Los Angeles Convention Center
Encyclopedia
The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) is a convention center
in the southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles
. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and Anime Expo
, and is best known to video games fans as host to E3. Its newest major events are the Primetime Emmy Awards' Governors Ball, Microsoft
WPC, Abilities Expo, and frequent TV show and movie filmings. On September 15, 2008, the Los Angeles Convention Center achieved a historical mark by becoming the first U.S. convention center and first Los Angeles City building of its age and size in the U.S. to be awarded the highly sought after certification in Leadership of Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) from the United States Green Building Council
(USGBC).
, opened in 1971 and expanded in 1993 and 1997. It was originally built as a rectangle 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
.
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 many years. A 10 feet (3 m)-high monument honoring "The Emperor of the Great 9th District" was unveiled in 1995. 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.
The convention center hosts the pre-telecast portion of the annual Grammy Awards (whose main telecast takes place at the Staples Center
) as well as the MusiCares Person of the Year
tribute two nights prior to the Grammy Awards. It has hosted the MusiCares tribute since 2005.
The lobby floors in the north half of the building feature two large 140000 sq ft (13,006.4 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 constellation
s around the north celestial pole
covers the floor of the upstairs lobby.
, a US$1 billion proposal to build a combination football stadium and convention center was made by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
and businessman Casey Wasserman
to attract the return of professional NFL football back to the Los Angeles
area. The retractable-roof center would be able to host other major events, such as the Final Four
basketball tournaments and World Cup
championship games.
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 southwest portion of downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and Anime Expo
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
, and is best known to video games fans as host to E3. Its newest major events are the Primetime Emmy Awards' Governors Ball, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
WPC, Abilities Expo, and frequent TV show and movie filmings. On September 15, 2008, the Los Angeles Convention Center achieved a historical mark by becoming the first U.S. convention center and first Los Angeles City building of its age and size in the U.S. to be awarded the highly sought after certification in Leadership of Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) from the United States Green Building Council
United States Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council , co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated...
(USGBC).
History
The Convention Center, designed by architect Charles LuckmanCharles Luckman
Charles Luckman was a businessman and an American architect, famous as the "Boy Wonder of American Business" when he was named president of the Pepsodent toothpaste company in 1939 at the age of thirty...
, opened in 1971 and expanded in 1993 and 1997. It was originally built as a rectangle building, between Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard
Pico Boulevard is a major Los Angeles street that runs from the Pacific Ocean at Appian Way in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA...
and 11th Street (now Chick Hearn
Chick Hearn
Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn was an American sportscaster. Known primarily as the long-time play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, the legendary Hearn is remembered for his rapid fire, staccato broadcasting style, inventing colorful phrases such...
Ct.) on Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
. The northeast portion of the Center was demolished in 1997 to make way for the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
. 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
James Ingo Freed
James Ingo Freed was an American architect born in Essen, Germany during the Weimar Republic.His Jewish family fled to the United States when he was 9 to escape the regime of Nazi Germany....
.
The area in front of the Convention Center is known as the Gilbert Lindsay Plaza
Gilbert W. Lindsay
Gilbert W. Lindsay , also known as Gil Lindsay, was a Los Angeles, California, politician who worked his way up from City Hall janitor to become the city's first black City Council member and one of its most powerful elected officials...
, named for the late councilman who represented the Downtown area of Los Angeles for many years. A 10 feet (3 m)-high monument honoring "The Emperor of the Great 9th District" was unveiled in 1995. 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.
The convention center hosts the pre-telecast portion of the annual Grammy Awards (whose main telecast takes place at the Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
) as well as the MusiCares Person of the Year
MusiCares Person of the Year
The MusiCares Person of the Year is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the same organization that distributes the Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy...
tribute two nights prior to the Grammy Awards. It has hosted the MusiCares tribute since 2005.
Features
The LACC is one of the largest convention centers in the United States with over 720000 sq ft (66,890.2 m²) of exhibition space, 147000 sq ft (13,656.7 m²) of meeting space, and a 299 seat theater.The lobby floors in the north half of the building feature two large 140000 sq ft (13,006.4 m²) multicolor maps of inlaid terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
. The project was installed by artist Alexis Smith in 1993. A map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
of the world centered on the Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
covers the entire floor of the main lobby, while a map
Star chart
A star chart is a map of the night sky. Astronomers divide these into grids to use them more easily. They are used to identify and locate astronomical objects such as stars, constellations and galaxies. They have been used for human navigation since time immemorial...
of the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s around the north celestial pole
Celestial pole
The north and south celestial poles are the two imaginary points in the sky where the Earth's axis of rotation, indefinitely extended, intersects the imaginary rotating sphere of stars called the celestial sphere...
covers the floor of the upstairs lobby.
- South Hall (Tom BradleyTom Bradley (politician)Thomas J. "Tom" Bradley was the 38th Mayor of Los Angeles, California, serving in that office from 1973 to 1993. He was the first and to date only African American mayor of Los Angeles...
(Mayor) Exhibit Hall, 347,000 square feet) - 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)
- 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
Development
In 2010, Farmers FieldFarmers Field
Farmers Field is a baseball stadium on the campus of Lewisville High School, in Lewisville, Texas. Named after the schools mascot the "Fighting Farmers." It is located adjacent to the Lewisville High School football field and softball field. It is the home of the Lewisville Fighting Farmers...
, a US$1 billion proposal to build a combination football stadium and convention center was made by the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
Anschutz Entertainment Group
The Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...
and businessman Casey Wasserman
Casey Wasserman
Casey Wasserman is an entertainment executive, sports agent executive and owner of the former Arena League football team, the Los Angeles Avengers. Born Casey Meyer, he is the son of the Los Angeles socialite and philanthropist Lynne Wasserman. Casey's parents were divorced and he took his...
to attract the return of professional NFL football back to the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. The retractable-roof center would be able to host other major events, such as the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
basketball tournaments and World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
championship games.
Events
- Adobe MAXAdobe MAXThe Adobe MAX is an annual event held by Adobe Systems in North America, Europe and Japan. The purpose of the event is to promote the latest Adobe releases to those in the computer design and development industries....
, October 24–27, 2010 - Video Game Awards, December, 2010
- Anime ExpoAnime ExpoAnime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
2012, June 29–July 2, 2012 - California Gift Show, January 21–24, 2011
- Barneys New York Outlet & Warehouse Sale, February 10–21, 2011
- LA Auto ShowLA Auto ShowThe LA Auto Show is an annual auto show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in late November/early December. The LA Auto Show is an OICA sanctioned international exhibition and also endorsed by the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association...
, November 18-27, 2011 - Electronic Entertainment Expo, June 7–9, 2011
See also
- William M. HughesWilliam M. HughesNot to be confused with Isaac F. Hughes, council member 1925 to 1927.William M. Hughes was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council between 1927 and 1929...
, Los Angeles City Council member, 1927–1929, urged conventions to come to Los Angeles