Bank of Springfield Center (originally Prairie Capital Convention Center) is a 7,700-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

. The facility is adaptable to host a variety of events, including large concerts, theatrical performances, trade shows, sporting events, and school graduation ceremonies, as well as smaller gatherings such as professional training meetings, weddings and banquets. The facility contains of column-free space in the main hall and of meeting room space in the lower level. It connects, via a tunnel, to the

President Abraham Lincoln Hotel The President Abraham Lincoln Hotel, a DoubleTree by Hilton is a downtown hotel, in Springfield, Illinois. It is the only hotel connected to the Bank of Springfield Convention Center, via a tunnel. Because of this, it was able to be financed th ...

History

It was built in 1978 and is operated by the Springfield Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority (SMEAA). The arena hosts local concerts and sporting events for the area, and is the former home of the Illinois Express of the World Basketball League and the

Springfield Stallions The Springfield Stallions were an indoor football team that played their home games in Springfield, Illinois. They were a 2007 expansion member of the Continental Indoor Football League. The Stallions played their home football games at the Prai ...

indoor football team. Prairie Capital Convention Center underwent a renovation between 2011–2014 to modernize its facilities and expand the types of events it can accommodate. This transformation included extensive expansion of the lobby by , the addition of the outdoor BOS Plaza, additional concessions areas, an upper level patio terrace, and two upper level terrace areas. In November 2015, the arena hosted

Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the State Farm Center, located on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's campu ...

for five games while renovations to the

State Farm Center The State Farm Center is a large dome-shaped 15,544-seat indoor arena located in Champaign, Illinois, owned and operated by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The arena hosts games for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, ...

were completed. College wrestling tournaments have also been held at the convention center. Also in November 2015, Donald Trump held a rally in the Prairie Capital Convention Center for 10,000 supporters. https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-speech-2015-11?amp On June 5, 2017, the SMEAA announced that it approved an agreement to sell the naming rights for the facility to the Bank of Springfield for ten years. In January 2021, the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

convened in the arena rather than the

State Capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

in order to maintain social distancing during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

References

External links

Official Site
Basketball venues in Illinois Buildings and structures in Springfield, Illinois College basketball venues in the United States Convention centers in Illinois Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball Indoor arenas in Illinois Sports venues in Springfield, Illinois Tourist attractions in Springfield, Illinois Wrestling venues in Illinois Event venues established in 1978 Sports venues completed in 1978 1978 establishments in Illinois {{Illinois-sports-venue-stub

History

See also

References

External links