DeVos Place Convention Center, erected on the Grand River in downtown

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, is a multi-purpose convention center. It is named for

Richard DeVos Richard Marvin DeVos Sr. (March 4, 1926 – September 6, 2018) was an American billionaire businessman, co-founder of Amway with Jay Van Andel (company restructured as Alticor in 2000), and owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team. In 2012 ...

, who donated $20 million towards its construction. The convention center contains a large, 162,000 square foot exhibit hall and an additional 40,000 square foot ballroom. The convention center is owned by the Grand Rapids-Kent County Convention/Arena Authority and managed by SMG.

DeVos Performance Hall

The DeVos Performance Hall is a 2,404-seat theater located on the south side of the building. It was built in 1980 and is home to the

Grand Rapids Symphony The Grand Rapids Symphony is a professional orchestra located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1930, the Symphony is celebrating its 90th anniversary season in 2019-20. In 2006, its recording ''Invention and Alchemy'' was nominated for ...

and Broadway Grand Rapids. It can also serve as a space for a general session or keynote address. DeVos Performance Hall has hosted concerts by artists such as

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

, Barenaked Ladies,

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Pa ...

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...

and

Harry Connick, Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 List of best-selling music artists i ...

; comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld,

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

, Daniel Middleton and Ron White; and family shows including Dora The Explorer Live, Bear in The Big Blue House Live, Blue's Clues Live and Thomas & Friends Live. Eddie Money has traditionally kicked off DeVos Performance Hall's summer concert schedule every year in recent decades. The new lobby of DeVos Performance Hall was unveiled in June 2002 as part of the DeVos Place Expansion project. The renovated lobby includes a beautiful terrazzo floor, new box office with an outside window and a scrolling marquee. Also part of the renovations were new restroom facilities located on the north side of the theater on the second and third floors. Internal renovations include refurbished theater seating, as well as new wall and ceiling finishes, new flooring and enhanced colored

accent lighting Accent lighting focuses light on a particular area or object. It is often used to highlight art or other artifacts. Common types of accent lights include wall sconces, floodlights, recessed lights, torchère lamps, or track lighting. The brighter l ...

to refresh the house interior and adjoining entry paths. New balcony light fixtures were added along with freshly redesigned balcony fronts that improved sight lines.

Welsh Auditorium

The Welsh Auditorium facade remains from the original structure, which faces the

Amway Grand Plaza Hotel Amway Grand Plaza Hotel is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is named after Amway Corporation, which is based in nearby Ada Township. Originally known as The Pantlind Hotel (founded in 1913), the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel reopened in 1981 af ...

Grand River Promenade

The Grand River Promenade, the official name for the

skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclo ...

, goes between the DeVos Place Convention Center and the

Van Andel Arena Van Andel Arena is a 12,000 plus seat multi-purpose arena, situated in the Heartside district of Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. The arena attracted over five million patrons in its first 5 years, 1996–2001. It is home to the Grand Rapi ...

References

External links

Official website

DeVos Performance Hall
Buildings and structures in Grand Rapids, Michigan Economy of Grand Rapids, Michigan Convention centers in Michigan Tourist attractions in Grand Rapids, Michigan Event venues established in 2003 Concert halls in Michigan {{Michigan-struct-stub