Renovated Buffalo Grove arts center makes its long-awaited debut
The Buffalo Grove Park District took a well-deserved bow Sunday as officials and members of the local arts community celebrated the grand reopening of the renovated Community Arts Center.
The center at 225 McHenry Road had been closed since fall while undergoing a roughly $3.3 million facelift that included an upgraded lobby, remodeled multipurpose room and redesigned theater.
Park district Executive Director Ryan Risinger said he was excited to share the end result with the community.
"It's been a vision for a number of years," he said.
Arts programming in the district has continued to grow since the 1990s, he said.
So it means a lot for the district to have a revitalized facility for shows, dance performances, and ensemble and choir concerts.
On Sunday, more than 250 people attended the reopening, which included performances by the BG Singers Encore! and others.
"It's phenomenal," resident Jon Soble said of the facility. "Seeing the seating, the stage - the whole place - is just awe-inspiring."
The theater upgrade was the largest part of the project and features the addition of pitched, stadium-style seating, with wide aisles and roughly 350 foldout seats.
Park Commissioner Rick Drazner said it's a big change compared to when the theater had seats on a flat surface.
"Now everyone can see," Drazner said. "You're not obstructed."
The multipurpose room was remodeled to include a retractable divider, new technology for meetings and presentations, additional bathrooms and a new entrance on the north side. Meanwhile, the lobby received new flooring, acoustical improvements and a new concessions area, while the house lighting system was upgraded and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was replaced.
Village President Beverly Sussman said the facility is "wonderful."
"It's a regular theater in the village of Buffalo Grove," she said. "What could be better than that?"
The park district received a $1.73 million state grant to help fund the work in 2014, but the money was delayed due to the state budget crisis.
It was the first significant renovation for the facility since the park district bought it from Congregation Beth Am in 2012 for more than $3 million.