You can’t see it from the road, but upon reaching the top of the hill overlooking Onondaga Lake, the Lakeview Amphitheater sits nestled into the earth as a grand site to be discovered.

Discovered it was, on September 3, 2015 when Miranda Lambert entertained a crowd of nearly 17,500 people for the debut performance at the new outdoor entertainment complex.  The Amphitheater was built to be the foundation of a revitalization initiative for Onondaga Lake, the Village of Solvay and the town of Geddes. The area also consists of recreational trails, an observation pier, and most recently, boat docks among other amenities.

The entertainment complex consists of the main amphitheater with capacity to seat 17,500 people both covered and in lawn seats as well as a smaller theater with space available for up to 300 guests. The site also has a general service building for administration, security and other support functions including food and beverage storage and vendor locations.

The design was intended to evoke a memorable experience for patrons with a look that feels natural to the environment, yet encompasses modern design elements with state-of-the-art technology.

O’Connell worked under subcontract to support the entire electrical infrastructure for the amphitheater including providing design assist support to the Gilbane Building Company.  Our Scope of work included providing site infrastructure consisting of 15kV systems, 600 volt systems to out buildings, VIP and shore power systems, fiber and copper cabling systems for communications and site lighting.

Electrical construction for the amphitheater included two large restroom buildings and the box office. The crew  installed distribution and feeders, general lighting, lighting controls, theatrical lighting systems, branch electric, security and access control, life safety systems and communication/data systems.

Quick Facts

  • The total electrician count reached 63 technicians during the peak work load
  • The electrical contract started June 1, 2015, and was complete August 21, 2015
  • The crew worked 30,000 hours with no lost time or incidents
  • O’Connell assisted with the design/build for the project
  • Received the award for Best of the Best 2016 – Government/Public Building by Engineering News Record (ENR)
  • Received Best Project for Excellence in Safety by Engineering News Record, NY
  • O’Connell was featured in Electrical Contractor Magazine (ECMAG) for our role in the construction process “Showtime by the Lake: O’Connell Electric”

The electrical room was featured as a cover photo for Engineering News Record’s premiere list of the Top 600 Specialty Contractors for 2015, and was featured as the cover photo for EC&M Magazine’s “The Top 50”