Sterling developer unveils plan to ignite downtown with multimillion-dollar performing arts, business center

Jul. 12—A new performing arts and business center is in the works for downtown Sterling, with its developers hoping its presence will ignite the downtown area when the center begins to open in the fall.

The former Starlight’s Theatre & Lounge at 314 First Ave. in Sterling will be renamed the Spark Center for the Performing Arts and is expected to open in August. Next door, the former Amcore Bank at 302 First Ave. will be renamed the M5 Professional Building. The first of seven floors is planned to open in September and will offer rentable office spaces for new business owners. It’ll be about a year before the rest of the floors are ready to open.

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Rocky McGowan, with wife Darcie, daughters Cory and Carly, and Darren Mangler are shown on stage Thursday, July 10, 2025, at the soon-to-be Spark Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Sterling. (Alex T. Paschal)

Both properties were purchased by M5 Property Holdings LLC in 2024. M5 owner Rocky McGowan said construction actually began in March. It’s been about a $6 million investment, McGowan said.

“We’ve been kind of secretly building in Sterling and Rock Falls,” McGowan said. He thinks of it as “we’re building something together.”

M5 as a company acts as an umbrella that houses a lot of smaller companies underneath it. They include roofing, heating and printing businesses, among others, that allow it to do all of its own construction projects, McGowan said.

For this project, Darcie McGowan, who is McGowan’s wife, and producing director Darren Mangler are taking the lead, he said.

The old Starlight’s

McGowan describes himself as “the most un-theater person,” but he said he is surrounded by family who loves it.

“I bring on experts, and I have them tell me what to do,” he said.

That’s where Mangler, the former executive director at The Dixon: Historic Theatre, comes in.

[ The Dixon: Historic Theatre leadership cuts ties with executive director just weeks after grand reopening ]

Mangler got his start at the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mount Carroll. He did two national tours with the Repertory Theater of America and the Missoula Children’s Theater before moving to Los Angeles and, eventually, making his way back to northern Illinois.

He’s most known for his role in the 2008 film “The Crusaders #357: Experiment in Evil!” as well as writing the 2012 films “Hancock of 1776″ and “Hear no Evil,” according to his profile on IMDb.com.

Mangler has big plans for the former Starlight’s Theatre & Lounge building, which will open after completing a roof replacement, building the stage out, installing new lights and a sound system, and making other cosmetic changes, he said.

Inside, the theater has three levels — the top of which is going to be converted into a VIP lounge, table seating and a full dance floor. During events, guests will have access to a bar inside the theater area and table service, Mangler said.

Eventually, Mangler said, he wants to get a garage door installed on the side of theater building so it’ll be easier to move in large sets.

Right now, the theater has a capacity of 300 people, which is the same rating the city had given the previous owner, he said.

It’s “not about profit right now. It’s about getting it into people’s minds,” Mangler said, adding that he’s been “doing my usual public outreach” by attending community events and city meetings.

To get started, they’re planning smaller events such as dueling pianos, bands and karaoke nights before transitioning into larger productions. One of those larger shows will be a dinner theater made either by using the kitchen in the professional building next door or partnering with area restaurants, Mangler said.

The Spark also will offer a youth theater, to be called Dragon Fire Children’s Theater, as well as writing, storytelling and stand-up comedy classes, he said.

“I’m excited to see what people in Rock Falls and Sterling come out,” Mangler said.

The M5 Professional Building

Next door, the M5 team has made a lot of progress gutting the interior and bringing everything up to code at the former Amcore bank. Inside, the wood bones of soon-to-be walls map out what will be rentable business spaces on floors one and two, and “boutique hotel” apartment-style rooms on floors three to seven, McGowan said.

On the first floor, in addition to several office spaces available for rent, there will be a shared printing and copy room, two conference rooms, break rooms using the old bank vault doors to be called “The Vault,” golf simulators, and an IT department all available to use at no extra cost to renters, he said.

Basically, everything that makes starting a business hard, the professional building has it, McGowan said.

“It’s really hard to grow a business here,” he said. This space is intended to allow businesses to “expand at an easy entry point” and “play bigger than what [they] are without spending a lot of money,” McGowan said.

Already, 13 out of the 18 office spaces are spoken for, he said.

The second floor is the media area and event center. It’ll have a black-box theater for smaller, more intimate shows with a capacity of 150 to 200 people called The McBride Theatre; a full-service kitchen with concessions; a dance studio; a soundproof podcast room; and a couple of smaller office spaces.

In the basement, similar to the office spaces, will be a full-size salon available to rent for tattoo, hair or nail businesses.

Floors three to seven are being converted into short-term rentals similar to an Airbnb. Each floor will have a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom apartment, McGowan said.

For information and updates, visit The Spark’s new Facebook page.