The Jacob J. Javits Convention Center in New York City recently completed a four-year, $465 million renovation and expansion. Designed by I. M. Pei architects as a space frame structure, the center was built between 1980 and 1986 as a replacement of the New York Coliseum.
Located on Manhattan’s West Side, the Javits Center, owned and operated by the New York Convention Center Operating Corp., is considered the busiest convention center in the United States. In 2012, the center hosted more than 140 large-scale events, which created 14,300 jobs for workers in and around the 2.1 million-sq.-ft. building, along with $635 million in wages paid. The most recent trade show was the annual AHR Expo, Jan. 21-23, with more than 1,800 exhibitors.