Four area high schools had to find new locations for their proms this year because construction at the venue they’d booked — Naperville’s new Matrix Club — is not complete.
Neuqua Valley in Naperville, Metea Valley in Aurora, Oswego East and Plainfield East all planned to hold their junior-senior proms at the 808 S. Route 59 club but construction delays have put completion of the 20,500-square-foot space behind schedule, a company representative said.
Trouble acquiring building materials stalled work on the facility, which is designed to accommodate banquets, conventions, live music and theater performances, and other events. Its adjacent 4,500-square-foot restaurant has also been delayed.
“Things are progressing. As you may have already heard, we have had a few more construction delays,” said Cherryl Marcey, director of event sales and marketing for the Matrix.
They’re still targeting build-out completion by the end of this month, Marcey said.
A year ago, Matrix owner Madan Kulkarni told the city he planned to open the banquet hall in late May and the restaurant a month later.
Metea Valley Assistant Principal Daniel DeBruycker said school officials visited the Matrix in late winter and noticed there was a lot of work that still needed to be done.
He went back April 4, and “the conversations about an alternate site started then,” he said.
In addition to personal visits to the property, he said, the city of Naperville sent a message to Indian Prairie School District 204 about potential permit delays. Metea and Neuqua are both part of the district.
Matrix staff were very cooperative and open about deadlines, and the venue helped Metea Valley book at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Naperville on April 28, DeBruycker said.
Plainfield East also moved its May 5 prom to the Embassy Suites.
In its initial announcement, Neuqua Valley officials said the school was hosting prom at a new venue “that offers a state-of-the-art experience at a closer location than before,” which they said was a first for them in almost 20 years.
Instead, Neuqua’s May 13 prom will return to Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace.
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Oswego East’s prom, scheduled for May 6, will be at the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook.
Despite having to seek a new venue this year, Oswego has booked its 2024 prom at Matrix Club, officials said.