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Headlines from our sister station WCBU in Peoria.

California Entrepreneur Looks to Aid Peoria Women's Club in Theater Restoration Efforts

Peoria Women's Club
Peoria County
Peoria Women's Club

California businessman Kim Blickenstaff is angling to lend a hand to the restoration of the historic Peoria Women’s Club in downtown Peoria. 

Blickenstaff is a Central Illinois native who now runs a medical supply company in San Diego. Over the past year or so, he’s taken on a renewed interest in his hometown, including the purchase and planned restoration of downtown Peoria's Scottish Rite Cathedral, and kickstarting several new developments in Peoria Heights. 

Marjorie Schwebel is the president of the Peoria Women’s Club. The theater was created by the club's founders to bring the type of performances they enjoyed in Europe to Peoria. 

The theater was once one of the centers of the area's performing arts community. Notably, the Peoria Players got their start there in 1919. 

“This was kind of a mecca. They brought people into the theater. Now that theatre stage is wonderful. It has perfect acoustics," she said. 

The women’s club stopped using the 432-seat theater after a fire in the 1970s. 

On Friday, the Peoria Women’s Club is inviting the public to “catch the vision” of the restoration plans and take a tour of their 126-year-old building.

Schwebel says she hopes the space can be used again for small venue events that might not readily be able to find a home elsewhere in the River City. 

"To bring back a smaller venue with theater, dance, music, I mean, I think Peoria needs a smaller venue," she said. 

Blickenstaff shares both a personal connection and a broader shared vision with the Peoria Women's Club. His mother and grandmother were both involved with the historic club, and their goal of creating a new venue syncs with his plans to convert the Scottish Rite Cathedral into a theater in hopes of creating a new performing arts district in the downtown corridor.  

The "Catch the Vision" event is set for Friday, June 28 at the Peoria Women's Club, 301 NE Madison from 4:30-6:30 p.m. The event will include remarks from Blickenstaff, refreshments, and tours of the building. Parking is available on Fayette or the city parking lot near Obed and Isaac's. 

You can RSVP by clicking here for more details.

Copyright 2021 WCBU. To see more, visit WCBU.

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Tim Shelley is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.
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