Weathering the elements and site logistics, Gilbane Building Company celebrates opening The Boardwalk, its latest Cedar Point success
Sandusky, Ohio – August 4, 2023 – Gilbane Building Company celebrates the completion and opening of The Boardwalk, Cedar Point’s new themed midway area that brings back the nostalgia of yesteryear. The Boardwalk is the fourth project Gilbane has taken on with its Sandusky, Ohio amusement partner over the past few years.
“Gilbane has been building and renovating restaurants, lodging and other fast-track summer projects for Cedar Point since 2018,” said Kyle Merrill, vice president and Cleveland business leader at Gilbane Building Company. “They have trusted us with larger and more difficult projects like The Boardwalk, which we completed on time and on budget for Cedar Point’s 2023 season.”
The Boardwalk project completely reimagined Cedar Point’s former Lakefront Midway area. It required a very collaborative and flexible construction team to translate historical vision into reality.
“At Cedar Point, it’s absolutely imperative that we open our capital projects on time, and Gilbane was able to help us do just that with The Boardwalk. They managed our tight schedule, worked through challenges along the way and helped meet our business needs,” said Mike Maney, vice president of maintenance and construction at Cedar Point. “With safety as Cedar Point’s top priority, we’re proud to partner with a company like Gilbane, whose on-site safety management is second to none. This high safety standard, combined with their efficient overall project management, is proven as families are now enjoying The Boardwalk and creating memories here that will last a lifetime.”
The Boardwalk project featured five acres of site modifications, including a new coaster, the relocation of five other rides, and building The Grand Pavilion, a new and modern version of the original Grand Pavilion that opened in 1888, complete with a restaurant, two large dining rooms, bar, three patios, and incredible views of the lake and the park. The new Grand Pavilion has become the park’s premier entertainment venue.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime project opportunity for us that presented unique challenges,” said Jason Ohlsson, Project Manager, Gilbane Building Company. “We had a short, 10-month timeframe to complete the work with the park open for half that time. We were building right on the beach at the water, and we made many design adjustments and refinements along the way to ensure that the entire project blended in and had the nostalgic look Cedar Point and its design team envisioned.”
Gilbane used special cranes, lifts, and other heavy equipment with tracks instead of tires to help maneuver on the sandy beach, all while battling winds, rain, and other weather off Lake Erie. The Gilbane construction team worked closely with Cedar Point’s design partner to incorporate many of the features of the original building constructed more than a century ago.
“We had countless meetings with the very talented and detailed design team in Charlotte to come up with the best possible design and materials to capture the nostalgia of the original building,” said Ohlsson. “We took stained glass out of old windows saved from the first structure and built that into the new Grand Pavilion. It’s emotional for me and my carpenters and others who worked so hard on this to come back with family and friends, point with pride to the original stained glass and other features and say, ‘Hey, I built this.’”
The project also far exceeded Gilbane’s 20% corporate goal for business diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through Gilbane’s bidding strategies and procedures, businesses owned by minorities, females, and veterans were awarded 32% of all contracts for The Boardwalk and The Grand Pavilion.
This latest addition to Cedar Point adds to Gilbane’s decades of experience building family entertainment venues nationwide, including nationally-ranked theme parks, amusement parks, zoos, museums, theaters, and concert venues.