inside Michigan amphitheater construction that’s turning heads nationwide
Posted By: MLive on March 24, 2025. For more information, please click here to read the source article and view images.
Another large structure has emerged on Michigan’s second largest city’s skyline as the downtown continues to transform. Construction on the Acrisure Amphitheater, a massive structure nearly the length of a football field, reached the halfway mark last week. MLive was there to capture photos and video, giving you an inside peek of the sprawling site.
Pioneer–Barton Malow joint venture, held a “topping-off” ceremony placing the final steel beams for the canopy. The impressive structure is made up of 3.2 million pounds of steel and 53,000 pounds of bolts, with the largest steel truss coming in at a whopping 47,000 pounds.
“It’s really an engineering feat not just for our region, but for our nation, we are starting to get nationwide accolade for the structure Progressive Companies has designed,” said Scott Veine, vice president and senior project manager at Pioneer.
Once complete, the structure will shield concertgoers from rain and sun, and enhance the venue’s acoustics and aesthetics, officials say.
“Many amphitheaters across the country are in outlying areas of their metropolitan area, where this one is right in the heart of it,” said Veine.
Veine is in charge of building the state of the art, 12,000-person venue along the Grand River. He is humbled by the opportunity to work on a project of this scale.
“I believe it is going to be a unique venue, because it is going to allow the community, our city dwellers, to be a part of that concert experience,” he said.
Now that the canopy structure is in place, construction crews can work on several other tasks according to Veine. That includes adding the smooth, sleek paneling that will cover the top of the canopy, and building the venue’s seating bowl, Veine said. There’s lots of other tasks on the horizon too. Structures that will house concessions and other services are being built, and landscaping of the lawn is expected to get underway this fall.
The project remains on track to be completed by May 2026 and will host 54 events per season. The venue is being funded through public and private dollars.
That includes a $30 million naming rights agreement with Acrisure, a $30 million state grant, and publicly backed loans that will be repaid through revenue from the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority and Kent County’s 8% hotel tax.
« Back to Insights