A plan to use a charitable gift from the Hengst Foundation to develop an $11 million amphitheater along the Illinois River in Peoria has gained enthusiastic support from city leaders.
“Our river and our riverfront is one of our greatest assets here in Peoria, and this donation from the Hengst family only enhances our river and the riverfront,” said Mayor Rita Ali. “It takes it, really, to another level.”
During its regular meeting Sept. 8, the Peoria City Council unanimously accepted a letter of intent from the foundation for a restricted donation of up to $11 million for a public-partnership on the amphitheater project.
“This is really, as we envision it to be, the very first phase in this project,” said City Manager Patrick Urich. “What we would like to do is continue to work towards a formal donation agreement that would be more binding in terms of what we would do.”
The proposed Dee Hengst Amphitheater, named in honor of foundation founder Jim Hengst’s late wife, would have a capacity of 5,000, through a combination of removable seats and lawn seating space.
It would be developed on a piece of city-owned land situated between the Murray Baker Bridge and the Peoria RiverPlex. Urich said it fits in with the city’s Riverfront Master Plan adopted two years ago.
As part of the proposal, a $1 fee would be applied to every event ticket that would be returned to the foundation for its charitable mission.
“What we’ve talked about, at least initially, is that that would be for educational scholarships for students in the Tri-County area,” said Urich.
The outdoor performance venue site would include a riverside band shell, festival grounds, concessions areas, a multipurpose lot, support facilities and additional infrastructure. Urich noted the seating would need to be temporary and removable because the site is in the river’s flood plain.
In response to a question from council member Bernice Gordon-Young about possible competition or conflict with the Peoria Civic Center in attracting performances, Urich said the venues would be “complementary.” Ali added that Civic Center general manager Rik Edgar “is very hopeful” the amphitheater comes to fruition.
Peoria Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill said the riverfront amphitheater would not be detrimental to the performance area in Glen Oak Park. “It is not feasible for us to think that Glen Oak Park could host a 5,000-person concert because of the density of the neighborhood and the size of that bowl,” she said. “So this actually fills a really important gap in that inventory and opportunity for us to bring different kinds of acts to the community.”
Urich also pointed out that the park district currently oversees riverfront maintenance and operations, and that is expected to continue with the amphitheater.
The Hengst Foundation’s shift to a Peoria amphitheater comes after it abandoned plans for a similar venue in Washington.
“We went about 2½ years trying to do it in Washington, and unfortunately it didn’t work out,” said former Washington mayor Gary Manier, speaking on behalf of the Hengst Foundation. “But anyway, this is a great opportunity, and (Jim Hengst) just wants to leave something for the Peoria region.”
The location prompted some questions from the nonprofit Friends of Riverfront Park, who previously presented city leaders with a series of questions regarding project transparency, land use, and construction costs.
“We want to emphasize that Riverfront Park is a lovely green space located on the north side of the downtown riverfront area, and we just couldn’t find it acceptable if any kind of plan were to disrupt or interfere with the area known as Riverfront Park,” said Kathy McNeil, adding they only ask that their concerns be taken into consideration and that the project “sounds pretty exciting.”
— This story published in partnership with WCBU, Peoria Public Radio.