L. C. Walker Arena
The Mercy Health Arena is a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Muskegon, Michigan, United States. It was built in 1960 by money from the estate of the late Louis Carlisle Walker at a cost of $1 million, and on October 27, 1960 was given to the City of Muskegon. It is currently home to the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League, Muskegon Risers SC of Major Arena Soccer League 2, and the West Michigan Ironmen indoor football team.
| Former names | L. C. Walker Arena (1960–2019) |
|---|---|
| Location | 470 W Western Ave, Muskegon, MI 49440 |
| Operator | Global Spectrum |
| Capacity | Hockey: 4,000 Basketball: 4,900 Concerts: 5,200 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1958 |
| Opened | October 27, 1960 |
| Renovated | 2010, 2018 |
| Construction cost | $2 million ($8.64 million in 2019 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Ralph Legeman Associates[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Muskegon Zephyrs/Mohawks/Lumberjacks (IHL) (1960–1992) Muskegon Fury/Lumberjacks (CoHL/UHL/IHL) (1992–2010) Michigan Mayhem (CBA) (2004–2006) Muskegon Thunder (CIFL) (2007–2009) West Michigan Blizzard (AAHL) (2009–2010) Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) (2010–present) West Michigan Ironmen (AIF/CIF/MPIF/AAL) (2016–present) Muskegon Risers SC (M2) (2016–present) | |
The arena was built on a site of a former supermarket, and in addition to sports is also used for concerts, trade shows, conventions and other events. The arena measures 39 feet (12 m) from the arena floor to the ceiling. The arena contains 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of arena floor space, and can seat up to 4,900 for basketball, up to 5,200 for concerts, and 4,000 for ice shows and wrestling. The Arena has gone through several renovations, with the most recent two occurring in 2010-2011 and another in 2017-2018. Both renovations included removing seats from the arena, which once had more than 5,000 seats. The most recent renovation, which is still ongoing as of January 11, 2018, includes the addition of Rad Dads restaurant on the building's east side, behind section 109.
A portion of a former Plumb's grocery store, built in 1936, was actually incorporated into the Arena; it was known as the LC Walker Arena annex, used for conventions, banquets, meetings and other special events. Now, the area is used by Peak Performance, an athletic training and rehabilitation center.
Louis Carlisle Walker
Louis Carlisle Walker (1875–1963) was a furniture maker, an 1896 graduate of the University of Michigan and founder of the Shaw-Walker company which revolutionized the office furniture industry. His success in business was matched by his generosity to the community, and the arena has borne his name since it first opened.
References
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- http://hiddengyms.blogspot.com/2011/06/legemans-court-vision.html