Construction is advancing on the new $71 million Bloomington convention center expansion as the long-planned development moves closer to its anticipated early 2027 completion. Here’s what to know about the status of the project:
History of the center
The current convention center opened in 1991 and is approximately 31,000 square feet. In 2019, Monroe County and the City of Bloomington appointed members to a board to develop a plan for expansion of the convention center, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans.
In 2023, the Monroe County Commissioners created the Monroe County Capital Improvement Board of Managers, a board of volunteers appointed by the county and Bloomington to oversee the expansion.
Monroe County Councilmember David Henry said funding for the expansion project comes from the local food and beverage tax, a 1% tax on food and beverages. The $52 million construction costs are paid from the sale of revenue bonds.
Construction on the new convention center, officially called the Bloomington Convention Center, began in June 2025. CIB President John Whikehart, who has been working on the project for more than eight years, said the CIB is well into the construction phase.
Crews recently partially closed South College Avenue for a few weeks to install a connecting pedestrian bridge. According to Bloomington inRoads the eastern southbound parking lane of College Avenue will be closed for curb and sidewalk reconstruction through June 26 and the left turn lane on Walnut Street will be closed.
“And much to my amazement, we didn’t have any complaints from any of our citizens about the street being closed for awhile,” Whikehart said.
He said the project remains on schedule, with construction of the new facility expected to wrap up in early 2027, followed by a renovation of the current building that should last about five months.
The CIB is working with five artists who were selected as finalists — from the west coast, New York and London — for a large scale art installation for the project, Whikehart said. He said the CIB has a budget of $520,000 for the installation. The art will span through the entire building, adding to the current building's permanent art.
Hotel in limbo
Alongside the convention center, the CIB is working to develop a hotel to host convention center guests, with 200 or more rooms, a restaurant, bar and fitness center, Whikehart said. But many of the details of the new hotel are still in limbo.
The existing convention center’s connecting hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, has only 117 rooms. It will remain open.
In fall 2024, the CIB selected hotelier Dora Hospitality to build the hotel, but negotiations with Dora failed in early February over the land for the project, Whikehart said.
Dora initially proposed building a 200-room hotel at the College Square property, a city-owned property on the block north of the convention center.
The plan was called off after the city indicated it would need compensation for the property, which the Bloomington Redevelopment Commission had acquired for about $7 million.
Whikehart called the property the “best possible site and the best fit for the hotel.” But Bloomington City Council members declined to donate the property for the project in December.
In a January press release, Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson announced she planned to ask the BRC to place the College Square property on the market for redevelopment proposals focused on economic development that align “with the City’s long-term downtown economic and convention center goals.”
“After months of good-faith efforts to make this site work for a convention center host hotel contractor, it has become clear to all parties—including our Capital Improvement Board leadership—that this property is not the right fit for that purpose,” Thomson said in the press release.
The press release stated “financing realities” prevented the hotel from moving forward in that location. According to the Hearld Times, Whikehart clashed with Thomson when the press release was released and that the CIB’s position was the exact opposite of what Thomson said it was.
The hotel developer and the city advised the CIB that there was no path forward in negotiations, Whikehart said.
After that failed, The CIB and Dora proposed a new hotel on that property. In January, the CIB asked the city for the property, assuming it would be donated for the project. The Thomson administration told the CIB that the property would also require payment, pushing the CIB to end negotiations with Dora.
Since negotiations with Dora Hospitality fell through, Whikehart said the CIB has asked both the city and county which land parcels they would be willing to donate so they can release a new request for proposals for hotel developers. He said they are currently looking at two lots just south and west of the current building.
Why is a new convention center needed?
Henry, who is also a member of the Monroe County Convention and Visitors Commission, called the convention center expansion an opportunity to bring people to Bloomington “Monday through Thursday” to attend conferences downtown.
“It’s really important, and I hope helps to keep our favorite restaurants, downtown venues open in the summer months that often experience a real dip in patronage as students and alumni and parents are not coming to town,” Henry said.
Henry said the Visit Bloomington center will also relocate to the first floor of the Fourth Street garage and will be in walking distance for convention attendees. Whikehart said Visit Bloomington is already booking conventions into 2028 at the new convention center.
