Javits Convention Center, NYC

The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center located between Eleventh Avenue and between Thirty-fourth and Fortieth Streets in Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James Ingo Pei Cobb Freed&Partners and features a space frame structure that began construction in 1980 and was completed in 1986. The center is operated and maintained by the New York City Convention Center Operating Corporation. The total area of the convention center is 180 acres (17 hectares), with 840,000 square feet (78,000 square meters) of exhibition space.

When the center opened, it replaced the New York Coliseum as the city's main convention facility, paving the way for the demolition of the sports arena and future development of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle, which is considered one of the busiest convention centers in the United States. However, the city failed to complete any alternative housing, leading the state legislature to veto the convention center proposal in 1970. The city government subsequently relocated the convention center site to the Hudson River, replacing Piers 84 and 86, despite high foundation costs and a lack of expansion space in the future. The 44th Street Convention Center, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), was approved by the Planning Commission in 1973, despite opposition from the local community. As compensation, the community received a special zoning district that provided some protection against development.