- Moscone Center
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Moscone Center 
Colored flags flying high outside Moscone CenterLocation San Francisco, California Coordinates 37°47′03″N 122°24′06″W / 37.784173°N 122.401557°WCoordinates: 37°47′03″N 122°24′06″W / 37.784173°N 122.401557°W Built 1981 (Moscone South)[1] Opened 1981[1] Expanded 1991 (Moscone North)[2]
2003 (Moscone West)[3]Construction cost US$157 million (Moscone North)[1]
US$158 million (Moscone West)[3]Enclosed space Exhibit hall floor over 700,000 sq ft (65,000 m2) Breakout/meeting up to 106 meeting rooms
up to 256,225 sq ft (23,804.1 m2)Website www.moscone.com 
Moscone Center at Sunset
Moscone Center (mahs-KOH-nee) is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It comprises three main halls: Two underground halls underneath Yerba Buena Gardens, known as Moscone North and Moscone South, and a three-level Moscone West exhibition hall across 4th Street.[4][5] It was initially built in 1981 by architects Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum as one single hall, Moscone South, and named after San Francisco former mayor George Moscone, who was assassinated in November 1978.
Contents
Background
Although named after the slain former mayor, Moscone opposed the development of the area because he felt it would displace middle-class residents. The expansion of Moscone North and Moscone West in 1992 and 2003 added an additional 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) to its original 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) of exhibit space.[2]
It is known for hosting several large professional gatherings, such as the Oracle OpenWorld, Macworld Expo, RSA[disambiguation needed
] Conference, American Geophysical Union's fall meeting, American Bar Association's annual meeting, the Game Developers Conference, the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, JavaOne and public gated events such as WonderCon and the 1984 Democratic National Convention.PowerLight Corporation installed a large solar electricity system on the roof of the center in March 2004. The installation of this system marked San Francisco's first major step towards obtaining all municipal energy from pollution-free sources. With the 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) solar array (675 kW capacity) in place, San Francisco boasts one of the largest city-owned solar installations in the country. The electricity generated by the solar system, combined with savings from energy efficiency measures, delivers the equivalent energy to power approximately 8,500 homes.
The location of the complex in the South of Market area provides easy access to downtown San Francisco's many hotels and restaurants, as well as major transportation systems such as BART and Muni Metro. The Amtrak bus stop at Moscone Center (station code SFM) also transports riders to the Emeryville Amtrak station.
Moscone North and South are undergoing a two-year renovation project to be completed in 2012. The renewal project was designed by HOK, the center's original architect.
History
The South of Market Area where Moscone Center was built was claimed by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, and a protracted battle was fought by the displaced low-income residents during the 1960s and 1970s. [6][7]
In 1984, the Democratic Convention was held at the Convention Center.
See also
- 49-Mile Scenic Drive
- Metreon entertainment center, built over the corner of the North Hall
- Yerba Buena Gardens
- Roger Boas
References
- ^ a b c Walsh, D. (December 20, 1995). $157 million sought to expand Moscone, San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b Epstein. E. (February 13, 1996). Moscone Expansion is Part of Trend, San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ a b Levy, D. (January 19, 2003). Worries rise as Moscone expansion nears opening, San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Press, Moscone Center.
- ^ Floor Plans, Moscone Center.
- ^ Hartman, Chester. 1974. Yerba Buena: Land Grab and Community Resistance in San Francisco. San Francisco: Glide Publications.
- ^ Hartman, Chester. 1984. The Transformation of San Francisco. Totowa, NJ: Rowman & Allanheld.
External links
- Moscone Center official website
- Moscone Convention Center Interactive Map
- Moscone Center Solar Power data analysis
- Information about the solar installation on the roof of Moscone Center
- Things to do in and near Moscone Center
- Moscone Center Visitors Guide
- Museum Parc Garage - nearby parking for visitors for Moscone
Preceded by
Madison Square GardenHost of the
Democratic National Convention
1984Succeeded by
The OmniCategories:- Landmarks in San Francisco, California
- Buildings and structures in San Francisco, California
- Convention centers in California
- Buildings and structures completed in 1981
- Event venues established in 1981
- Buildings and structures completed in 1992
- Buildings and structures completed in 2003
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