Executive Policy Summary: PA Convention Center Expansion Begins

On August 15, a 2,000 pound wrecking ball crashed into an old building at the expansion site of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, officially beginning the construction phase of the $700 million project. Expansion of the Convention Center, along 13th Street in Center City, is expected to play a major role in stimulating the regional economy.

In June, the Pennsylvania Legislature approved and Governor Rendell signed a capital budget bill, which included $300 million for expanding the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The Chamber had persistently advocated that the General Assembly include the new round of funding in the capital budget to complement the $400 million already allocated to the cost of the project.

The Chamber had urged legislators as well as Governor Rendell to fund expansion for the good of the state’s economy. An ad hoc group of Chamber Board Members, as well as labor and civic leaders, had held bi-weekly meetings to discuss the future of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and maintained contact with key officials and the governor’s office.

Once completed in 2010, the Pennsylvania Convention Center will be able to host more meetings and accommodate larger conventions and tradeshows, boasting the largest convention ballroom space on the East Coast. The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau has already booked more than $1.2 billion in future business into the expanded convention center.

Expansion will also have a major impact on future hotel and hospitality-related business, filling the majority of hotel rooms in Center City, and generating about 2,000 new hospitality-related jobs each year.