Los Angeles Convention Center

History

The convention center, designed by architect Charles Luckman, opened in 1971 and expanded in 1981, 1993 and 1997. It was originally built as a rectangular 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 several years. A 10 ft-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.

On September 15, 2008, the convention center became the first in the U.S. and first Los Angeles City building of its age and size in the U.S. to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified for Existing Buildings from the United States Green Building Council.

In 2010, the Anschutz Entertainment Group and businessman Casey Wasserman proposed construction of Farmers Field, a US$1 billion combination football stadium and convention center, meant to attract the return of a National Football League (NFL) team to the Los Angeles area. The development proposal was abandoned in March 2015 as plans for SoFi Stadium and a later rejected NFL stadium proposal in Carson started to get off the ground.

In 2013, the Los Angeles City Council voted to let Anschutz Entertainment Group manage the convention center.

Expansion plans

A proposal was developed in 2015, approved by city hall and a design team was chosen. A new convention hall, called "LACOEX", would be built, with a connection to the south hall.

The January 2025 Southern California wildfires impacted plans for the expansion of the convention center. Expansion could start in the years prior to the 2028 Olympics, with a brief pause prior to the games, then resuming afterwards with the goal of a 2029 completion. It will cost approximately $2.2 billion to expand and renovate the convention center. The expansion will add 190,000 square feet of exhibition hall space, 55,000 square feet of meeting rooms, and an additional 95,000 square feet of multi-purpose space. In September of 2025, the city council approved the expansion plans, allowing the expansion to move forward.

Events

The convention center hosts annual events such as the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Abilities Expo, and the Anime Expo.

Grammy Week

During the week leading up to the annual Grammy Awards, the convention center typically hosts several Grammy week events. Since 2005, the convention center has hosted the MusiCares Person of the Year tribute, which takes place two days prior to the Grammy Awards.

It also hosted the pre-telecast portion of the Grammy Awards (preceding the main telecast at the Crypto.com Arena) until 2013, when the pre-telecast was moved to the Peacock Theater.

The 2021 awards were held in and around the convention center, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emmy Week

Following the annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, the convention center hosts the Governors Ball, one of the major Emmy after-parties.

2028 Summer Olympics & Paralympics

The convention center will host five sports during the 2028 Summer Olympics. It will host Fencing, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Judo and wrestling. It will also host, Wheelchair fencing, table tennis, boccia and goalball during the Paralympics. It will be a part of the downtown sports park area, including an "Olympic way" live site down Figueroa St.

Basketball

The Los Angeles Sparks played 11 of their 16 home games during the 2021 WNBA season at the convention center due to scheduling conflicts at their main home venue, the Staples Center, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic's delays in other league schedules. The convention center was configured with limited seating and drew an average of 1,144 spectators per game.

Electronic Entertainment Expo

With the exception of 1997, 1998, and 2007 the annual video game trade event Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was hosted there between 1995 and 2019. The event was eventually discontinued in 2023 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic on the video game industry.

Features

The convention center is one of the largest convention centers in the United States with over 720000 sqft of exhibition space, 147000 sqft of meeting space, 19.6 e6sqft of parking, and a 299-seat theater.

The lobby floors in the north half of the building feature two large 140000 sqft 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 constellations around the north celestial pole covers the floor of the upstairs lobby.

• South Hall (Tom Bradley (Mayor) Exhibit Hall, 347000 sqft)
• Kentia Hall (beneath South Exhibit Hall, can be converted into a 415-car parking garage)
• West Hall (Sam Yorty (Mayor) Exhibit Hall, 210000 sqft)
• Neil 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

References

References

1. [https://www.lacclink.com/planners/exhibit-halls/west-hall West Hall - Los Angeles Convention Center]
2. [https://www.lacclink.com/planners/exhibit-halls/south-hall South Hall - Los Angeles Convention Center]
3. "Los Angeles Convention Center Brochure".
4. (2011). "1971-2011: A Glance at the Past and a Vision for the Future {{!}} 2010-2011 Annual Report". City of Los Angeles.
5. Angels Walk LA - Figueroa, Self-guided Historic Trails, ''Angeles Walk LA'', 2006
6. Larry Gordon, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-31-me-49414-story.html Monument in the Image of 'the Emperor' - Tribute: A huge artwork honors the late Gilbert Lindsay, who was a powerful player on the City Council for 27 years], ''Los Angeles Times'', March 31, 1995
7. Gary Hart, [https://books.google.com/books?id=eUMrAAAAYAAJ&dq=tornado+damage+to+los+angeles+convention+center&pg=PA29 The Los Angeles, California, Tornado of March 1, 1983], National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Natural Disasters, National Research Council (U.S.)
8. Sam Farme. (November 4, 2010). "Tim Leiweke says L.A. stadium could be ready for 2016 Super Bowl". The Los Angeles Times.
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11. (2025-02-04). "With L.A. focused on fire recovery, Convention Center expansion is now in doubt".
12. Sharp, Steven. (2025-04-07). "Convention Center expansion could move forward with an Olympics pause".
13. Zahniser, David. (2025-09-19). "L.A. backs $2.6-billion Convention Center expansion amid major warnings about the cost".
14. (September 4, 2018). "Dolly Parton Is MusiCares' 2019 Person Of The Year".
15. (February 5, 2013). "Grammys 2013: Pre-telecast to stream live from Nokia Theatre". [[Tribune Company]].
16. (March 15, 2021). "Grammys 2021: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift make history". BBC News.
17. (September 19, 2016). "Emmys 2016: Tatiana Maslany, Rami Malek, 'Game of Thrones' and Jimmy Kimmel lead a gala that reflects TV's bold new age - Los Angeles Times".
18. "LA Convention Center Hall 1".
19. Nguyen, Thuc Nhi. (April 13, 2021). "Sparks to start WNBA schedule with L.A. Convention Center as home court". Los Angeles Times.
20. Nguyen, Thuc Nhi. (May 16, 2022). "How does new Sparks president Vanessa Shay plan to get more fans to games?". Los Angeles Times.
21. "E3 1997 (Concept)".
22. (2012-05-05). "E3 1998 - E3 Guide".
23. Kim, Wook. (July 12, 2007). "On the Ground at this Year's E3".
24. Hashimoto, Kazuma. (2023-12-19). "The Biggest E3 Announcements of All Time".
25. Park, Gene. (2023-12-12). "E3, once gaming's biggest expo, is officially dead". The Washington Post.
26. "Welcome to the official site of the Los Angeles Convention Center".
27. "LACC Center At-A-Glance".