Anchorage's New Convention Center: we are building it. Will people come?

• Author: Bustamante, Bruce
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: 2006 CONVENTION GUIDE - Cover story

A world-class convention facility in Alaska's largest city is transforming downtown Anchorage and will soon kick the city's economic engine into high gear. Three months ago, Anchorage broke ground for its 215,000-square-foot expanded Civic & Convention Center on Block 80, between the Atwood and ConocoPhillips buildings. After years of planning, the groundbreaking of Anchorage's expanded Civic & Convention Center was a historic day for the city.

The facility, designed by Rim Architects and LMN, will showcase Anchorage's breathtaking scenery. The architects will make the most of the unique lighting our city has at this northern latitude, while taking advantage of the broad vistas of Anchorage and the Chugach Mountains to complement the expanded facility.

FEATURES

Exterior features include protected vestibule entrances and a roof designed to prevent snow shedding. Architects also have designed upgraded heated sidewalks lined with trees, canopies and lighting. The sidewalks will link the expanded facility to the William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center and the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, creating a campus-type feeling for meeting delegates. The $103 million expansion is designed to be the most significant convention facility in the far northern portion of the United States.

Throughout the various levels of the facility, architects have incorporated Alaska's four seasons into the wall finishes and the color of the carpets. One level embraces fall landscapes and the changing colors of the high country, while another takes visitors into the summer landscape. Highly reflective materials and cooler hues will be used as visitors move into the winter landscape.

THE AGREEMENT

The Municipality of Anchorage and the State of Alaska signed an agreement on April 14, 2006, giving the green light to move forward with the construction of Anchorage's expanded Civic & Convention Center. The B-page agreement gives the city Block 80, where the convention center is being built. The state received a half block of adjacent Block 70, just north of the Atwood, as well as $2.3 million. The agreement also calls for nearly 300 state workers currently parking on Block 80 to move to two sites: Block 70 and the JC Penney parking garage.

A bill sent to the legislature in April would allow the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. to pay the city and its convention center developers up to $44 million in bonds to build a parking garage on Seventh Avenue for state employees...