At last, a bigger Javits. Long-awaited and much-delayed, the expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has finally begun, and on Friday morning the organizers of the New York International Auto Show announced that the first phase is expected to be completed by June 2010. Originally envisioned during former governor George Pataki's administration and subject to numerous budget cuts, the scaled-back $463 million project received final approval from New York's Public Authority Control Board in July.
The two components of the development involve the construction of a 100,000-square-foot facility on the Midtown West block bounded by 39th Street, 11th Avenue, 40th Street, and 12th Avenue—which will be connected to the existing center by a 15-foot-wide passageway—and the repair of the current site's leaky roof. The addition on the north side of the campus, tentatively named Javits Center North, will increase exhibition space by 40,000 square feet, with the other 60,000 devoted to prefunction, registration, and food service areas, as well as a truck court and loading docks. Once this area is available for use, renovations will start next June and finish by 2013.
The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association was eager to share the news it received directly from the convention hall staff with the car expo's exhibitors and press. "Everybody is looking at all these renovations—including the expansion—with great anticipation," said Candida Romanelli, vice president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association and show director of the New York International Auto Show. "Things are moving along very nicely, and that's what we like to hear. We keep our exhibitors apprised so they know that things are improving and going as planned."
The 2010 New York International Auto Show is set to open on Friday, April 2. Although Javits Center North won't be ready in time, Romanelli has already started considering how the new facility might be utilized. "It's a nice space—something like 50,000 square feet of unobstructed space with a decent ceiling height—and it'd be perfect to hold large events or a particular exhibit."
To accompany the news about Javits, the association also announced that it is implementing a number of cost-saving measures for the next show, including maintaining a freeze on labor costs and waiving the charges for installing and dismantling banners.
