Deborah Johnson Wood
The stage area in
Ah-Nab-Awen Park directly in front of the
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is too small for many of the performances it hosts, and performers have to bring their own generator to have enough electricity for lighting and equipment.
Not anymore.
The
Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority will invest $559,000 to improve the park, including work to enlarge the stage and supply it with an electrical power panel – all in time for
Celebration on the Grand and
ArtPrize, both happening in September.
The stage is adjacent to the downtown Riverwalk, a multi-mile pedestrian walkway on the banks of the Grand River, and these are just a few of the improvements now underway with the guidance of Nagel Construction, says DDA Executive Director Jay Fowler.
"A stretch of the Riverwalk from Bridge Street south to the Gillette Bridge is being replaced with concrete and new lighting," Fowler says. "A retaining wall and some terraces next to the river suffered ice damage several years ago and have been redesigned with handicap access to the river's edge."
The design includes a seating wall and platform on the river's edge where anglers can fish or walkers can take a load off and view the city skyline across the river, Fowler says. A walkway around the back of the stage will give people a way to bypass the stage during performances.
"This reinvigorates the park as a great venue for downtown events," Fowler says. "A lot of the larger events are too big for
Rosa Parks Circle and we wanted to accommodate large events downtown. There's a beautiful view of the city and skyline, and we don't have to close off streets to accommodate crowds in the heart of downtown."
Source: Jay Fowler, Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Development News tips can be sent to [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.