Courtesy Riverside Convention Center
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Riverside Convention Center, which was nearly torn down to the studs for renovation, will re-open next March after a $43.6 million makeover.
The remodeling of the 1972 building includes a new entryway, more meeting rooms, an expanded exhibit hall and a military heritage plaza that will connect the center and the Marriott hotel next door. The project is staying on schedule. Workers are putting in drywall and upgrading electrical systems.
“There is a lot of interest in the renovations, and the fact that we’re expanding opens the door for us to host even larger conventions than we have in the past,” said Debbi Guthrie, senior vice president of Raincross Hospitality Corp.
The completed center will feature white-walled rooms with lots of glass, opening up the original center’s boxy brick structure. The city’s Municipal Auditorium is filling in as an event site while the convention center is closed.
Events are being booked for 2014 and beyond. Next spring, the venue will host the state finals of National History Day California, which draws around 1,000 students from fourth through 12th grades.
For more information, read the Press-Enterprise article or visit Riverside CVB’s website.
