CVB Travel: Downtown projects give new life to entertainment

Susan Wade is the public relations manager with the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Springfield's downtown is becoming a vibrant, thriving area again thanks to the vision, staying power and determination of citizens and city leaders.

Nightclubs, pubs, restaurants, shops, art galleries, the Jordan Valley Park project and much more that has cropped up in recent years are faring well.

That revitalization makes downtown Springfield a great addition to the entertainment opportunities available to Springfield residents. It also will make downtown a destination in itself for people visiting the city.

Convention delegates and tourists will find that downtown Springfield offers unique dining and entertainment opportunities within just a few blocks.

The whole city is benefiting from the changes taking place, and visitors can enjoy fine restaurants and nightclubs throughout Springfield. The downtown scene, however, boasts historic buildings that have stories only an older part of a city can tell; stories often sensed rather than heard or read.

With the Jordan Valley Park project adding momentum to inner-city revitalization, new chapters will be added to those stories in the coming years.

Here's a sample of what's going on downtown: A new expo center is under construction at Jordan Valley Park, and improvements to the existing trade center are under way.

Plans call for 40,000 square feet of exhibition space and 13,000 square feet of prefunction space. The expo facility connected to the renovated trade center results in about 110,000 square feet of contiguous convention and exhibition space. The building can accommodate 280 booths and about 4,400 people with a seated capacity of 3,000.

A 950-space parking garage also will be under construction soon. The city broke ground on the expo center in September and the project will be completed in September 2003.

The Jordan Valley Ice Park that opened last fall, and the fountain, trails and greenspace that opened in the spring give the downtown area an appealing place for families.

Also alluring for families is the arts and cultural center in the old creamery building under renovation by the Springfield Regional Arts Council in Jordan Valley Park. The 30,000-square-foot Creamery Arts Center is a project sure to please those interested in the arts. Combined with existing art galleries, performance halls and arts groups that make their home downtown, center city is the place to experience a variety of art forms.

Construction isn't the only thing adding pizzazz to downtown. Efforts by the Discovery Center to continue bringing high-quality unique exhibits to Springfield also pays off. "The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition" traveling exhibit from the American Museum of Natural History, will be in Springfield until Jan. 6, and is one example of the Discovery Center's efforts.

The exhibit features photographs, rare color images, film footage and interactive multimedia activities. The Discovery Center is the only Midwest stop on the exhibit's three-year tour.

Those looking for more boisterous entertainment are happily watching construction of the 8,000-seat baseball stadium that developer John Q. Hammons is building adjacent to Jordan Valley Park. The baseball stadium, along with the ice arena, a planned multipurpose arena and college sports events also make downtown Springfield the place for entertainment.

Additional hotel rooms in downtown Springfield are a key element to making the area a destination for the city's visitors. Hammons recently announced plans to build a six-story hotel with up to 150 rooms near Jordan Valley Park, and to add 80 to 130 rooms to University Plaza, a 276-room hotel adjacent to the project.

Hammons also plans to upgrade University Plaza to Marriott or Hilton standards. The proposed hotel projects would nearly double the number of rooms within walking distance of the expo center.

Downtown isn't the only part of the city offering something new for the city's visitors. The American National Fish And Wildlife Museum is drawing thousands annually. A $5 million improvement project scheduled to begin this year at Dickerson Park Zoo will make the zoo better than ever.

Remodeling at the Oasis Inn hotel (formerly the Atrium Inn) and expansion of the E-Plex at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds give the city more opportunities for conventions, events and meetings. And airport improvements are making air travel more convenient.

This is an exciting time to be part of the Springfield community, and the Convention and Visitors Bureau staff encourages everyone residents and visitors to take full advantage of the city's amenities.

There's no doubt future city residents will look back at this era in Springfield's history and say "thanks" to those who had the vision, staying power and determination.