Colorado Convention Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Colorado Convention Center |
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Exterior of convention center
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| Address | 700 14th Street Denver, CO 80202-3213 |
| Location | Downtown Denver |
| Owner | City and County of Denver |
| Operator | SMG |
| Opened | June 23, 1990 |
| Expanded | 2004 |
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Construction cost
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$7 million (original) $340 million (2004 expansion) |
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Former names
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Denver County Convention and Expo Center (planning/construction) |
| Banquet/ballroom | 5,000 (Mile High Ballroom) 3,500 (Four Seasons Ballroom) |
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Theatre seating
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5,000 (Bellco Theatre) |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 m2) |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 584,000 square feet (54,300 m2) |
| • Breakout/meeting | 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) |
| • Ballroom | 94,656 square feet (8,793.8 m2) |
| Parking | 1000 spaces |
| Public transit access | Theatre District / Convention Center |
The Colorado Convention Center (CCC) is a huge building in Downtown Denver, Colorado. It's a place where many different events happen. It opened in June 1990. The very first event held there was the NBA draft for the Denver Nuggets basketball team.
The center was made bigger in 2004. This added more meeting rooms, ballrooms, and an indoor theater. The CCC hosts about 400 events every year. It's a well-known building in Denver because of its unique design. It's also close to the Denver Performing Arts Complex and other important places like the Colorado State Capitol. You can easily get there by RTD light rail.
Contents
About the Colorado Convention Center
The Colorado Convention Center is owned by the City and County of Denver. However, a company called SMG has managed it since 1994. When it first opened in 1990, the convention center had an exhibition hall, five meeting rooms, and a main ballroom. This added up to about 800,000 square feet of space.
Big Changes Over Time
The 2004 Expansion
The Colorado Convention Center had a major expansion that finished in December 2004. This project cost $340 million. The expansion doubled the size of the building to 2.2 million square feet. It added 584,000 square feet of exhibit space. It also included 100,000 square feet of meeting rooms. Plus, it added 85,000 square feet of ballroom space. The 5,000-seat Bellco Theatre was also part of this expansion.
The CCC also has a parking garage with 1,000 spaces. It even has its own RTD Light Rail stop. A tall hotel, the Hyatt Regency Denver, is right across the street. It was built around the same time as the expansion.
Future Plans: The 2020-2022 Expansion
The convention center started another expansion in 2020. This project will add new flexible meeting and ballroom areas. It will also create new pre-function and service spaces. A 50,000-square-foot outdoor terrace will be built on the roof. This terrace will offer amazing views of downtown and the mountains.
In total, about 235,000 square feet of usable space will be added. This will bring the total size to about 2.5 million square feet when it's done in 2022. This expansion will make the CCC one of the largest convention centers in the U.S. The new parts will fit right into the existing building.
Cool Art to See
The convention center has a collection of public art both inside and outside. The most famous piece is called I See What You Mean. It's a giant blue bear sculpture by Lawrence Argent. You can see it near the main entrance on 14th Street.
The bear is 40 feet tall and looks like it's pushing its nose and paws against the glass wall. It seems to be trying to peek inside the building! It was put there in June 2005. This sculpture is a popular stop on many of Denver's art tours.
Where It Is Located
The Colorado Convention Center is surrounded by 14th Street, Speer Boulevard, Champa Street, and Welton Street. Stout Street runs underneath the building. The Light Rail also runs under the building. The D, F, and H lines all stop there.
A special bridge connects the CCC to the Denver Performing Arts Complex. This complex has nine theaters. The convention center is also close to many other fun places in downtown Denver. These include the 16th Street Mall, the Denver Pavilions, and the LoDo (Lower Downtown) area. Sports fans will like that it's near the Pepsi Center, home of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets. It's also close to Coors Field, where the Colorado Rockies play. Other nearby attractions are Denver's Downtown Aquarium, Elitch Gardens amusement park, and the Denver Botanic Gardens.
What's Inside
- Exhibit Hall
The "Exhibit Hall" is the main area at the convention center. It has six separate halls, each about 90,000 to 100,000 square feet. This huge space is mostly used for big trade shows, conventions, and product launches.
- Mile High Ballroom
The "Mile High Ballroom" is the biggest ballroom in Denver. It's located inside the convention center. This space can hold up to 3,000 people for dinners and up to 5,000 for general events. The ballroom has a special lighting system that looks like a night sky. It's used for banquets, conferences, and smaller music concerts. This ballroom was updated in 2004 during the center's expansion.
- Four Seasons Ballroom
The "Four Seasons Ballroom" was a new addition during the convention center's expansion. It can hold up to 3,500 guests. This ballroom is mainly used for banquets and fundraising events. Many schools in the Denver area hold their graduation ceremonies here. These include The Art Institute of Colorado and the University of Colorado Denver.
Regular Events
The CCC hosts hundreds of events every year. These range from small local luncheons to large national conventions. Some of the annual events include:
- Graduation Ceremonies for schools like Denver Public Schools and Regis University.
Bellco Theatre
Bellco Theatre night scene
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| Former names | The Lecture Hall (2005-06) Wells Fargo Theatre (2007-12) |
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| Address | 700 14th St Denver, CO 80202-3213 |
| Location | Downtown Denver |
| Owner | City and County of Denver |
| Operator | SMG |
| Type | Indoor amphitheatre |
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 2002-04 |
| Opened | March 1, 2005 |
The Bellco Theatre is an indoor concert hall. It's located at the back of the Colorado Convention Center. It opened on March 1, 2005. The theater was built as part of the convention center's 2004 expansion.
It was first called The Lecture Hall. Then, in 2007, it was renamed the Wells Fargo Theatre. This happened after Wells Fargo, a bank, bought the naming rights. In 2012, it was renamed again to Bellco Theatre. This time, Bellco Credit Union, a large credit union in Colorado, bought the naming rights.
Since it opened, the Bellco Theatre has become a very busy place for concerts in Metro Denver. It's known for hosting concerts that want a more "intimate" setting. A sculpture called Indeterminate Line by Bernar Venet is located in front of the theater.
Past Names
- The Theater at the Colorado Convention Center (during planning)
- The Lecture Hall (March 1, 2005 — December 31, 2006)
- Wells Fargo Theatre (January 1, 2007 — November 28, 2012)
- Bellco Theatre (November 29, 2012 — Present)
Some Famous People Who Have Performed Here
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See also
In Spanish: Centro de convenciones de Colorado para niños
