McMorran Place facts for kids
| McMorran | |
The tower at McMorran Place.
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| Location | 701 McMorran Boulevard, Port Huron, Michigan 48060 |
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| Owner | City of Port Huron, Michigan |
| Operator | City of Port Huron, Michigan |
| Capacity | Hockey or indoor football: 3,400 Concerts: 4,800 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 24, 1958 |
| Opened | January 21, 1960 |
| Construction cost | 1960: $3.5 million ($34.6 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | Alden Dow |
| Tenants | |
| Port Huron Flags/Wings (IHL) (1962–1981) Port Huron Clippers (AAHL) (1987–1988) Port Huron Border Cats (UHL) (1996–2002) Port Huron Beacons (UHL) (2002–2005) Port Huron Flags (UHL) (2005–2007) Port Huron Pirates (CIFL) (2006–2007) Port Huron IceHawks (IHL) (2007–2010) Port Huron Fighting Falcons (NAHL) (2010–2014) Port Huron Predators (CIFL) (2011) Port Huron Patriots (CIFL) (2012–2014) Port Huron Prowlers (FPHL) (2015–present) |
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McMorran Arena is a fun place in Port Huron, Michigan. It has a big arena for sports and concerts, and also a theater for shows. A famous architect named Alden B. Dow designed it. It opened in 1960 and cost about $3.5 million back then. The outside of the building looks nice with red bricks and light-colored stone.
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Sports and Teams at McMorran
McMorran Arena is home to the Port Huron Prowlers hockey team. They play in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Many other hockey teams have played here over the years. Some of these include the Port Huron Flags and the Port Huron Fighting Falcons.
The Main Arena
The arena can hold 3,400 people for ice hockey games or indoor football. For concerts, it can fit up to 4,800 people. The playing area is about 85 feet by 185 feet (26 by 56 meters).
What Happens at the Arena
Besides sports, the arena hosts many other exciting events. You can see conventions, circuses, and ice shows here. It's also a place for trade shows and big banquets.
Many famous musicians have performed at McMorran Arena. Some of these include Kiss, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Johnny Cash.
Recent Changes and Upgrades
In 1998, a new arena opened across the river in Sarnia, Ontario. This meant fewer big concerts came to McMorran for a while. But in 2010, McMorran started bringing in more concerts again.
In 2012, the arena was used for a haunted house called Devil's Asylum. This meant the hockey team had to start their season playing away games.
In 2019, the arena got a big gift: 3,000 new seats! These seats came from the old Palace of Auburn Hills. The city paid to move and install them. They planned to replace the old wooden seats with these new padded ones by summer 2020. Other improvements included work on the sound and electrical systems in the theater. There were also plans to create an outdoor ice rink and gathering space outside the building.
The Pavilion
The pavilion is a large space, about 25,000 square feet (2,300 square meters). It's used for sports events, trade shows, and meetings.
In 2016, the city of Port Huron sold the pavilion to St. Clair County Community College for just $1. After this, local youth hockey groups joined together. The college then made big changes to the building.
SC4 Fieldhouse
The renovated pavilion opened in October 2016 as the SC4 Fieldhouse. It is now home to the college's sports teams. It's also available for the community to use. People can host tournaments, showcases, and sports camps there.
Next to the pavilion is a tall, eight-sided tower. At the very top, there's an observation deck. Visitors can climb 188 steps to the top. From there, they can see amazing views of the whole area. As part of the 2016 updates, the college added new lights to the outside of the tower.
The Theatre
The theatre has 1,157 seats. It's used for Broadway shows, movies, concerts, and other stage events. It has great sound and clear views from every seat. Alden B. Dow, the same architect who designed the arena, also designed the theatre.
The theatre is home to the International Symphony Orchestra. It also hosts the Port Huron Civic Theatre.
Other Features
The McMorran complex also has a meeting room and a lounge. On the outside of the east wall, there's a large clock. It's 22 feet (6.7 meters) wide and made of gold-colored aluminum. This clock is part of a beautiful display with the Night and Day Fountain. Both the clock and the fountain were created by a sculptor named Marshall Fredericks.
