Muskegon officials Monday cut the ribbon on a new downtown convention center that hopes to draw visitors to the city year round, as the grand opening of the Van Dyk Mortgage Convention Center is seen by some as the crowning achievement in the city’s revitalization so far.
Constructed in the heart of downtown on Western Avenue, the 55,000 sq. ft. facility connects the newly renovated, 200-room Delta Hotels by Marriott and the recently renamed Mercy Health Arena, formerly known as the LC Walker Arena.
Officials say the new convention center embodies what the 'Watch Muskegon' campaign set out to do--to not only restore the city from an infrastructure perspective, but also to restore local pride as well with a "can do" attitude.
And a job, so far, well done--the city, especially the downtown corridor, has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past few years, while construction of the new convention center was completed just one month later than planned, despite the pandemic.
Jon Rooks is President of Parkland Properties, both responsible for the renovation of the Delta Hotel makeover as well as operating the new convention center.
"Very exciting how everything came together--there is so much that could have gone wrong, there were so many obsticales," Rooks said. "So it is a great story, it is great for Muskegon. And it is very similar to many, many other great stories that Muskegon has already experienced," he said.
"And now we have this state of the art facility that is the newest in Michigan."
Officials say, all in, the Convention Center, Delta Hotel and Mercy Health Arena upgrades represent a $35 million investment in the heart of Downtown Muskegon.
While Muskegon is currently seen as a summer destination for tourists, officials say the whole idea of the new Convention Center is to drive visitors to the city during the cold winter months.