Kraus-Anderson Completes $24.7 Million NorthStar Ford Arena in Hermantown

The Duluth office of Kraus-Anderson completed construction of the $24.7 million NorthStar Ford Arena at 4309 Ugstad Road in Hermantown, a 77,595-square-foot, two-story ice arena addition that gives northeast Minnesota's most ice-starved hockey community a second sheet to call home.

Construction was completed in December of 2025. The long-anticipated facility officially opened its doors with a four-day Grand Opening Weekend celebration from Jan. 1 through Jan. 4, capping years of community organizing, ballot campaigns, and fundraising that made the project possible.

The arena features modern team spaces, a cutting-edge ice operations center, and a 360-degree viewing mezzanine with walking track that is free to use and open to the public. Nearly 700 individual collegiate-quality spectator seats are arranged in a top-loaded configuration, accessible through a spacious south-oriented lobby, with a design that ensures fans and families can enjoy a premium experience with minimal obstructions to viewing.

Funding came from a combination of sources: $10.8 million from a voter-approved half-cent sales tax, $7.5 million in state bonding, and more than $6 million from private donations and sponsorships. The sales tax measure cleared in 2022 after demand for ice time in Hermantown had consistently outpaced the arena's capacity.

The project was designed by DSGW Architecture. A new pedestrian connection between the high school, middle school, NorthStar Ford Arena, and YMCA at Essentia Wellness Center creates a unified campus and provides the Hermantown community with a central hub for athletics, education, and wellness.

The Hermantown Arena has long been a cherished landmark, serving as a vibrant center of activity for the community, though the demand for ice time had consistently outpaced its capacity. The facility has hosted youth hockey leagues, school district physical education classes, adult hockey leagues, broomball, fitness organizations, and hockey camps. The arena is home to two of the most successful hockey programs in the region: the Hermantown Hawks boys team and the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage girls team, both recent Class A state champions.

Estimates show tens of millions of dollars in economic impact for every season the new arena is in use, with the facility capable of safely hosting 12 to 16 team tournaments and drawing revenue from teams traveling from the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. The ice in the new arena had already been booked out for an entire year before the grand opening weekend puck even dropped.