About Us:
Built in 1921 as a home for the American Passion Play, Bloomington's Scottish Rite Temple boasted an elegant lobby fronted by a graceful five-arched facade, a ballroom that could seat 1,000 diners and a 1,320-seat theatre that featured the largest stage west of New York.
For its first six decades, the Temple was the centerpiece of Bloomington-Normal’s artistic and social life. Early performances of the Passion Play, the Bloomington Symphony and the Scottish Rite Players were among the largest attractions. In addition, audiences applauded performances by world-renowned artists, including Duke Ellington, Pablo Casals, Beverly Sills and the Boston Pops Orchestra. Social highlights included frequent weddings, receptions, exhibits and conventions. Until the opening of ISU’s Braden Auditorium in 1973, the Temple was Bloomington-Normal’s primary civic theater.
By 2000 the Temple was showing its age. A civic committee envisioned a new cultural project to restore the Temple and add additional facilities to enhance the City's arts resources and revitalize the north side of Bloomington's downtown. The City formed the Bloomington Cultural District to assume ownership of the Temple and shepherd it through restoration. A 13-member Cultural District Commission was appointed by the mayor to provide community guidance.
The Temple, renamed the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts (BCPA), was to be the main anchor of the Cultural District in the north end of Bloomington’s downtown, offering performing, visual arts and arts education facilities as well as additional green space and improved parking. Initial plans included a limited $3.5 million renovation of the Temple as part of a total $15 million project. In 2000, the City Council approved a ¼-cent sales tax increase to fund the project. That tax initially provided $1.5 million annually through 2010 to the District. In 2003, the City Council authorized an extension of the sales tax support to the Cultural District through 2025 to enable a larger scale project and the issuance of 20-year bonds to finance it.
Reopening in 2006, the BCPA welcomed over 24,000 ticketbuyers to its inaugural season of visiting artist performances. Patrons have come from over 170 communities across Illinois, as well as from 17 other states.
