Knight Center Complex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids James L. Knight Center |
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| Address | 400 SE Second Avenue Miami, Florida 33131 |
| Location | Downtown Miami |
| Coordinates | 25°46′15″N 80°11′28″W / 25.77083°N 80.19111°W |
| Owner | Miami-Dade County |
| Operator | SMG |
| Opened | October 1982 |
| Renovated | 1997, 2005 |
| Expanded | 1986 |
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Construction cost
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~$10 million |
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Former names
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James L. Knight Convention Center (1982–86) James L. Knight International Center (1986–2013) |
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Classroom-style seating
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117 (Miami Lecture Hall) theatre capacity = 4,569 (James L. Knight Center Theater) 3,200 (Riverfront Exhibition Hall) 444 (Ashe Auditorium) |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 28,000 sqft (Miami Convention Center) |
| Website | |
| Official Website: http://www.jlkc.com/ | |
The James L. Knight Center Complex is a big building in Downtown Miami, Florida. It's a place where many different events happen. It opened in 1982 and is named after James L. Knight, a famous newspaper publisher.
Since it opened, the center has hosted many important events. These include business meetings, fun shows, and even political gatherings. Every year, students from Miami Dade College have their graduation ceremonies here. The center also hosted the Miss Universe pageant in 1984 and 1985. It was also home to Miss USA in 1986 and Miss Teen USA in 1985. The OTI Festival was held here in 1989.
History of the Center
The James L. Knight Center was first built to be a large exhibition hall in downtown Miami. The goal was to bring in business conferences, trade shows, and big meetings. Before this, many large events happened at the Miami Beach Convention Center. But the business scene in Miami Beach started to slow down.
City leaders in Miami saw a chance to attract these events to their growing downtown area. The new building was first called the James L. Knight Convention Center. The City of Miami led this project. While it was being built, the University of Miami was looking for a sports arena for its basketball team. James L. Knight, the newspaper publisher, gave over a million dollars to help pay for the arena. This part of the building became known as the University of Miami Auditorium.
The complex, along with the Hyatt Regency Hotel, opened on October 2, 1982. Even though it seemed like a good idea, it cost a lot of money for the city. The center hosted many events, but it wasn't big enough for the largest conventions. This meant it didn't make as much money as hoped. The venue started to owe money to the county. City officials weren't sure how to fix this problem. Taxes were increased to help cover the $5 million it cost to run the center each year.
In 1983, the FIU Sunblazers men's and women's basketball teams used the UM Auditorium. They stayed there until their own arena, the Sunblazer Arena, was finished in 1986. Soon after, the new Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team started playing there. This helped bring new life to the center.
To meet the growing demand, the city wanted to make the Knight Center bigger. They hoped this would attract even larger conventions. This would bring in more money for the county and help with unemployment. At the same time, the University of Miami also wanted to add public meeting spaces and a lecture hall. During this period, the auditorium hosted many events. These included NWA Wrestling's Clash of the Champions in June 1988 and two concerts by the band R.E.M..
The Knight Center became mostly a place for concerts after the Hurricanes basketball team moved to the Miami Arena in 1988. It was also the first home for the annual Premios Lo Nuestro music awards in the 1990s. The awards stayed there until they moved to the new Waterfront Theater at American Airlines Arena in 2000.
What's Inside: Facilities
The James L. Knight Center complex has several different areas:
- Miami Convention Center
- James L. Knight Center Theater (this was called the James L. Knight Center from 1982-2013)
- Riverfront Exhibition Hall
- North Hall
- Central Hall
- South Hall
- Riverwalk & Dockage
- Miami Conference Center
- Ashe Auditorium
- Miami Lecture Hall
- Hyatt Regency Hotel
- Regency Ballroom
- Riverwalk Cafe
- Riverwalk Deli
- Pure Verde
Where is the Center Located?
The complex is located right next to the Miami River. It's also very close to Bayfront Park. Other nearby places include Mary Brickell Village, the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, and the New World School of the Arts. You can easily get to the center using the Metromover train system, which has a stop called Knight Center station.
Venue Gallery
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James L. Knight Center Theater - Front View
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James L. Knight Center Theater - Floor View
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James L. Knight Center Theater Lobby
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Ashe Auditorium at the James L. Knight Center
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Ashe Auditorium at the James L. Knight Center
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Ashe Auditorium Lobby at the James L. Knight Center
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Riverwalk & Dockage View at the James L. Knight Center
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Riverwalk & Dockage View at the James L. Knight Center
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Riverwalk & Dockage at the James L. Knight Center
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Riverfront Hall at James L. Knight Center - Miami Convention Center
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Riverfront Hall at James L. Knight Center - Miami Convention Center
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Miami Lecture Hall at the James L. Knight Center
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Miami Lecture Hall at the James L. Knight Center
