Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center

Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center

Expo Center in 2011
Address 2060 North Marine Drive
Portland, Oregon 97217
Location Portland, Oregon
Coordinates 45°36′21″N 122°41′22″W / 45.60594°N 122.689369°W / 45.60594; -122.689369Coordinates: 45°36′21″N 122°41′22″W / 45.60594°N 122.689369°W / 45.60594; -122.689369
Owner Metro
Operator Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission
Opened 1920s
Former names
 Pacific International Livestock Exposition
Meeting-room seating
 Hall A: 2,726
Hall B: 2,700
Hall C: 4,736
Hall D: 7,000
Hall E: 9,000
Enclosed space
 • Total space 330,000 square feet (30,700 m2)
Website expocenter.org

The Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, usually referred to as the Expo Center, is a convention center located in the Kenton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Opened in the early 1920s as a livestock exhibition and auction facility, the Expo Center now hosts over 100 events a year, including green consumer shows, trade shows, conventions, meetings and other special events.[1] Located on the north side of Portland near Vancouver, Washington, it includes the northern terminus for the Yellow Line of Portland's light-rail transit system and has connections to Trimet Bus Line 11-Rivergate/Marie Dr

History

The complex was originally built in the early 1920s as the Pacific International Livestock Exposition, and operated as a livestock exhibition, cattle grading, and auction facility, as well as a rodeo venue, during its early years.[2][3]

From May 2 to September 10, 1942, the Center suspended livestock exposition operations and served as a Civilian Assembly Center under President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which authorized the eviction and confinement of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast during World War II. 3,676 people of Japanese descent were confined in the hastily converted animal corrals for a period of five months, while they awaited transfer to more permanent camps in California, Idaho and Wyoming.[4][5] Torii Gate, an installation piece by Portland artist Valerie Otani, acts as a memorial honoring the people held at the Portland Assembly Center in 1942.[6]

For three months in the summer of 1959, the Oregon Centennial Exposition was held at the site.[2] Among various attractions, the centennial exposition featured a railroad line that used two trains built for the then-new Portland Zoo Railway (now the Washington Park and Zoo Railway), on temporary loan.

Multnomah County acquired the facility in 1965;[2] it was renamed the Multnomah County Exposition Center. It became home to the annual Multnomah County Fair in 1970, and the fairs were held there through 1990.[2] After the Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission of Metro, the regional government for the Portland metropolitan area, took over ownership and management of the facility in 1994, the complex was renamed Portland Expo Center.[2] It has since undergone major renovations.

Events at the Expo Center include the Portland Better Living Home and Garden Show, Antique and Collectible Show and the Christmas Bazaar.

Amenities

Halls A, B, and C are currently the oldest buildings in the complex. Halls A and B have 15-foot (5 m) ceiling heights, and hall C has a 25-foot (8 m) ceiling height. Hall A features 48,000 square feet (4,500 m2) of space and can accommodate up to 2,726; Hall B features 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of space and can seat up to 2,700. Hall C, which has 60,000 square feet (6,000 m2) of space, seats up to 4,736.[7]

Hall D, the newest building in the complex (built in 2001), replaced an older exhibit hall.[2] It has 72,000 square feet (6,700 m2) of space, a 30-foot (9 m) ceiling height, can be divided into two exhibit halls and can seat up to 7,000.[7] Hall E, built in 1997[2] is the largest exhibit hall in the complex with 108,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of space and a 30-foot (9 m) ceiling height.[7] It seats up to 9,000.[7] Halls D and E are connected by a 4,500-square-foot (420 m2) connector.[7] East Hall, another building at the center, has 4,400-square-foot (410 m2) of space.[7] The complex has many meeting rooms[7] and a total of 330,000 square feet (30,700 m2) of exhibit space.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "About Expo". Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center. 2002. Retrieved June 11, 1011. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Portland Expo Center – History" (PDF). Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center. 2002. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ Engeman, Richard H. (2009). The Oregon Companion: An Historical Gazetteer of The Useful, The Curious, and The Arcane. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-88192-899-0.
  4. ↑ Katagiri, George (2008–2010). "Japanese Americans in Oregon". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  5. ↑ Sakamoto, Henry Shig. "Portland (detention facility)" Densho Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Public Art on MAX Yellow Line". TriMet. 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Expo Facility Info". Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center. 2002. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
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