DeltaPlex closing

[walker]

Not surprised I guess but it does have its niche as a venue for less than class A large events:

WOOTV: the-deltaplex-will-close-permanently-this-summer

[GR_Urbanist]

Someone will snap it up fast. That place brings in massive numbers for events that the VAA is simply just overkill (and too expensive) to be used for.

Maybe the new owners will actually follow-through on the renovations that never materialized from years ago?

 

[joeDowntown]

Did it really bring in massive numbers? It seems like it was a bit like the Orbit Room in the end. Pretty sporadic with a few decent events sprinkled in. 

I do agree though, might be a good acquisition for a private equity firm who has some money to put into it, then lets a third party book it. Location is pretty good and you'd be hard pressed to build something similar. 

I could also see the real estate being valuable enough to bulldoze it and put light industrial in the area.

Joe

[Guest]

2 hours ago, joeDowntown said:

Did it really bring in massive numbers? It seems like it was a bit like the Orbit Room in the end. Pretty sporadic with a few decent events sprinkled in. 

I was wondering the same.  They never seemed like "big money" events either.

I've also heard the acoustics in there for concerts are absolutely horrible.  Was this place ever actually nice on the inside?

EDIT: Someone on mentioned Visser bought it and it will become a warehouse.  I would assume that means tearing it down and not retrofitting it.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Floyd_Z
Addition

[walker]

4 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

. . .   EDIT: Someone on mentioned Visser bought it and it will become a warehouse.  I would assume that means tearing it down and not retrofitting it.

Your rumor is apparently true,  WOODTV has updated the story and changed the headline to indicate Visser is in the process of buying it:

this is really the same link - just updated

It's not important but it bugs me though that this story and others say that the building was originally called Stadium Arena.  It was originally called Grand Rapids Stadium.  It was renamed Stadium Arena by the promoter Phil Simon many years later when he took it over after a foreclosure or bankruptcy (can't remember which.)  Stadium Arena is a stupid redundant name.  This is the type of trivial thing that drives you crazy when you are an old man.

 

[cstonesparty]

1 hour ago, walker said:

Your rumor is apparently true,  WOODTV has updated the story and changed the headline to indicate Visser is in the process of buying it:

this is really the same link - just updated

It's not important but it bugs me though that this story and others say that the building was originally called Stadium Arena.  It was originally called Grand Rapids Stadium.  It was renamed Stadium Arena by the promoter Phil Simon many years later when he took it over after a foreclosure or bankruptcy (can't remember which.)  Stadium Arena is a stupid redundant name.  This is the type of trivial thing that drives you crazy when you are an old man.

 

I remember going to a couple of Owls hockey games there around ‘79 and even as a kid I thought that name was stupid.  

[TheLonesomeHobo]

Per WZZM; “The few events and facility use over that time were, for the most part, done without any expectation of rent and was done as part of our civic obligation to give back to our community during a difficult time.”

Thats a really unique way for Joel Langlois to talk about all of the grifting he let happen while obviously not getting paid, not sad to see this place go at all.

[Prankster]

10 hours ago, walker said:

Your rumor is apparently true,  WOODTV has updated the story and changed the headline to indicate Visser is in the process of buying it:

this is really the same link - just updated

It's not important but it bugs me though that this story and others say that the building was originally called Stadium Arena.  It was originally called Grand Rapids Stadium.  It was renamed Stadium Arena by the promoter Phil Simon many years later when he took it over after a foreclosure or bankruptcy (can't remember which.)  Stadium Arena is a stupid redundant name.  This is the type of trivial thing that drives you crazy when you are an old man.

 

I remember going shopping there with my mom when it was Atlantic Mills. 

[Pattmost20]

16 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

I've also heard the acoustics in there for concerts are absolutely horrible.  Was this place ever actually nice on the inside?

The acoustics were by far the worst I've ever experienced. The entire experience of going to a concert there was very poor.

[Khorasaurus1]

Is it true that back in the day the roof used to leak and the ice at Grand Rapids Owls games would get mushy from the dripping water?

