A little over two years after its abrupt closure by owners KDB Group, the Scottish Rite Theatre is on track to be filled with music again.
The KDB Group, the development company of Spring Bay native and multimillionaire Kim Blickenstaff, announced the closure of Scottish Rite and a “re-evaluation” of other Peoria-area properties in January 2023.
He ultimately abandoned his Central Illinois projects and sold many of them off. The Scottish Rite Theatre was among those up for sale, but the listing was later removed.
This week, the Arkansas-based company Temple Live announced a new lease agreement with KDB Group to reopen the Scotty, located at 400 NE Perry Ave. in Peoria.
“We’re excited to reactivate the space and bring all kinds of variety of concerts here,” said Temple Live Director of Operations Garrett Zimmerman. “Whether it be comedy shows, rock and roll shows, country shows, EDM, down to local events, local artists, banquets, weddings, conferences. You know, any need that anybody would have for using a space such as this.”
Zimmerman calls the space “absolutely gorgeous.” KDB previously invested millions in retooling the venue after acquiring it and performing extensive renovations in 2021.
“Everything is extremely well executed. The production is top tier and the finished work has been phenomenal,” Zimmerman said.
Temple Live operates a handful of former Masonic Temples and similar buildings around the country as concert and event venues. Though Zimmerman says their intricate layouts can sometimes make load-in and breakdown hard for concert crews, the benefits greatly outweigh any downsides.
“They’re already built up in such a way that makes them really conducive for concerts,” he said. “A lot of them are acoustically tuned well, so that they handle it really well.”
Zimmerman said the plan is for the venue to be active again by March 2025. The group is working on a lineup for that first month, with the possibility of some early concerts in late February. From there, Zimmerman said the scheduling of the venue will be “reactive” to what the community wants.
“It sounds like everybody in town is familiar with what it’s like having this space open and they’re just, everyone seems pretty eager to have it back again,” he said. “I’m excited to hear everyone else’s thoughts and what everyone wants us to book in here.”
Zimmerman, who will be moving to Peoria later this year to manage the new Scottish Rite operation, said anyone interested in auditioning or talking about private event rentals for the venue can contact the company here.
