HISTORY
“So, why is it called Q Center?”
There was quite a bit going on at the Q Center, long before it expressed a fondness for the 17th letter of the alphabet and became the conference center we know today. Explore some of the notable moments from the property’s tenured history to our modern incarnation.
OUR HISTORY
EARLY 1960s
St. Charles philanthropists Dellora and Lester Norris donated 57acres of wooded land to the Adrian Dominican Sisters for the establishment of a women’s college, and St. Dominic College of the Arts opened its doors to students in the fall of 1963, serving as a cultural, educational, and religious center in the Fox Valley region of Illinois.
1970s
Arthur Andersen, an international accounting firm, purchased the property from the college and renamed it the Andersen Center for Professional Education to be an executive training center for employees. During the1970s, Arthur Andersen added two ballrooms and accommodations for business needs.
LATE 1980s
In 1985, Arthur Andersen negotiated a land trade deal with the St. Charles Country Club to begin an $80 million expansion of its campus to 95 acres with the addition of two multi-tiered amphitheaters, 65 meeting rooms and a dining room for training over 50,000 employees annually in “Andersen University.”
2000s
Arthur Andersen continued their accounting training and culture building until the business permanently closed in 2002. Q Center continued, maintaining the same training practices for international consulting firm, Accenture. Q Center became one of the leading industry experts in premier business meetings and learning. Q Center was given its name because all the words used to describe it featured the letter q: quality, tranquil, equipped, and qualified were just a few.
2010s
Q Center renovated more than 600 guestrooms built during the 1980s expansion of the original training center facility. Additionally, the center underwent significant renovations of public areas and meeting rooms, like the floor-to-ceiling transformation of the Fox River Ballrooms, to bring the facility into the modern age of meetings.
TODAY
When operations around the world ground to a halt in 2020, Q Center safely continued down its path of constant improvement. Outdoor areas like the Courtyard were reimagined, and our newest after-hours venue, the Fox Bar, made its debut. Today, Q Center offers 150,000+ square feet of meeting and event space, 1,042 guestrooms, dining and entertainment all situated on 95 tranquil acres. Built on a foundation of education, corporate training and the industry's best service, we're proud to offer the Midwest's premier meeting and event experiences.