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Convention Center
Development Corporation
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
Expansion and Renovation Project The Jacob K. Javits Convention
Center (or “Javits”) opened in 1986 as the successor
to the Coliseum Convention Center at 59th Street and
Broadway. Since its opening, Javits has been New
York City’s primary venue for large conventions,
exhibitions, and major trade shows. These events are
key contributors to the City and State economy,
stimulating direct and indirect employment, economic
activity, and tax revenues, and strongly supporting
the City’s hotel, restaurant, tourism, and
entertainment industries.
The Javits, as it exists today, contains
approximately 760,000 SF of exhibition
space, 30,000 SF of meeting space, and approximately
665,000 SF of pre-function, support, and staging
areas. The North Pavilion, a temporary structure
erected on the south side of West 39th Street,
contains an additional 54,400 SF of exhibition
space. The existing Javits lacks a sufficient amount of prime
exhibition space, including an inadequate amount of
contiguous space, to attract the largest conventions
and trade shows.
Despite its limitations and deficiencies, Javits
operates at or near full capacity and has been
forced to turn away business, because of the very
strong attraction of New York City as a convention,
trade show and event destination. However, some of
the recent trends at Javits are not positive. The
Javits has experienced declines in its share of
Tradeshow 200 events (the 200 largest trade shows in
the nation), even though that sector of the market
has experienced significant growth. Existing large
shows and events that book Javits have insufficient
room for growth and, absent expansion, several major
recurring trade shows will be forced to relocate to
other destinations and facilities. Those shows and
events would stay at Javits, if it had the requisite
exhibition space and other required facilities.
Also, major exhibit halls are at practical maximum
occupancy and existing and new customers have
difficulty obtaining desirable event dates. A survey
of Javits’ major national competitors shows that
they are larger, more flexible and more modern.
This first phase of the two phase Javits Center
expansion will increase exhibit and meeting room
space to more than approximately 1.3 million square
feet, thus enabling it to host virtually any
convention or trade show. The new addition will add
an estimated $47 million in combined annual tax
revenue for the city and state and the expansion is
estimated to create thousands of new permanent jobs.
The project will also include the construction of a
Convention Center Headquarters Hotel and the
creation of a multi-function, screening, loading and
marshalling facility. By the completion of Phase 1,
the Javits Center will more than double in size.
The Javits expansion also will add hundreds of
thousands of square feet in additional support and
staging area space, and will include the city’s
largest ballroom that will also function as swing
exhibition space. The cost of Phase I, including both construction
costs, land acquisition and other non-construction
costs is approximately $1.7 billion. The City will
contribute $350 million under an MOU and the State
will contribute $350 million through a state
supported credit. Additional $645 million funding
has been raised through the sale of bonds backed by
a dedicated $1.50 per key surcharge that the hotel
industry has begun to collect. The balance will be
recovered through the sale or long term lease of the
33rd/34th street block currently owned by the CCDC.
Supporting Documents:
Requests for
Qualifications/Request for Proposals:
Additional Information:
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