Javits Convention Center

The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a 5-block long structure on the west side of Manhattan. Click here for more photos.
NYC was in need of a larger convention center - the Coliseum at Columbus Circle, dating back to 1950, had been outgrown; it was also considered very unattractive and disliked by many New Yorkers. The new center was designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and completed in 1986. It was named for Jacob K. Javits, a New York senator who died the year of the center's completion. The building aspires to be the Crystal Palace of our time. The building is a long assemblage of clear glass rectilinear forms held together with a steel space-frame system. The feel is light and airy, unlike the windowless treatment of many convention centers. The center hosts nearly 100 shows per year; yesterday I attended the annual PhotoPlus Expo - click here for photos. In spite of its mammoth size, the actual exhibition space is considered inadequate for larger trade shows - a new expansion is currently being planned - an increase of 45% along with a hotel, completion due in 2010 ...