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Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
Proscenium arch
For its first six decades, the Temple was the centerpiece of
Bloomington-Normal’s artistic and social life. Early performances of
the Passion Play, the Bloomington Symphony and the Scottish Rite Players
were among the largest attractions. In addition, audiences applauded performances by
world-renowned artists, including Duke Ellington, Pablo Casals, Beverly Sills and the
Boston Pops Orchestra. Social highlights included frequent weddings, receptions, exhibits
and conventions. Until the opening of ISU’s Braden Auditorium in 1973, the Temple
was Bloomington-Normal’s primary civic theater.
By 2000 the Temple was
showing its age. A civic committee envisioned a new cultural project to restore the Temple
and add additional facilities to enhance the City's arts resources and revitalize the
north side of Bloomington's downtown. The City formed the Bloomington Cultural District
to assume ownership of the Temple and shepherd it through restoration. A 13-member
Cultural District Commission was appointed by the mayor to provide community guidance.Built in 1921 as a home for the
American Passion Play, Bloomington's Scottish Rite Temple boasted an elegant
lobby fronted by a graceful five-arched facade, a ballroom that could seat 1,000 diners
and a 1,320-seat theatre that featured the largest stage west of New York.
