The Los Angeles Convention Center is a
convention center in the southwest section of the
downtown core of
Los Angeles,
California, United States. It hosts multiple annual conventions and has often been used as a filming location in TV shows and movies.
History
The convention center, designed by architect
Charles Luckman, opened in 1971 and expanded in 1981, 1993 and 1997.[4] It was originally built as a rectangular building, between
Pico Boulevard and 11th Street (now
Chick Hearn Ct.) on
Figueroa Street. The northeast portion of the center was demolished in 1997 to make way for the
Staples Center. The Convention Center Annex of green glass and white steel frames, mainly on the south side of Pico, was designed by architect
James Ingo Freed.[5]
The area in front of the convention center is known as the
Gilbert Lindsay Plaza, named for the late councilman who represented the Downtown area of Los Angeles for several years. A 10-foot (3.0 m)-high monument honoring "The Emperor of the Great 9th District" was unveiled in 1995.[6] The drive between Figueroa Street and the convention center building is also named after Councilman Lindsay.
On
March 1, 1983, a tornado caused damages to the roof and upper-level panels. The building was repaired and new convention center lettering signs were installed at a total cost of $3 million.[7]
During the week leading up to the annual
Grammy Awards, the convention center typically hosts several Grammy week events. Since 2005, the convention center has hosted the
MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, which takes place two days prior to the Grammy Awards.[9]
It also hosted the pre-telecast portion of the Grammy Awards (preceding the main telecast at the
Crypto.com Arena) until 2013, when the pre-telecast was moved to the
Nokia Theatre (now the Microsoft Theater).[10]
Following the annual
Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, the convention center hosts the Governors Ball, one of the major Emmy after-parties.[12]
2028 Summer Olympics
During the
2028 Summer Olympics, the convention center will host six sports. It will host
Women's basketball preliminary games,
Boxing,
Fencing,
Taekwondo,
Table Tennis and
BMX Freestyle. It will be a part of the Live Site Olympic Zone down Figueroa St.[13] Boxing might not be included at the 2028 games if the IOC decides to drop the sport from the Olympic sport program. [14]
Features
The convention center is one of the largest convention centers in the United States with over 720,000 sq ft (67,000 m2) of exhibition space, 147,000 sq ft (13,700 m2) of meeting space, 19.6 million sq ft (1,820,000 m2) of parking, and a 299-seat theater.[15]
The lobby floors in the north half of the building feature two large 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2) multicolor maps of inlaid
terrazzo. The project was installed by artist
Alexis Smith in 1993. A
map of the world centered on the
Pacific Rim covers the entire floor of the main lobby, while a
map of the
constellations around the north
celestial pole covers the floor of the upstairs lobby.
South Hall (
Tom Bradley (Mayor) Exhibit Hall, 347,000 square feet (32,200 m2))[16]
Kentia Hall (beneath South Exhibit Hall, can be converted into a 415-car parking garage)
West Hall (
Sam Yorty (Mayor) Exhibit Hall, 210,000 square feet (20,000 m2))
Neil Petree Hall
Concourse (two-story meeting room bridging over Pico Boulevard)
3 food courts
On-site parking for 5,600 vehicles including electrical charge stations
Expansion proposals
In 2010, the Anschutz Entertainment Group and businessman
Casey Wasserman proposed construction of
Farmers Field, a US$1 billion combination football stadium and convention center, meant to attract the return of a
National Football League (NFL) team to the Los Angeles area.[17] The development proposal was abandoned in March 2015 as plans for
SoFi Stadium and a later rejected NFL stadium proposal in Carson started to get off the ground.
A new proposal was developed in 2015, approved by city hall and a design team was chosen. A new convention hall, called "LACOEX", would be built, with a connection to the south hall.[18]
^"Grammys 2021: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift make history". BBC News. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-03-15. The majority of the ceremony was held outside the LA Convention Center, with nominees sitting at socially-distanced tables.