Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a large convention center on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by architects I. M. Pei and partners. The revolutionary space frame structure was built in 1986 and named for New York Senator Jacob K. Javits, who died that year.

The exhibit space is over 675,000 square feet. Planning and constructing a convention center on Manhattan's west side has had a long and controversial history, including efforts starting in the early 1970s to produce a megaproject involving a redevelopment concept. On October 16, 2006, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to start construction of an expansion. The $1.7 billion dollar project will expand the center by 45 percent, a move that some say is long overdue. The expansion, along with a hotel to be built is scheduled for completion by 2010. When finished, it will be one of the largest convention centers in the U.S.

hen the Center opened, it largely replaced the New York Coliseum as the city's major convention facility, making way for the demolition of the Coliseum and construction of the Time Warner Center.

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Online