116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Events venue to open near Anamosa
Avacentre venues already operating in Cedar Rapids, Solon
ANAMOSA — What once was a car dealership and then a recreational vehicle sales lot soon will be reborn as The Avacentre in Anamosa, a venue for weddings, parties and other gatherings.
The events center will be at Highways 151 and 1, about 5 miles west of the Jones County community, owner Matt Linn said. He anticipates the remodeled, 10,500-square-foot center will open in May, with an open house in June.
Linn said he bought the 2.7-acre property in June 2023. Work on transforming the property began in October. He estimates the project cost about $2.5 million.
Linn also owns the Brosh Chapel funeral homes and The Avacentre events venues at 2121 Bowling St. SW in Cedar Rapids and at 100 S. Cedar St. in Solon. His company also manages two facilities for the city of Iowa City.
The new Avacentre in Anamosa “is the culmination of many years of hard work getting this company to be a stand-alone business,” Linn said, noting he entered the events center business 15 years ago.
The Avacentre business also has its own catering service and kitchen, which will be moved from Solon to the Anamosa site, he said.
The Anamosa facility “will have a larger event, smaller event spaces, a full-service beverage lounge, a private outdoor patio equipped with a wedding backdrop/music bandshell and outdoor bar area.”
“The motif will be mostly industrial vintage with a hint of fun in the bar area,” he said. “Our focus will be to host events in the greater Eastern Iowa area along with providing white-label catering to various locations.”
Linn said the Anamosa project was not in his long-term plans but when the property came up for sale last year, he decided to buy it. The primary reasons, he said, were "the lack event space in the Anamosa area and a centralized business presence.“
He envisions business coming from other small towns in the area and from Cedar Rapids and Marion. The center already has bookings, including for a high school prom, he said.
Celebrations of life also will be welcome, Linn said. Funerals at The Avacentre in Anamosa will not be promoted, but “If somebody really wants to have a funeral there, it can happen,” he said.
The new facility will have two or three full-time employees to start, with Linn anticipating that number will grow to five and possibly 10 if the business blossoms.
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