01/14/04

The business community's mecca since 1993, this new and improved center is getting more attention than ever.

by Contributor

New and Improved

Designed by renowned architect Peter Eisenman (who also co-designed Columbus' Wexner Center for the Arts), the Greater Columbus Convention Center was built in 1993 as a major expansion of the Ohio Center. Its pastel, strangely angled exterior has prompted both lavish praise and scornful criticism. But none of that criticism stopped the 1.2 million visitors who attended 350 shows, banquets and seminars at the Convention Center in 2000.

Built to Last

In June of 1999, the Center began an $81-million expansion. The recently completed project increased the Center's total size from 1.4 million to 1.7 million square feet, added more than 1,100 additional parking spaces and established high-speed Internet connectivity throughout the building. The center now boasts 426,000 square feet of exhibit space, two ballrooms and 61 meeting rooms.