'Worthy of investment': A look at the $11 million renovation to historic Peoria Stadium

Peoria Stadium has long been a gem of the Peoria community, serving Peoria Public Schools athletics since 1936 from its site at 315 E. War Memorial Drive. Yet, in recent decades the stadium and its amenities have been "falling apart" and lacking much needed investments.

Those investments have come, and the 128-year-old Peoria Stadium facility that sits on an 82-acre site is undergoing a historic $11 million renovation.

"It's been neglected for many, many years," Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat said. "So it's nice it's able to get an uplift because it's such a nice, green, fun space for the community and we are the stewards."

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What is happening to Peoria Stadium?

The most notable changes happening to Peoria Stadium, which will be done this fall, will be the complete renovation of the visitors' side bleachers, which Kherat said were "falling apart," the switch from a grass football field to turf and new concrete steps, replacing old ones that were littered with potholes.

Renovation to the visiting bleachers is complete and has brought an immediately noticeable difference to the aesthetics of Peoria Stadium. The area now boasts clean, new concrete and shiny new bleachers.

"The bleacher side looks beautiful," Kherat said.

The switch from a grass field to a turf surface is not only going to be a striking visual difference for the football field — which is now adorned with black paint in the end zones and a black "PPS" logo at midfield — but is also a welcome change for the style of football that can be played.

"The grass was kind of getting a little old and kind of didn't always hold up real firm by the end of the season, and the turf surface will give us a little more speed and traction as we get late into playoff runs and things of that nature," said Peoria High School football coach Tim Thornton.

The new turf field will also allow the teams to practice at Peoria Stadium without worrying about tearing up the grass ahead of gameday, Thornton said.

"In the past, we would always practice at our high school and travel to the stadium for games," he said. "Being in that atmosphere for the first time is new for a kid and it can kind of deplete your home-field advantage a bit. Now it will be something where we can go practice up there a little bit and get comfortable so gameday won't be the first time a kid walks on that field."

The bathrooms on the home side of Peoria Stadium will be renovated, and the track surrounding the football field will be restriped and upgraded as well.

A new video board was added to the site last year.

New multi-purpose dome coming to Peoria Stadium

The crowning achievement of the Peoria Stadium makeover may well be the addition of a "multi-purpose" athletic dome being built on the property.

Kherat said the dome will be able to host indoor soccer games and a variety of other sports in a space completely new to Peoria.

The new dome, which will look like a "big white bubble," according to Peoria Public Schools CFO Mick Willis, will be constructed on an empty lot north of the football field and baseball diamonds.

Construction on the dome has not begun yet. Foundation work is expected to begin in late fall or early winter, Willis said. Completion of the dome is expected by the fall of 2024.

The dome will be the newest addition to the Peoria Stadium complex that currently plays host to football, baseball, softball, basketball and other outdoor activities.

How much will the Peoria Stadium renovation cost?

The total amount being spent for the renovation of Peoria Stadium is $11 million.

State funding will contribute $5 million to the project. The other $6 million is being paid for by Peoria Public Schools, which is using a "one-time unanticipated influx of capital" to pay for it.

That $6 million is coming to the school district from Personal Property Replacement Taxes, according to Peoria Public Schools CFO Mick Willis.

When the project was originally planned pre-pandemic, Peoria Public Schools budgeted $6.5 million total, expecting to only have to put in $1.5 million of its own money.

But supply chain issues and a spike in construction costs raised the total price tag to $11 million. State funding would still only cover $5 million.

A majority of the total cost of the project is being spent on the dome, Willis said.

What will the Peoria Stadium renovations mean for the community?

When Kherat took over as superintendent in 2015 it was on the heels of a Peoria controversy in which an unpopular idea to turn the Peoria Stadium site into a commercial space was almost resoundingly detested by Peorians.

She said Peoria Public School leaders, board members and community leaders all agreed the stadium needed to be invested in and renovated to keep its historic significance in Peoria while becoming "vibrant and robust."

