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David L. Lawrence Convention Center

Coordinates: 40°26′45″N 79°59′47″W / 40.44583°N 79.99639°W / 40.44583; -79.99639
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David L. Lawrence Convention Center
David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh
Map
Address1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15222
LocationDowntown Pittsburgh
Coordinates40°26′45″N 79°59′47″W / 40.44583°N 79.99639°W / 40.44583; -79.99639
OwnerSports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
Built1979–1981
OpenedFebruary 7, 1981
Renovated2000–2003
Expanded2000–2003
Construction cost
$373 million ($632 million today)
Enclosed space
 • Total space1,450,000 sq ft (134,700 m2)
 • Exhibit hall floor330,000 sq ft (30,700 m2)
 • Breakout/meeting77,952 sq ft (7,200 m2)
 • Ballroom31,610 sq ft (2,900 m2)
Parking700-car parking garage[1]
Public transit accessPittsburgh Light Rail Wood Street
Website
www.pittsburghcc.com
The exhibit halls, seen from the Veterans Bridge.

The David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC or DLLCC) is a 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000 m2) convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is served by two exits on Interstate 579. The initial David L. Lawrence Convention Center was completed on the site on February 7, 1981, but as part of a renewal plan the new, completely redesigned center was opened in 2003 and funded in conjunction with nearby Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park. It sits on the southern shoreline of the Allegheny River. It is the first LEED-certified convention center in North America and one of the first in the world.[2] It is owned by the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.[3]

History

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In the early 1970s a site on the opposite side of downtown Pittsburgh was considered for a modern convention center, on the shores of the Monongahela River. On September 20, 1971, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania failed to approve that location, and site work slowly began on the present site as the city and county submitted it to the commonwealth on December 10, 1974. There was a proposal in mid-1974 to locate the center at the then transitioning Penn Station.[4] The center had its ceremonial groundbreaking on June 8, 1977.[5][6][7]

On February 7, 1981, the original $35 million ($129 million today) structure opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony by Mayor Richard Caliguiri, County Commissioner Tom Foerster and Governor Dick Thornburgh.[8] The old convention center was 131,000 sq ft (12,000 m2) and lacked a ballroom.

The 1981 building was demolished to make way for the current structure, built on the same site. After the Commonwealth approved funding for the redesigned center on February 3, 1999 Rafael Viñoly Architects, P.C. was chosen as the designer for the modern center on February 28, 1999. Viñoly along with Dewhurst MacFarlane & Partners and Goldreich Engineering P.C. constructed the $354 million ($647.5 million today) riverfront landmark to contain 313,400 sq ft (29,100 m2) of exhibit space (236,900 sq ft (22,000 m2) of which is column-free), 76,500 sq ft (7,100 m2) of additional exhibit space, a 31,610 sq ft (2,940 m2) ballroom, 51 meeting rooms, two 250-seat lecture halls, teleconference and telecommunications capabilities and 4,500 sq ft (420 m2) of retail space (currently in development). The architect, Viñoly, began the design with a goal in mind of achieving the status of a "green" building. In 2003, the building was awarded Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first such convention center in the U.S. and the largest "green" building in the world.[2]

The newly rebuilt building won the 2004 Supreme Award for structural engineering excellence from the Institution of Structural Engineers.

The convention center is home to prominent conventions, such as Anthrocon, the Pittsburgh RV Show, Pittsburgh Boat Show, Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show, Piratefest, and the acclaimed Pittsburgh International Auto Show.

Naming

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The center—though completely a structure of 2003 construction—chose to retain the name of the earlier convention center on the site completed in 1981 in honor of David Leo Lawrence (June 18, 1889 – November 21, 1966). Lawrence was an American politician who served as the Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963, only retiring because of the state's then term limit of 1 per governor. He is to date the only mayor of Pittsburgh to be elected Governor of Pennsylvania. Previously, he had been the longest tenured mayor of Pittsburgh (1946–1959) and the primary force behind Pittsburgh's urban renewal projects including the Mellon Arena, Gateway Center, Fort Pitt Tunnel and Point State Park. He was Pennsylvania's first Catholic Governor (at the time a major breakthrough for an Irish Catholic), and a major force in the national Democratic Party from the 1930s to the 1960s. Historians credit him with among other behind-the-scenes labors, leading a compromise at the 1944 National Democratic Convention that eventually made Harry Truman president. As well as healing a divided national convention of 1960 that resulted in the John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson ticket, it is for these reasons as well as his work in the state and the city that he was dubbed "kingmaker" by party leaders.

Incidents

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On February 13, 1982, a Car Expo Mercury display featuring a 130-pound cougar named Tom Tom mauled a 9-year-old Upper St. Clair boy before Pittsburgh Police officers shot the animal dead. The boy survived after being treated at Allegheny General Hospital for several days.[9][10]

On February 12, 2002, less than two weeks before the scheduled opening of the new center,[11] a 165-ton truss that was under construction collapsed, killing one and injuring two workers.[12] The truss was part of the second phase of construction, scheduled for opening in 2003, and did not delay the February 23 opening of phase one.

