Lancaster County Convention Center
Encyclopedia
The Lancaster County Convention Center (LCCC) is a publicly owned convention center
in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
, USA
. With initial site preparation in late 2006 and completion in the summer of 2009, the Lancaster County Convention Center is one of several projects intended to help revitalize downtown Lancaster. The other projects include Clipper Magazine Stadium
, the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
, and the Lancaster Quilt Museum.
The convention center is integrated with the Lancaster Marriott
at Penn Square, Lancaster's tallest building. The architecture of the hotel lobby and "shared space" includes the façade of the former Watt & Shand
department store building, which was at one time listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The approximate cost to construct the hotel and convention center was $177.6 million.
Department Store departed in 1995. The action agenda focused on the construction of a new conference center and the redevelopment of Lancaster Square, including the former Armstrong/Lancaster Square Building and the Hotel Brunswick. Separately, the plan recommended adaptive reuse of the Watt & Shand Building to include a mix of retail stores and offices, with one or more venues designed to attract tourists.
A Convention Center Task Force formed in 1998 to address the EDAA, called for the development of a meeting facility. As a result, the EDAA evolved to become a plan for a convention center and hotel at Penn Square. Task force members approached Penn Square Partners (PSP), who purchased the dormant Watt & Shand Building in February 1998, about the potential of developing the property into a privately-owned hotel.
After a marketing study of the hotel and convention center idea, Penn Square Partners and the Lancaster Foundation jointly petitioned the Lancaster County Commissioners to create a Convention Center Authority and to initiate a hotel room tax to support the project. On 15 September 1999, the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA) was established, and local officials appointed a seven-member volunteer board of directors.
In 2001, the LCCCA and PSP formalized their relationship for the purpose of developing, designing, building, and operating a convention center and hotel.
Although original proposals for the convention center project focused on the adaptive reuse of the historic Watt & Shand building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, only the façade was retained and the entire building was demolished in 2006 and 2007. The reason given by the LCCCA, and Tom Smithgall of High Industries, master planner for the project, was that the building could not be rehabilitated.
and his confidant Lydia Hamilton Smith. The historic site will be integrated into the Vine Street entrance and lobby of the convention center.
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With initial site preparation in late 2006 and completion in the summer of 2009, the Lancaster County Convention Center is one of several projects intended to help revitalize downtown Lancaster. The other projects include Clipper Magazine Stadium
Clipper Magazine Stadium
Clipper Magazine Stadium is a 6,000-seat baseball park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 11, 2005, when the tenants of the facility, the Lancaster Barnstormers, lost to the Atlantic City Surf, 4-3...
, the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
The Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is a professional art college located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania USA.The college offers Bachelor of Fine Arts programs in fine arts, graphic design, illustration, and photography...
, and the Lancaster Quilt Museum.
The convention center is integrated with the Lancaster Marriott
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
at Penn Square, Lancaster's tallest building. The architecture of the hotel lobby and "shared space" includes the façade of the former Watt & Shand
Watt & Shand
Watt & Shand was a department store that operated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from 1879 to 1992.-History:Mercantile apprentices Peter T. Watt, 28, Gilbert Thompson, 32, and James Shand, 29, of Hartford, Conn., opened the predecessor of Watt & Shand, the New York Store, on March 9, 1878. The New York...
department store building, which was at one time listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The approximate cost to construct the hotel and convention center was $177.6 million.
History
In 1997, the Lancaster Campaign and the Economic Development Action Group, made up of community members, contracted with LDR International in an effort to stimulate economic revitalization of the city of Lancaster, called the Economic Development Action Agenda (EDAA) for Prince and South Duke Streets and downtown Lancaster. The plan identified projects and strategies important to the development of these commercial areas. The list was reduced to seventeen strategies, including separate proposals to develop a new conference center and to revitalize Lancaster’s historic Watt & Shand building, which had been vacant since The Bon-TonThe Bon-Ton
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 275 stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states throughout the northern United States. Stores carrying its namesake nameplate serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of...
Department Store departed in 1995. The action agenda focused on the construction of a new conference center and the redevelopment of Lancaster Square, including the former Armstrong/Lancaster Square Building and the Hotel Brunswick. Separately, the plan recommended adaptive reuse of the Watt & Shand Building to include a mix of retail stores and offices, with one or more venues designed to attract tourists.
A Convention Center Task Force formed in 1998 to address the EDAA, called for the development of a meeting facility. As a result, the EDAA evolved to become a plan for a convention center and hotel at Penn Square. Task force members approached Penn Square Partners (PSP), who purchased the dormant Watt & Shand Building in February 1998, about the potential of developing the property into a privately-owned hotel.
After a marketing study of the hotel and convention center idea, Penn Square Partners and the Lancaster Foundation jointly petitioned the Lancaster County Commissioners to create a Convention Center Authority and to initiate a hotel room tax to support the project. On 15 September 1999, the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority (LCCCA) was established, and local officials appointed a seven-member volunteer board of directors.
In 2001, the LCCCA and PSP formalized their relationship for the purpose of developing, designing, building, and operating a convention center and hotel.
Funding
In January 2000, Lancaster County Commissioners imposed a 3.9% tax on hotel room rentals to generate the funding necessary to construct and market the convention center. Twenty percent of the revenue from this tax is used to fund campaigns aimed at attracting convention center visitors and tourists. In March 2000, local hoteliers filed the first of several lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the hotel room tax. As a result of litigation, the LCCC was put on hold for three years. In April 2003, the project was substantially redesigned and enlarged, and a new marketing report was completed in 2006. In early 2006, Penn Square Partners sold the former Watt & Shand property to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Lancaster. The building, which originally sold for $1.25 million, was purchased by the city for $7 million. Construction bonds are expected to be repaid with lease payments from future earnings of the hotel.Although original proposals for the convention center project focused on the adaptive reuse of the historic Watt & Shand building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, only the façade was retained and the entire building was demolished in 2006 and 2007. The reason given by the LCCCA, and Tom Smithgall of High Industries, master planner for the project, was that the building could not be rehabilitated.
Project partners
- Cooper CarryCooper CarryCooper Carry is a US-based design firm providing architecture, planning, landscape architecture, interior design and environmental graphic design. The company is based in Atlanta, Georgia with offices in Alexandria, Virginia; New York, New York; and Newport Beach, California.Cooper Carry was...
, Inc.: Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
architectural firm contracted to design the LCCC and Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square. - George K. Baum & Company: A West Conshohocken-based advisory firm under contract to assist the LCCCA with financial matters.
- High Associates, Ltd.: Master developer of the Lancaster County Convention Center and the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square
- High Construction Company: The Lancaster-based construction manager for the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square.
- Interstate Hotels and Resorts: A hotel management company hired by Penn Square Partners and the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority to manage the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square and the convention center, respectively.
- MM Architects, Inc.: Lancaster-based architectural firm contracted to design a parking garage to enhance downtown parking.
- Reynolds Construction, Inc.: Harrisburg-based construction manager for the convention center project.
Stevens & Smith historic site
The Lancaster County Convention Center includes a multi-level 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) museum and interpretive education center, as well as the preserved home and other structures of Thaddeus StevensThaddeus Stevens
Thaddeus Stevens , of Pennsylvania, was a Republican leader and one of the most powerful members of the United States House of Representatives...
and his confidant Lydia Hamilton Smith. The historic site will be integrated into the Vine Street entrance and lobby of the convention center.