FirstMerit Bank Pavilion
| Huntington Bank Pavilion The Venue with a View |
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Venue under former signage
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| Former names | Lakefront Pavilion (planning/construction) Charter One Pavilion (2005–13) FirstMerit Bank Pavilion(2013–2016) |
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| Address | 1300 S Lynn White Dr Chicago, Illinois 60605 |
| Location | Northerly Island |
| Coordinates | 41°51′48″N 87°36′31″W / 41.86342°N 87.6085°WCoordinates: 41°51′48″N 87°36′31″W / 41.86342°N 87.6085°W |
| Public transit | Roosevelt Station, Chicago Transit Authority |
| Owner | Chicago Park District |
| Operator | Live Nation |
| Type | Outdoor amphitheater |
| Seating type | Reserved, Lawn |
| Capacity | up to 30,000 (current) 8,166 (2005–12) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 2004 |
| Opened | June 24, 2005 |
| Expanded | June 2013 |
| Construction cost | $1.7 million (initial construction) $3 million (2013 expansion) |
| Website | |
| Venue Info | |
The Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island is an outdoor amphitheater located on the man-made peninsula Northerly Island, in Chicago, Illinois. The venue is a temporary structure, with the summer concert season running from May or June until September or October. The amphitheater opened in June 2005. It was previously named the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion, and before that the Charter One Pavilion.
Known as the "Venue with a View", the amphitheater has views of Lake Michigan, Burnham Harbor, Soldier Field, and the Chicago skyline.
The venue lies on the former site of Meigs Field. On March 30, 2003, Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered a midnight demolition of the airfield. The construction crew excavated six large X's on the runway. Daley stated the continued operation of the airfield was a threat to Chicago's cityscape, using the events of 9/11 as a reference. The airfield was set to continue operation until 2011, when it would be turned over to the City of Chicago. No one within state or city government were consulted on the demolition besides Daley. The Federal Aviation Administration fined the city $33,000, with an additional one million paid in grants.
In August 2003, construction crews were sent in to continue demolition of the airfield. Originally, the space was planned to become an aviation museum. Daley refuted the plan and proposed the space become a lakefront park and nature reserve. Within the allocated 91 acres, Northerly Island was born. Over four acres were set aside for the forthcoming music venue.
With the new advent of the nature reserve to replace Meigs Field, the Chicago Park District proposed an outdoor music venue, similar to the Ravinia Pavilion. Construction began in December 2004. Since the venue would be located on the nature reserve, the structure erected in June and disassembled in September of each year. The venue was designed by Mark Dewalt of Valerio Dewalt Train Associates; costing $1.7 million to construct. The amphitheater features a 56' × 40' stage with 15' × 20' video screens on either side of the stage. It features three grandstands (totaling 3,666 seats) and a general admission area (totaling 4,500 seats). The Chicago Park District receives roughly $250,000 from the venue (through sponsorship deals) and $1 from every ticket sold during concert season. The venue opened June 24, 2005, with a concert by American band, Earth, Wind & Fire.
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Wikipedia