McMorran Arena is an entertainment complex in

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Clair County. The population was 30,184 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to Port Huron Township but is administered separately. Located along the St. Clair ...

consisting of a 4,800-seat multi-purpose arena and a theater. It was designed by Alden B. Dow and built in 1960 for $3.5 million (equivalent to $ million today). The exterior of the complex is faced with red brick with limestone accents.

Sports

As of the 2015–16 season, McMorran has been the home of the Port Huron Prowlers of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Previous hockey tenants include the Port Huron Flags (various incarnations), Port Huron Wings,

Port Huron Border Cats The Port Huron Border Cats were a minor professional ice hockey team in the United Hockey League that played from 1996 to 2002. The team was based in Port Huron, Michigan, and played at McMorran Place. The team ceased operations in 2002 and was r ...

Port Huron Beacons The Port Huron Beacons were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the United Hockey League (UHL) that played from 2002 to 2005. The team was based in Port Huron, Michigan, and played at the McMorran Arena. The team's first head coach was ...

, Port Huron IceHawks, and Port Huron Fighting Falcons.

Arena

The arena seats 3,400 for ice hockey and indoor football, and 4,800 for concerts. The arena floor measures . The dasher boards have glass on the ends and glass on the sides for ice hockey. The arena is also used for conventions, circuses, ice shows, trade shows, and banquets, among other events. The arena has hosted many major headlining musicians throughout the years such as Kiss,

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

, Ted Nugent, Van Halen,

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...

, Ozzy Osbourne,

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

. The 1998 opening of RBC Centre in

Sarnia, Ontario Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron flo ...

sent most of the arena's concert business across the St. Clair River, which separates Port Huron from Sarnia. However, in 2010 McMorran started to rejuvenate its concert lineup with the band Third Eye Blind. In 2012, McMorran Arena and the adjacent pavilion were used for the Devil's Asylum haunted house. As a result, the Fighting Falcons began their season on the road. In November 2019, the arena received a donation of 3,000 seats from the shuttered

Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena built in 1988 and located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shoc ...

. Although the seats were free, the city had to bear the cost to move and install them. The city planned to remove the original wooden seats and have new padded the seats in place by summer 2020. The seats were one of several upgrades to the facility which included work on sound and electrical equipment in the theatre, carpeting, signage and a plan to reconfigure the plaza east of the building to accommodate an outdoor ice rink and gathering space for events.

Pavilion

The pavilion features of space for sporting events, trade shows, banquets, meetings, and conventions. In 2016, the city of Port Huron sold the pavilion to St. Clair County Community College for $1. Following the transaction, the Port Huron Minor Hockey Association, which was housed at the Pavilion, merged with the Blue Water Hockey Association, which is based in the city's Glacier Pointe Ice Complex. SC4 renovated the building, which opened that October as the SC4 Fieldhouse. It serves as the home to SC4's athletic teams and will be available for community use, hosting tournaments, showcases and camps in various sports and at various levels. Attached to the pavilion is an octagonal tower which boasts an observation deck at its top. Visitors can climb the 188 steps to the top to see unobstructed views of the entire area. As part of the 2016 renovations, the college installed new accent lighting on the tower's exterior.

Theatre

The 1,157-seat theatre is used for Broadway shows, movies, concerts, and other stage events. It features excellent acoustics and sight lines and also was designed by Alden B. Dow. It is home to the International Symphony Orchestra and the Port Huron Civic Theatre. In addition, the complex houses a meeting room and lounge. The exterior of the east wall features a clock of gold anodized aluminum set among limestone panels and serving as a backdrop for the ''Night and Day Fountain''. Both are by sculptor

Marshall Fredericks Marshall Maynard Fredericks (January 31, 1908 – April 4, 1998) was an American sculptor known for such works as ''Fountain of Eternal Life'', ''The Spirit of Detroit'', ''Man and the Expanding Universe Fountain'', and many others. Early life a ...

References

External links