Jono Klooster, Grand Rapids’ acting director of economic development services, said “The Studio Park project has and will continue to change the fabric of downtown in many ways.” He continued, “Where the site was formerly a place for cars, it is now a place to live, work, watch a movie, shop, eat and enjoy high-quality outdoor public space in the piazza.” He explained, “It makes it more likely that people will move downtown, which in turn increases density and could help us slow down the spread urbanization and save some of our precious farmland and wild spaces bordering the city.”

“I think it will benefit the city,” Plantinga added. “I’m excited for the Studio Park since I think it will add a new aspect of nightlife to downtown,” she said. With these facilities, Plantinga said, “It is possible that this facility will change what is considered to be the center of downtown, or at least move it closer to Studio Park.”Īnnake Vandebrake, junior film major, feels similarly.

According to the Studio Park website, it contains restaurants and shops, lofts and condos, a music venue (Listening Room), a four-star hotel and a parking garage. However, the new Studio Park complex is more than a theater. “There is no hyperbole in that claim,” said Carl Plantinga, Calvin professor of film and media. “Since the close of the downtown movie theaters in the 1960s, downtown Grand Rapids has experienced a rebirth. With Celebration Cinema’s new Studio Park location, Grand Rapids opened its first downtown movie theatre in decades on Friday, Sept.

Studio park cinema