The buildup of the new downtown Arena District has given many people one more reason to visit Columbus. With the addition of Nationwide Arena, not only has Columbus added to its appeal an NHL hockey team, but also many new restaurants, and soon it will have PromoWest Pavilion.
PromoWest, the company in charge of the Newport City Music Hall, will break ground on its latest investment, the PromoWest Pavilion, a multipurpose event center, sometime in the next 10 days. The amphitheater will be able to accommodate anywhere from 500 to 2,500 people because of its moveable stage. The stage is just one of its unusual aspects. The back of the building is able to open up to the amphitheater, which enables the pavilion to host indoor concerts.
“This is the first building of its type,” said Scott Stienecker, president of PromoWest. “Our company is looking to build at least four or five more of these type of facilities nationwide, and the Columbus facility will act as a prototype for these expansions.”
The new facility, which will be located on Neil Avenue, across from the arena, will cost approximately $5.5 million to construct. The money to fund the building will come from both PromoWest and also Nationwide Realty. Messer Construction Company of Cincinnati will be in charge of building the facility.
Stienecker said there will be approximately 200 events held at the pavilion each year. The new venue will feature a wide variety of sounds, including country, jazz, reggae and blues. “The PromoWest Pavilion is a multipurpose event center, which means that the facility is not limited to only concerts,” Stienecker said. “We are also looking to hold corporate functions, company parties, symphonies, speakers and graduations.”
Stienecker said they are working with companies to book concerts, but could not announce any names at this point.
“It won’t affect the attendance of concerts at the Newport in any way,” Stienecker said. “The Newport will continue to cater to the college crowd with a more raw, rock-club sound. There will still be some rock concerts held at the pavilion, but we’re hoping to attract a larger demographic to this new venue, people anywhere from the age of 16 to 70.” PromoWest Pavilion is slated to finish construction in mid-August, in time for its grand opening scheduled for Sept. 16.