[Raildude's dad]

DEG Development owns it already according  AccessKent.  DEG is a Visser Bros. company. It was originally Atlantic Mills a discount department store before KMart etc. I heard it was used to garage Greyhound buses for a while. At one point the roof sagged and the trusses on top were installed to restore the structural integrity of the interior trusses.

[walker]

1 hour ago, Raildude's dad said:

DEG Development owns it already according  AccessKent.  DEG is a Visser Bros. company. It was originally Atlantic Mills a discount department store before KMart etc. I heard it was used to garage Greyhound buses for a while. At one point the roof sagged and the trusses on top were installed to restore the structural integrity of the interior trusses.

Atlantic Mills came after the Grand Rapids Rockets, the original hockey team, folded. 

 Atlantic Mills was real popular for a few years until nicer discount stores with better merchandise came to town.  Discount chains like Miracle Mart and then Arlens.  Drifting way off-topic now: Meijers grocery (it really was called Meijers back then) shared space in what was an old factory on Plainfield with a Miracle Mart department store.  They had separate check-outs and a wall between them.  Meijer took the whole thing over when Miracle Mart failed and converted it to one of the first of what was then called a Meijer Thrifty Acres store.  It was where the current Meijer is on Plainfield although it is not the same building.    

Edited April 28, 2022 by walker

[GR8scott]

So will the Gold-Nuggets move to VAA?

[cstonesparty]

4 hours ago, GR8scott said:

So will the Gold-Nuggets move to VAA?

I think it’s way too big, and the overlap with hockey will be a logistical challenge.  

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, cstonesparty said:

I think it’s way too big, and the overlap with hockey will be a logistical challenge.  

They did do it before with the Hoops, but yeah probably not feasible with their attendance.  How many people show up to each game?  A couple hundred?  They'd probably be better off with just a high school or college gym.

As for the Delta Plex, it would be a good spot for some high density residential.  I think the Vissers (and Walker) would probably rather have it industrial though.

[cstonesparty]

2 hours ago, Floyd_Z said:

They did do it before with the Hoops, but yeah probably not feasible with their attendance.  How many people show up to each game?  A couple hundred?  They'd probably be better off with just a high school or college gym.

As for the Delta Plex, it would be a good spot for some high density residential.  I think the Vissers (and Walker) would probably rather have it industrial though.

I was recalling reading that some arenas struggled with keeping basketball floors from problems like condensation and warping when they have ice installed.  Since the Pistons now share LCA with the Wings (and I’m sure other examples), it must be that there are adequate ways to deal with those issues and efficiently changeover between teams.

[MJLO]

I bet Covid and the convention downturn killed it. I lived in Walker for years and there was something happening there almost every weekend. Pre Covid I bet it was at least cash flow stable. It was a good/cheaper alternative for smaller shows and events. I wonder if it will be harder for smaller shows that can’t afford the downtown venues to come to GR now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Khorasaurus1]

11 hours ago, cstonesparty said:

I was recalling reading that some arenas struggled with keeping basketball floors from problems like condensation and warping when they have ice installed.  Since the Pistons now share LCA with the Wings (and I’m sure other examples), it must be that there are adequate ways to deal with those issues and efficiently changeover between teams.

I'm pretty sure it's more common than not for a city with both a hockey and a basketball team for the two teams to share an arena.  Detroit pre-Little Caesars was an outlier in that regard, and the split was due to regional politics, not stadium logistics. Van Andel was originally built to host both the Hoops and the Griffins, though it's possible that recent renovations have made it less basketball-friendly. 

