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Construction began on the Lansing Civic Center in 1953, and
was completed in 1955. It was located on a site bordered by W. Allegan St. on the north side, W.
Washtenaw on the south, S. Walnut on the east, and S. Pine on the west. The majority of the site was donated to the City of Lansing
in 1916 by Lansing automotive pioneer,
William K. Prudden.
On the west end of the site originally were several houses, and in the location of what
became the Civic Center east parking lot along Walnut St., the Prudden Auditorium. The old Prudden Auditorium was
demolished in anticipation of the planned construction of it's replacement, the new Prudden Theatre. The new theatre
was never built and the site remained a parking lot for the duration of the Civic Center's existence. The Civic
Center's Auditorium and Offices were named in honor of our War Veterans.
William K. Prudden was the founder of Prudden Wheel Company, which would eventually become Motor Wheel. Motor Wheel was at one time, the world's largest wheel supplier for the automotive industry. The original Prudden Wheel factory remains on E. Saginaw St. at Prudden St. The factory was closed in 1975 and remained abandoned for many years. Fortunately, it was saved and in 2006 it was converted into apartments and lofts. The building is now appropriately called Prudden Place. The Prudden name lives on, it can still be seen on the huge smokestack at the site. Prudden is interred at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing. Thanks to Mr. Prudden, the Civic Center proudly hosted many, many events over the course of about 40 years. Lansing saw the circus, car shows, concerts, sports events, banquets, conventions and much more. Air conditioning was finally added in 1978, a much needed upgrade. As the eighties drew to a close, it was obvious the clock was ticking for our old friend. The City saw this and in 1987 built a new Lansing Center near the river on Michigan Ave. Although the Lansing Center lacked an arena, the aging Civic Center was used less and less after it's replacement opened. It was eventually closed completely and it's fate was heavily debated. To most, renovation seemed expensive and unneccessary considering there was a already a replacement in use. To the few who cared about Prudden's legacy, the Veterans Memorial, the history, and all the great memories at the Civic Center, what was about to happen was simply unforgivable. Profiting from Prudden's donation, the Mayor and the Lansing City Council chose to sell the site, sealing it's fate. The property was purchased and demolition commenced. Demolition crews had their work cut out for them as the sturdy Civic Center did not come down easy. September 19, 1999 was the fateful day we saw the auditorium come crashing down, blanketing downtown with a thick layer of dust and dirt. Cleanup dragged on for many months, until eventually there was nothing remaining of the old Civic Center. Today, that hallowed ground is home to just another bland state office building. You can be certain, no fond memories will ever be made there again.
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