SAN FRANCISCO-Convention facility, Moscone Center, will begin the first phase of the two-year $55-million renovation project next month. Construction and cosmetic improvement work will be timetabled to avoid any disruption to the facility, according to Jones Lang LaSalle, which was recently awarded project management responsibilities for the renovation.
Built in 1981 and expanded in 1991 and again in 2003, the 20-acre Moscone Center convention complex consists of three main buildings—Moscone North, South and West—totaling more than two million square feet and offering 740,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space.
The renovation is being funded through a unique public-private partnership between the City of San Francisco and the San Francisco Tourism Improvement District Management Corp., a privately-funded group formed by local hotels specifically to make improvements to the Moscone Center and to promote tourism in San Francisco. The city is providing $35 million toward the total cost of renovations with the SFTID generating an additional $20 million through a self-assessment of San Francisco hotels.
The initial renovation work being supervised by JLL and beginning in August includes cosmetic improvements to the main exhibit halls—A, B and C—and minor HVAC work in the North meeting rooms. A second phase of work is slated to begin in December with cosmetic upgrades to selected restrooms to bring them into compliance with the American Disabilities Act. The second phase will also include renovation of meeting rooms in Moscone North. JLL tells GlobeSt.com that the renovation is planned to be completed in October 2012.
Data cited by the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau suggest that more than a third of visitors attend a convention or meeting in the city and Moscone Center is by far the biggest venue for such meetings. Moscone Center has hosted major national meetings such as MacWorld, OpenWorld and Oracle’s national convention as well as major West Coast events such as the Pacific Coast Builders Conference.
“In 2009, San Francisco welcomed 15.4 million visitors, which represents a 5.8% decrease from 2008. Visitor spending was $7.8 billion, a decrease of 7.8% from the previous year,” says Dan Kelleher, chair of the San Francisco Tourism Improvement District, in a prepared statement. “The renovation of Moscone Center will be a critical component to attracting new and repeat convention business to San Francisco by providing an enhanced delegate experience.”
According to Steven Kahn, senior vice president and regional operations manager with JLL’s project and development services group in Northern California, “Moscone Center is an integral part of San Francisco’s biggest economic driver—tourism—and this forward-thinking program promoted by the City and SFTID is critical for maintaining the facility’s competitiveness in the coming years.” Kahn adds that in addition to the phased renovation of the facility, JLL would also be looking at ways to “improve the convention center’s energy efficiency making Moscone more sustainable and paving the way for LEED certification during future phases of improvement to the facility.”
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Natalie Dolce
Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.
