10/16/2026
As part of our “A to Z: Discovering Kent County” series, we are happy to highlight the Van Andel Arena for the letter V!
It’s hard to imagine downtown Grand Rapids without the Van Andel Arena. Today, it’s a familiar destination for hockey games, concerts, family shows and major events. But 30 years ago, the Heartside neighborhood looked very different - In the early 1990s much of the land where the arena now stands was simply parking lots, and local leaders were looking for ways to bring new life to the city center.
Local leaders believed that changing downtown would require thinking big. In 1991, more than 50 community leaders came together as the Grand Vision Committee to explore major projects, including a new arena and improvements to the city's convention facilities. The group became Grand Action in 1993, with a goal of bringing together public investment, private funding and community support for projects that could transform downtown.
The arena became the first major project.
Getting it built wasn't a sure thing. Grand Rapids had already seen professional hockey teams come and go, so there was plenty of skepticism about whether the city should build an arena to support another one. Jay and Betty Van Andel became major supporters, contributing $11.5 million toward the project, helping secure approval for the arena in 1994. The roughly $78 million project ultimately combined $57 million in public funds (which were paid off in 2022) with $21 million in private contributions.
And the Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team was being built almost as quickly as the arena. In January 1995, David Van Andel and Dan DeVos began working to bring professional hockey back and at the time, they had no team name, no league, no players, no coaches, no general manager - and no finished arena. What they did have was a lot of interested hockey fans. More than 8,000 people submitted season-ticket requests, helping convince the International Hockey League that Grand Rapids could support a team.
Groundbreaking took place Feb. 8, 1995, and the arena was completed less than two years later on October 8, 1996. The Grand Rapids Griffins played their first home game shortly afterward, on October 11, 1996, before a sold-out crowd of 10,834, but they lost 3–1 to the Orlando Solar Bears. Darin Smith scored the first Griffins home-ice goal.
Van Andel Arena has 9,886 permanent seats, including 1,800 club-level seats close to the action. It also has luxury suites, with 24 on the lower level that seat 15 people each and 16 on the upper level that accommodate 20 people each.
From there, the building quickly became much more than a hockey rink. The first concert was on October 10, 1996, with Neil Diamond. Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Elton John, Metallica, Kanye West, and countless other performers have taken the stage, alongside sporting events, comedy shows and family entertainment.
Most importantly, Van Andel Arena helped prove that people would come downtown for entertainment - and it helped create momentum for what came next, including DeVos Place and other major investments.
Thirty years later, the arena remains a major part of our community’s identity. Its story isn't just about a building. It's about coming together to imagine a different future for our downtown and then making that vision a reality.
