The Trinity Health Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expa ...

, 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 The Muskegon Lumberjacks are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League. They play in Muskegon, Michigan, at Mercy Health Arena. The Lumberjacks replaced the International Hockey League franchi ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

, Muskegon Risers SC of

Major Arena Soccer League 2 The Major Arena Soccer League 2 is a North American indoor soccer league that serves as the developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League. History M2 launched in 2017 to "provide an outlet for teams to either reorganize for a re-emergenc ...

, and the

West Michigan Ironmen The West Michigan Ironmen are a professional indoor football team based in Muskegon, Michigan (and representing the larger region which also includes Grand Rapids and Holland), the Ironmen play their home games at Mercy Health Arena. The team jo ...

indoor football team. The Arena will change its name to Trinity Health Arena after a corporate decision to rename Mercy Health facilities Trinity Health. The arena was built on a site of a former supermarket, and in addition to sports is also used for

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

, trade shows, conventions and other events. The arena measures from the arena floor to the ceiling. The arena contains 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 An ice show is an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work o ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. 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 , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

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

External links

Trinity Health Arena

City of Muskegon website on L.C. Walker Arena
{{Authority control Indoor arenas in Michigan Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Sports venues in Michigan Convention centers in Michigan Buildings and structures in Muskegon, Michigan Sports venues completed in 1960 1960 establishments in Michigan Arena football venues Continental Basketball Association venues Indoor soccer venues in Michigan