"We had conversations with the community and had several meetings with them and all agreed that it's a beautiful space and needs to be maintained in its original state," Kherat. "I fell in love with and agreed that all it needed was some renovation."

Former school board president Dan Adler said the stadium has been a "huge community asset for over 100 years" and needed to be preserved.

"What I hope it says to parents and kids is they're worthy of our investment," Adler said. "Whether it be small fundraisers or big grants through the state, we're going to do what we can so they know they're valued and can play in the future."

Kherat said she hopes the stadium renovations bring a sense of "pride and joy" to students and parents of Peoria Public Schools.

"My hope is that they'll be inspired and motivated to do their very best and have access to state-of-the-art fields and it only helps," Kherat said.

City councilmember Tim Riggenbach, who served on the Peoria Stadium steering committee and whose 3rd District is home to the stadium, said he hopes the renovations can be a "catalyst" for the neighborhood.

"I'm just thrilled to see the reality of the improvements actually happening," Riggenbach said. "This is something the community has been asking for and looking for for a long, long time."

Rep. Jehan Gordon Booth, D-Peoria, helped secure the funding for Peoria Stadium in the state budget and said she hopes the renovations will help "instill a sense of pride in Peorians who attend the games."

"The facility just certainly needed some T.L.C.," Gordon Booth said. "I think it's imperative we find ways to ensure that the things we care about here in Peoria are funded and taken care of. This is a great community, and it can be even greater with additional vision and resources."

Thornton said he thinks the renovations will bring new energy to the players on the field.

"I think the players will be excited about it, especially the first time they lay eyes on it, the first time we get on it and kind of bounce around and fly around," Thornton said.

Riggenbach said he thinks the first reaction from students and parents when they see the new stadium will be a "wow."

"It's very tangible and clear that the commitment by the school district is there for that facility," Riggenbach said.

Gordon-Booth echoed a similar sentiment.

"I think it's really important students see and feel that investment," Gordon Booth said. "One of the conversations I think is important as leaders and education leaders that we have is that when we are wanting students to step up to the plate so they can be who we know they can be, that we show them we've got skin in the game, too."

A large group of community activists have worked for years to make the renovations of Peoria Stadium a reality, Kherat and Riggenbach said, emphasizing it was a group effort.

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What is the history of Peoria Stadium?

Peoria Stadium was privately purchased in 1895 and operated under the name "Peoria Exposition Park." It was originally a 1-mile oval track built to host horse races, complete with a grandstand for viewing. Later, it would also host automobile and dog races.

Gordon-Booth said Peoria Stadium has a "rich history that should not be ignored."

An amusement park was added to the site, but it was short-lived and closed in 1928.

In 1936, Peoria Public Schools purchased the track and land for $300,000 and quickly built a football field and track for athletic events.

Peoria High School won the first-ever football game at Peoria Stadium on Thanksgiving Day 1937, beating Manual High School 19-0.

The Peoria Redwings of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League also called Peoria Stadium home until 1951, when the team disbanded because of poor finances.

Softball diamonds were added to the site in the 1960s and eventually expanded as the popularity for slow-pitch softball grew in the 1980s.

The grandstands, built in 1895, were condemned by the city in 1971 because they were in a state of disrepair.

In 2013, the "Walmart controversy" embroiled the stadium and brought about a fierce public outcry after the retail giant proposed building a store on the site of Peoria Stadium.

Riggenbach said he is glad "wiser heads" prevailed in the conversation around whether to let Walmart buy the land.

"A lot of my constituents were very vocal in their concern in keeping that green space and not letting it be paved over," Riggenbach said. "I like to think the part of the beauty of this is it is respecting the history and heritage of that place. It goes back, way, way longer than my tenure on council. People will tell you stories of things that happened there years ago, and I think it is important we don't always tear down and rebuild."

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Stadium: Inside look at the $11 million renovation in 2023