PORT HURON, MI — Step inside the Wrigley Center in downtown Port Huron and it doesn’t take long to realize the building is more than just a restaurant or bar.
Visitors can move from a speakeasy-style cocktail lounge to a billiards room, wander past arcade games and golf simulators, or watch climbers scale a 50-foot indoor rock wall — all without leaving the building.
The large mixed-use complex at 318 Grand River Ave. brings together restaurants, entertainment and event spaces under one roof. Upper floors also include 36 apartments, including two short-term rental units, making the property both a residential and entertainment hub downtown.
“It’s like a mall with a million beautiful things to do in it,” said Darren Lee, general manager of the Wrigley Center.
Lee was hired in November 2024 to oversee operations and help grow activity throughout the building.
“People don’t realize everything that’s here,” Lee said.
Restaurants and bars
One of the building’s centerpiece dining spaces is Port Steak and Seafood, located upstairs.
The restaurant offers a fine dining experience focused on steak and seafood dishes. It also features a large wine display wall. In warmer months, diners will also be able to enjoy outdoor seating on the second-floor patio.
Port Steak and Seafood also offers a Sunday buffet, adding another option for weekend visitors.
Elsewhere in the building, guests can find The Laundry Room, a speakeasy-style cocktail bar inspired by the 1920s.
The hidden-bar concept plays on prohibition-era speakeasies. Even the cocktail menu follows the theme, designed to resemble a vintage laundry ticket. Charcuterie boards are served in the space, and private rooms can be reserved for small gatherings.
“You can get a Jack and Coke or a beer here just like any other bar,” Lee said, noting prices are comparable to other local establishments.
Altogether, the building includes five liquor-licensed venues.
“You could do a pub crawl here all under one roof,” Lee said.
Games and entertainment
Moving through the building, the focus quickly shifts from dining to games and entertainment.
The Colony Club includes a fowling lounge, where players throw footballs at bowling pins in a game that blends elements of football and bowling. Lanes are typically first come, first served and cost $20 per lane.
Nearby, Break Time Billiards offers pool tables, shuffleboard and board game tables where visitors can play classic games. Billiards tables rent for $5, and the room typically opens daily starting at 11 a.m.
The building also houses a retro-style arcade filled with pinball machines, skeeball, archery, air hockey and other classic games, alongside newer attractions such as virtual reality racing and shooting simulators.
Arcade games use 50-cent tokens, while attractions like the laser maze and basketball games are available for hourly play.
Visitors can also try Tee It Up, an indoor golf simulator venue inside the building. Cornhole boards, darts and other casual games are available throughout the lounge areas.
A new attraction: Mt. Wrigley
One of the newest additions is Mt. Wrigley, a rock climbing wall rising more than 50 feet inside the building.
When it opens fully, the wall will allow six climbers at a time using auto-belay systems, which automatically lower climbers safely without requiring a partner to manage the rope.
A separate bouldering section allows climbers to try shorter rope-free routes over padded mats.
Visitors will be able to rent equipment such as harnesses, shoes and helmets on site.
Lee said youth groups from the Port Huron Parks and Recreation Department have already begun using the wall for introductory climbing sessions.
Lee said the attraction is expected to open to the public by the end of March.
Events and classes
Beyond its restaurants and entertainment spaces, the Wrigley Center regularly hosts classes, markets and community events.
Charcuterie-making classes, for example, are held in the building’s Black Market Kitchen, a demonstration kitchen located near the center of the facility.
Participants purchase tickets online and receive the ingredients needed to assemble a charcuterie board they can take home.
Lee said the classes have already drawn strong interest and are expected to become monthly events.
The center also hosts vendor markets every other Saturday, with roughly 60 vendors spread throughout the building.
Weekly programming includes trivia nights, open mic events, leagues and other social gatherings.
Upcoming events include comedy shows connected to the Blue Water Comedy Festival, which will hold performances on April 3 and 4.
“We’re doing a lot of different events and classes,” Lee said.
A destination for downtown
Lee said the goal is not simply to fill the building, but to help bring more activity to downtown Port Huron.
The Wrigley Center sits within the city’s social district, which allows visitors to carry alcoholic drinks outdoors within designated areas of downtown.
Lee hopes the venue will complement nearby restaurants and businesses rather than compete with them.
“We want people coming to Port Huron because there’s something going on here,” Lee said.
The Wrigley Center itself opens at 11 a.m. daily, though the restaurants, bars and attractions inside operate on their own schedules.
“There’s something for everyone,” Lee said.
The long path to redevelopment
The Wrigley Center occupies the former Art Van Furniture building. The 46,800-square-foot building opened as an Art Van store in 1992 before the retailer relocated in the early 2000s, leaving the property vacant for years.
St. Clair County purchased the building in 2014 for $560,000 with hopes of redeveloping the site, but several proposed concepts — including a pavilion-style gathering space and market venue — stalled due to funding challenges.
Private redevelopment efforts began in 2020 when developer Larry Jones purchased it for $350,000 and proposed converting the former showroom into a mixed-use space called Wrigley Hall. The project struggled to gain momentum before being revived in 2024 as the Wrigley Center, bringing new activity to the long-vacant downtown property.
Contact reporter Andy Jeffrey at ajeffrey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Inside the Wrigley Center in downtown Port Huron
Reporting by Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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