On February 5, 2007, a section of concrete floor from the second floor loading dock collapsed under the weight of a tractor-trailer and fell onto the water feature area below.[13] There were no injuries. The building remained closed until investigations by the contractors were completed on March 9, the fault was repaired, and the convention center reopened.

Notable events

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1970s

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  • June 8, 1977: Groundbreaking at 10th Street and Ft. Duquesne Way.

1980s

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1990s

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2000s

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2009 G-20 Pittsburgh summit (September 24–25, 2009)

2010s

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Transportation access

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The Convention Center is served by exits on Interstate 579, Interstate 279 and Interstate 376 as well as its location within five blocks of both the Wood Street and Penn Station transit stops on the Pittsburgh subway system.

Penn Station also serves Amtrak, providing regular direct inter-city rail links.

Both the Megabus intercity service and the local Port Authority of Allegheny County buses also stop at the center.

National television

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References

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Book
  • Toker, Franklin (2007). Buildings of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh: Chicago: Society of Architectural Historians; Santa Fe: Center for American Places ; Charlottesville: In association with the University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0-8139-2650-6.
Web
  1. ^ "DLLCC Directions and Parking". Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "David L. Lawrence Convention Center". David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  3. ^ "HISTORY". pgh-sea.com. Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. September 1, 2009. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010.
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  9. ^ "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  10. ^ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cgAtAAAAIBAJ&dq=lawrence%20convention%20center&pg=1157%2C3862385. Retrieved January 10, 2012. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ Authority director tries to calm public's fears after convention center fatality Archived April 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine – post-gazette.com Saturday, February 16, 2002
  12. ^ Cause of collapse unknown, official says Archived December 9, 2006, at the Wayback Machine – The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Saturday, February 16, 2002
  13. ^ "Kdka.com - Floor Collapses at Convention Center". Archived from the original on February 6, 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2007. – KDKA.com
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  21. ^ Sheehan, Andrew (January 11, 1988). "134 seat theater to show city film". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
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  25. ^ Peters, Gerhard. "Remarks at a Rally for Democratic Candidates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania". The American Presidency Project. University of California at Santa Barbara. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  26. ^ "Beaver County Times – Google News Archive Search".
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  28. ^ Freedom's Steel 2004 Archived May 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (Annual Meeting 2004) – The National Rifle Association of America
  29. ^ "SC2004". 2004. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  30. ^ "FanFest promises to capture the imagination". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. July 7, 2006.
  31. ^ "Steelers tell jokes, share tales at 75th year gala". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 5, 2007.
  32. ^ "On the Steelers: Chuck Noll's is a story worth telling". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 14, 2012. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012.
  33. ^ AFL-CIO 2009 Convention Archived September 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine – AFL-CIO | American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations
  34. ^ "DUG East—Or Bust! This Oct. 19, Pittsburgh". blogs.oilandgasinvestor.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  35. ^ "Developing Unconventional Gas (DUG) East Conference Moves Location to Acommodate [sic] More Attendees". gomarcellusshale.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016.
  36. ^ "Important National Airline Industry Meetings Convening in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh International Airport. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  37. ^ "NRA Convention Comes to Pittsburgh". April 2, 2011. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  38. ^ "Regional NAPE East". Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  39. ^ "National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives convention comes to city". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 2, 2013. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013.
  40. ^ "Steel City Tattoo convention leaves its mark on Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 15, 2013. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013.
  41. ^ "Doug Harrison Has a Message and a Welcome to Ohio Valley Football, 2021 Edition".
  42. ^ "Oil, Gas Expo NAPE East Back in Pittsburgh for Second Straight Year". businesswire.com. March 1, 2014. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014.
  43. ^ "Schedule – USA Gymnastics National Congress". usagymcongress.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014.
  44. ^ "Bernie Sanders – Event – A Future to Believe In Rally in Pittsburgh on 3/31". go.berniesanders.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016.
  45. ^ Mayo, Bob (April 12, 2016). "Two Trump events in Pittsburgh, plus protests, Penguins and Pirates on Wednesday". wtae.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016.
  46. ^ PRESS TOUR JOURNAL: 'Three Rivers' set visit Archived September 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine – post-gazette.com July 31, 2009, 11:15 pm
  47. ^ FX pilot based on Elmore Leonard's "Fire in the Hole" filming in region Archived June 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine – post-gazette.com Monday, June 15, 2009
  48. ^ "The Colbert Report". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012.
  49. ^ "Friday, May 6 - Rachel Maddow show- NBC News". NBC News. May 9, 2011.
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