Downtown Peoria’s waterfront has undergone a major revitalization that includes the recent addition of two major venues.
Peoria Riverfront Museum debuted in October as part of a collaborative effort between Caterpillar and several other organizations. The state-of-the-art, $140 million facility spotlights Peoria’s heritage through art, science and history. The venue features approximately 80,000 total square feet of floor space and is available for private events.
Next door to the museum is the new Caterpillar Visitors Center, a 50,000-square-foot venue that explores the company’s evolution and progress—from its first tractor to the its present-day leadership in building infrastructure and powering the planet. The venue is available for events.
In other Peoria news, the historic Hotel Pere Marquette is being renovated into the Marriott Pere Marquette, slated to open in August with 286 rooms and 19,000 square feet of event space. An adjacent 116-room Courtyard by Marriott is scheduled to open in 2014. Both hotels will be connected to the Peoria Civic Center by skywalk.
