Tampa Convention Center
The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in downtown Tampa, Florida at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. It has both waterfront views of Tampa Bay and views of the city's skyline. Harbour Island is across the eponymous bridge on the other side of the Garrison Channel. The center is connected to the neighboring Channelside District and Ybor City via the TECO Streetcar Line, which has a station across the street. The center encompasses 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) in total.
The Convention Center is built on the historical site of Ft. Brooke, the original American outpost on Tampa Bay established in 1824. The community of Tampa slowly grew around the outpost, which was active until 1883, when it was decommissioned by the United States Army and the land was sold for private use.
The location was used for various commercial and industrial purposes until the late 1980s, when it was cleared to make way for a new convention center to replace Tampa's aging Curtis Hixon Hall. Construction began in early 1989, with the city of Tampa paying the $140 million cost by issuing municipal bonds.
The Tampa Convention Center opened in October 1990. In 2006, a 20-story Embassy Suites hotel opened next door with a skybridge above Franklin Street connecting to the convention center.
The Tampa Convention Center will be the media center for the 2012 Republican National Convention, which will be held in the nearby Tampa Bay Times Forum.
27°56′30″N 82°27′24″W / 27.9417°N 82.4567°W
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