and cantina will be added near the concession area near section 112.

Civic Center patrons will notice upgrades to the arena's bathroom facilities, as well. New flooring, LED lighting, paint and plumbing fixtures are coming to the arena.

"It will look brighter, cleaner, fresh," said Civic Center Director of Operations William Kenney.

Throughout the arena, 17-year-old carpet has been replaced. In the theater, carpeting that is over 20 years old will be replaced.

Less visible upgrades to things such as HVAC, boilers, roofing and other building facilities were also key parts of the renovation.

"We sit on 20 acres, so people don't realize how much goes into upkeep for a venue this size that is essentially four venues — the theater, arena, convention center and ballroom," Sutherland said.

Two new artist dressing rooms were also completed at the Peoria Civic Center in an attempt to improve the "back of house" facilities that help attract talent for shows.

"A lot of the back of the house, whether we're cleaning locker rooms, refurnishing them ... it's those types of amenities the promoters are looking at," Sutherland said. "Certainly, the upgrades to the arena, and the arena looks a lot cleaner with the digital boards in place and the seating upgrades put in place, those are things when they come to town they certainly notice."

A complicated upgrade to the Civic Center's iconic glass arcade will be a part of the renovations as well. Getting that space completely temperature controlled will never happen, but the Civic Center hopes that upgrades to the glass and repair to the structure itself will help mitigate temperature issues.

"It's just an older structure that needs to be updated," Sutherland said.

Two new entry points will be added to the glass arcade, including an outdoor canopy. New lighting, new glass and a partial wall will be added, as well, and leaking issues will be addressed.

"The new vestibules will help control temperature a lot so we're not opening a door and all the cold air is just rushing in," Kenney said.

Updates to the glass arcade are in their final design stages right now and completion is expected in 2026.

When will Civic Center renovations be completed?

All the renovations to the arena should be completed by Sept. 25 in time for rock band Foreigner's show at the Peoria Civic Center.

The last concert to be held in the arena was on May 10, meaning it will have been five months the arena was shut down for renovations.

More: Civic Center arena, theater ranked in top 100 nationwide for ticket sales

Those five months, however, is a flash in the pan compared to the multi-year process that it took to make the renovations and funding happen.

Peoria city government kicked in $20 million for the renovations, and state government threw in the other $25 million. However, it took nearly five years for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to release the state funds.

Civic Center officials worked with Peoria Democratic lawmakers State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth and Sen. Dave Koehler to secure the state funding.

Renovations should have impact on Downtown Peoria economy

There are no verified numbers as to what the economic impact on Downtown Peoria could be from the Civic Center, but Sutherland said the upgrades will certainly allow the facility to attract more business and be an economic driver for "what the Civic Center is really meant to be."

"Whether it's shows that are coming in, convention center events, other sporting events besides our tenants and family shows ... we've hosted things like U.S. figure skating," Sutherland said. "From a regional and national standpoint, a lot of the things that we're doing will go a long way in allowing us to attract more clients coming in for multi-day events."

The Civic Center was a major pet project for Peoria officials in the 1970s. They pushed hard for its addition to Downtown Peoria. Finally completed in 1982, the Civic Center last had significant renovations in 2007.

Upgrades to the building figure to be a key aspect for Civic Center officials when booking shows and talent. The bigger the shows, the more people that will come downtown to spend money.

"That goes a long way for us when essentially we're selling Peoria when we're talking to the promoters, the event planners, these conferences and conventions," Sutherland said. "Essentially, we're just not only selling the venue but Peoria and the Peoria area as a whole."

One of the biggest things Civic Center officials would still like to see in Downtown Peoria is a family-style restaurant with a kids' menu.

"It really goes to why we're expanding our food options here. We recognize that families don't have those food options right downtown, right by the venue where they can park and be across the street with their kids having a pizza and then they come to the Harlem Globetrotters," Sutherland said. "So, we said, let's do some of this ourselves, expand our offerings so that we can have more food availability for patrons coming in with families."

More: These popular Broadway shows are coming to Peoria next year

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: What's being done in extensive $45 million Civic Center renovation