San Diego Convention Center
| San Diego Convention Center | |
|---|---|
 View of the center from West Harbor Drive |
|
| Address | 111 West Harbor Drive |
| Location | San Diego, California |
| Coordinates | 32°42′23″N 117°09′40″W / 32.7063°N 117.1612°WCoordinates: 32°42′23″N 117°09′40″W / 32.7063°N 117.1612°W |
| Built | March 1987 - November 1989 |
| Opened | November 1989 |
| Expanded | September 2001 |
| Construction cost | $164 million |
| Enclosed space | |
| Total space | 1,107,612 square feet (102,900.5 m2) |
| Exhibit hall floor | 615,701 square feet (57,200.5 m2) |
| Breakout/meeting | 123,408 square feet (11,465.0 m2) |
| Ballroom | 80,706 square feet (7,497.8 m2) |
| Website | www.visitsandiego.com |
The San Diego Convention Center is the primary convention center in San Diego, California. It is located in the Marina district of downtown San Diego near the Gaslamp Quarter, at 111 West Harbor Drive. The center is managed by the San Diego Convention Center Corporation, a non-profit public benefit corporation.
The convention center offers 615,701 square feet (57,200 square meters) of exhibit space. As of 2009 it was the 24th largest convention facility in North America.[1] It was designed by Canadian architect Arthur Erickson. Capacity for the facility is 125,000.[2]
The center's most distinguishing feature is the Sails Pavilion, a 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2) exhibit and special event area. The Sails Pavilion's roof consists of distinctive Teflon-coated fiberglass "sails" intended to reflect San Diego's maritime history, as well as to advertise the center's proximity to the San Diego shore. The Pavilion was originally built as an open-air facility under the roof. However, the center found it hard to convince potential users to book an open-air facility, so the Pavilion area was enclosed in glass, greatly expanding the usable area of the center.[3]
[edit] History
San Diego voters approved a measure to fund construction of a new convention center in 1983 on land owned by the Port of San Diego. Construction of the original building began in March 1987 and was completed in November 1989. An expansion which doubled the gross square footage of the facility was completed in September 2001. In September 2008 the center took steps to acquire adjacent property for an additional expansion.[4]
Notable events hosted at the convention center include the annual Comic Con International convention, the Society for Neuroscience and the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention. Television game show Wheel of Fortune did live tapings of shows at the Convention Center featuring contestants from the San Diego area that aired nationally in 1997, 2003 and 2007. In 1996, it hosted the Republican National Convention, where Bob Dole and Jack Kemp received the nomination. Dole-Kemp went on to lose to Clinton-Gore. It was also the venue for the 2007 California Democratic Party Convention. Famous guests have included Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Selena, Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman.
The new Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, opening in the spring of 2011, will link the Convention Center with the neighborhoods on the other side of Harbor Drive.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.sdccc.org/aboutus/history.cfm
- ^ Reid, Calvin (July 27, 2009). "Soldout in San Diego: Another Booming Comic-Con". Publishers Weekly (Reed Elsevier Inc.). http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6673130.html. Retrieved 27 July 2009.[dead link]
- ^ allbusiness.com
- ^ San Diego Union Tribune
| Preceded by Astrodome |
Host of the Republican National Convention 1996 |
Succeeded by First Union Center |
