User:9H48F/sandbox/CCC

Working to build out timeline section of the Columbus Convention Center

Ohio Center
The convention center was conceived in 1969 as a way for the City of Columbus to generate economic revenue by hosting events and revitalize the downtown area after a period of decline. Voters approved a $6 million bond in 1971 to purchase 27.5 acres which was the site of the first Union Station in the world. Construction was later delayed as the city secured the land, demolished the arcade of Union Station, and changed the building's plans. When the original bond was used for land purchases, funding the construction became a problem with Battelle Memorial Institute stepping in with a large donation and appointed Batelle official Clyde Tipton Jr. to lead the project.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on February 3, 1978. The Ohio Center (now Batelle Hall) opened in September 1980 with 700,000 square feet spread over five stories with 60,000 square feet of open exhibit space, 30,000 square feet of balcony area. Almost immediately, issues were found in the use and amount of space and city officials began plans for a second convention center. Committees to study the use of the building and propose recommendations were formed in 1985 and 1987 but voters rejected both proposals.

Eisenman addition, 1989
In 1989, a final suvey and proposal were completed that voters approved. The plan called for a hotel-motel tax to fund the $80 million dollar building that included a 300,000-square-foot exhibit hall.

Architects of the building, Peter Eisenman and Richard Trott, were selected through an international design competition. Other entries in the competition included Acock Schlegel Architects, Michael Graves, John E. Foster and Associates and Holt Hinshaw Pfau Jones, and Homer Tritt Associates and Arup. Eisenman's design was seen as exciting to the jury and reminiscent of the railroad tracks the building was to be built on. Its avant-garde design of the building was also intended as a lure for conventions and trade shows and anchor the revitializing Short North neighborhood.

When the 580,000-square-foot building opened in March 1993, it cost $94 million. On Saturday, March 13, 1993, the building was dedicated and opened to the public. Its opening coincided with its first show, the Columbus International Auto Show. In 1996, the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority took ownership of the Ohio Center to streamline operations and planning between the center and GCCC.

Expansions and renovations
In 1999, a $77 million expansion began. The 250,000 square feet expansion to the building was completed in 2001 at the cost of $85 million. More parking was created along with a renovations of amenities and the south building.

Early January 9, 2008, a 1930s-era water main broke and flooded the entire length of the Main Hall. Officials from the Columbus Division of Fire were concerned that part of the building, including the main hall, might collapse due to structural failure. It was soon determined, however, that the building was not in any danger. The SMG-managed Greater Columbus Convention Center reopened for business as usual the morning after successfully restoring the north facility to regular conditions in the aftermath of a 16-inch water-main rupture at Swan and High Streets. Water from the break traveled under the building and surfaced within the facility. Once structural engineers inspected the facility and deemed it structurally sound, water removal and restoration efforts began, which involved 150 people, 600 carpet blowers and 75 water extractors. Damage within the facility was aesthetic in nature, requiring primarily the replacement of carpeting and drywall in some areas.

In 2014, plans to renovate the building for a cost of $125 million began to take shape. Renovations included the interior of the building, expansion, and total redesign of the north end of the center. Completion was set for July 2017.

Convention area lodging
In 2008, Experience Columbus, the convention and visitors bureau, began to recognize that the city was at a competitive disadvantage due to the lack of hotel rooms which put the city at danger of losing new and old business at GCCC. In 2010, ground was broken for the publicly financed, 532-room Hilton Columbus Downtown to help meet the growing demand for events at the convention center. It opened in 2012 and underwent a $125 million renovation in 2015.

In 2016, Columbus bid on hosting Democratic and Republican National Conventions, loosing both. In 2017, Experience Columbus commissioned a "Hotel and Development Study" and found the city has fewer hotel rooms within a 10-minute walk of the convetion center than other locations. The survey recommended the expansion of the Hyatt Regency or the Hilton Columbus Downtown to meet the need of a 1,000-room hotel for convention-center area lodging, estimating $22.5 million a year in direct spending. In 2018, the city announced the expansion of the Hilton Columbus Downtown which would add add 468 rooms for a total of 1,000 rooms.

Timeline
[current]
 * 1976 - demolition of the arcade of Union Station to make way for the new Convention Center.
 * February 1978 - Ohio Center groundbreaking
 * September 10, 1980 - Ohio Center dedication
 * 1989 - Design competition, won by Peter Eisenman
 * June 28, 1992 - Greater Columbus Convention Center groundbreaking
 * March 13, 1993 - Greater Columbus Convention Center dedication
 * 1993 - Convention center opened to the public
 * 1999 - $81 million, 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m2) expansion begins
 * February 2, 2001 - Expansion celebration
 * August 7, 2010 - Battelle renovation begins
 * January 18, 2010 - Battelle Grand First Event
 * February 4, 2010 - Battelle Grand Gala
 * October 2012 - Vine Street Garage expansion opened
 * November 2013 - South Garage renovation opened
 * October 20, 2015 - Expansion & Renovation Wall Breaking Ceremony
 * October 27, 2015 - Goodale Garage Topping Out Ceremony
 * July, 2017 - $140 million renovation & expansion is near completion
 * August 31, 2017 - Re-opening ceremony and unveiling of "As We Are" digital art sculpture