[GR8scott]

Just looked at the league information, there certainly much larger arenas than VAA (Birmingham, Des Moines, OKC) for D league teams so 10% ticket sales must not be a concern. Also some share with hockey teams but there seems like there should be a niche for a smaller arena in the area but maybe too close to Muskegon, GVSU, WMU?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_G_League 

[Cookin_peacocks]

6 hours ago, Khorasaurus1 said:

I'm pretty sure it's more common than not for a city with both a hockey and a basketball team for the two teams to share an arena.  Detroit pre-Little Caesars was an outlier in that regard, and the split was due to regional politics, not stadium logistics. Van Andel was originally built to host both the Hoops and the Griffins, though it's possible that recent renovations have made it less basketball-friendly. 

A few things. Vegas is looking into building a new arena for an NBA team. 

 

Two. Detroit almost had 2 NHL teams in the mid 90s. The Hartford Whalers almost moved to the Palace before going to the Carolina.

 

Miami (area) has two arenas. 

 

Twin cities have two arenas for their teams

 

Arizona has two arenas. 

 

San Fran area has two arenas. 

[Guest]

Vegas is looking to build another arena?  T-Mobile Arena was designed to host basketball games.

Detroit also had the Detroit Vipers and they played at the Palace.

Both of Minnesota's arenas are older than the VanAndel.

IIRC Little Caesars arena was initially only going to be for the Wings, but the Pistons decided to move there as well.

It just seems a little wasteful to have two separate arenas when scheduling for both is more than doable.  I think the question is more is it worth it for VAA to put the time and effort in switching over between games if the Gold have much lower attendance than the Griffins.

[GR8scott]

21 hours ago, Cookin_peacocks said:

A few things. Vegas is looking into building a new arena for an NBA team. 

 

Two. Detroit almost had 2 NHL teams in the mid 90s. The Hartford Whalers almost moved to the Palace before going to the Carolina.

 

Miami (area) has two arenas. 

 

Twin cities have two arenas for their teams

 

Arizona has two arenas. 

 

San Fran area has two arenas. 

Those are also "full sized" arenas as well. I would not put VAA in their league as its not fully built and is 3/4 of a bowl with less capacity. Deltaplex is in a lower tier than VAA. All those cities surly have several deltaplex sized arenas, Even after the Joe and Palace were torn down Metro Detroit still has LC along with the new Wayne State one, Callahan hall, The O and if you count AnnArbor/Ypsi there are several more. AZ and SF area have more than 2 fullsized arenas. Example Coyote's, Suns and ASU all play in different ones and there is still the really cool old coliseum all fullsized and larger than VAA. A really unique example is Salt Lake City metro area that has several because of the olympics. 

[cstonesparty]

2 hours ago, GR8scott said:

Those are also "full sized" arenas as well. I would not put VAA in their league as its not fully built and is 3/4 of a bowl with less capacity. Deltaplex is in a lower tier than VAA. All those cities surly have several deltaplex sized arenas, Even after the Joe and Palace were torn down Metro Detroit still has LC along with the new Wayne State one, Callahan hall, The O and if you count AnnArbor/Ypsi there are several more. AZ and SF area have more than 2 fullsized arenas. Example Coyote's, Suns and ASU all play in different ones and there is still the really cool old coliseum all fullsized and larger than VAA. A really unique example is Salt Lake City metro area that has several because of the olympics. 

Seems like with the volume of youth sports tournaments, a smaller arena could find a lot of opportunities 

[WMrapids]

I heard somewhere that the only existing choice is VAA due to the need for alcohol sales.

[Cookin_peacocks]

On 4/29/2022 at 5:42 PM, Floyd_Z said:

Vegas is looking to build another arena?  T-Mobile Arena was designed to host basketball games.

Detroit also had the Detroit Vipers and they played at the Palace.

Both of Minnesota's arenas are older than the VanAndel.

IIRC Little Caesars arena was initially only going to be for the Wings, but the Pistons decided to move there as well.

It just seems a little wasteful to have two separate arenas when scheduling for both is more than doable.  I think the question is more is it worth it for VAA to put the time and effort in switching over between games if the Gold have much lower attendance than the Griffins.

The Wilds arena opened in 2000. 

Apparently yes, I saw on arena digest that the group hoping to bring in an NBA team to Vegas is planning a billion dollar plus arena