McCormick Place

McCormick Place. . In 1955, the Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority was created to build and operate a permanent convention facility for Chicago. McCormick Place, named after its long time champion, Col. Robert McCormick, opened in 1960 and in its first years of operation, McCormick Place would equal, and then exceed, the previous attendance record set by the Century of Progress Exhibitions. McCormick Place quickly became regarded as the finest exposition center in the world. Tragedy struck in 1967 when a fire destroyed the facility. Rebuilding began soon after and in 1971, a new McCormick Place opened, larger than the original, and holding 51 expositions in the first year of operation. In an effort to keep pace with the demands of the market, a campus was started with the addition of the North Building in 1986. , , In 1989, the Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority was renamed the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. To keep McCormick Place a cut above competitive cities, a second expansion was approved and the South Building, as well as the spectacular glass-enclosed Grand Concourse, was added. For the first time, both sides of the campus were united -- the Lakeside Center (the rebuilt McCormick Place) on the east side of Lake Shore Drive to the North and South Buildings on the west. In the following years McCormick Place would add a hotel, a conference center and an enclosed parking facility to enhance the effectiveness of the campus. During the summer of 2007, the fourth jewel of the campus was added with the opening of the West Building and marked with this Gateway. The McCormick Place Campus includes 2.7 million sq. ft. of exhibition space, 508,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms, a 4,249 seat theater and 4 major ballrooms including one of the largest in the world. As the biggest convention facility in the country, McCormick Place is truly where America meets.