Trinity Health Arena
The Trinity Health Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Muskegon, Michigan, United States. It was built in 1960 in partnership with philanthropist and industrialist Louis Carlisle Walker at a cost of $2 million, and on October 27, 1960, was formally gifted to the City of Muskegon. Mr. Walker provided $1 million and the City provided $1 million toward the cost. 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. The Arena will change its name to Trinity Health Arena after a corporate decision to rename Mercy Health facilities Trinity Health.[3]
  Trinity Health Arena Location in Michigan  Trinity Health Arena Location in United States | |
| Former names | L. C. Walker Arena (1960–2019) |
|---|---|
| Location | 470 W Western Ave, Muskegon, Michigan 49440 |
| Coordinates | 43°14′4″N 86°15′20″W |
| Capacity | Hockey: 4,000 Basketball: 4,900 Concerts: 5,200 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1958 |
| Opened | October 27, 1960 |
| Renovated | 2010,2016-2019,2020-2022 |
| Construction cost | $2 million ($9.89 million in 2022 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/APFL/GLAA) (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 4,000 for basketball, up to 4,500 for concerts, and 3,500 for ice shows and wrestling. The Arena has gone through several renovations, with the most recent occurring in 2018. The renovation included removing seats from the arena, which once had more than 6,000 seats. The most recent renovation includes the addition of Rad Dads restaurant on the building's east side. A new restaurant will be developed on the western side of the arena facing Western Avenue called Carlisle's. Carlisle's will offer high end stadium food in a sports-themed atmosphere.
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 bore his name until 2019.
References
- 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- "Hidden Gyms: Legeman's Court Vision". 6 June 2011.
- "Mercy Health Arena in Muskegon will change names again". 15 April 2022.