The show is over at the Monarch Music Hall in Peoria.
Monarch’s ownership group, which also owns the Castle Theatre in Bloomington, confirmed the Peoria venue’s closure Friday. The Castle Theatre remains open, with a full calendar to start 2020.
“The decision to close the doors at the Monarch Music Hall was a difficult one and disappointing for our ownership group,” said Rory O’Connor, part of the ownership group. “We enjoyed our time providing live entertainment to the Peoria area and made a lot of great friends in the community.”
After successfully resurrecting the Castle Theatre, the ownership group took over the former 1,500-capacity Limelight Eventplex in Peoria in 2017, rebranding it as the Monarch Music Hall.
“We feel that the process of doing business remotely was underestimated and not being entrenched in the community hurt,” O’Connor said. “Seeing the folks you serve and getting to know the business community you share space with is critical to success. We want to thank everyone that came out and enjoyed the shows we provided and hope to see them again at the Castle Theatre on occasion.”
The ownership group acquired the Castle in 2010, turning the once-dormant former movie theater into the heart of a resurgent Bloomington-Normal music scene. The Castle Theatre holds 800.
