Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Convention center in Manhattan, United States.
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a stepped glass-and-steel building on Eleventh Avenue between 34th and 38th Streets in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. Its green-blue curtain wall of rectangular panes is framed by dark metal mullions, and the name is mounted in metal letters above the ground-level entrance canopy. The interior holds 3.3 million square feet, including a 500,000-square-foot Upper Exhibition Hall and a 250,000-square-foot Lower Exhibition Hall.
Proposals for a replacement for the New York Coliseum date to 1962. After sites on the Hudson piers and near Times Square were rejected, the state chose the former Penn Central rail yard north of 34th Street. Construction of James Ingo Freed's space-frame design began in 1979 and the center opened in 1986, named for Senator Jacob Javits, who died that year.
The Javits Center hosts the New York International Auto Show, New York Comic Con and Anime NYC each year. In November 2016 it served as Hillary Clinton's election-night gathering venue. Its name honors Jacob Javits, the New York senator who died in 1986, the year the building opened.
The location sits directly at the 34th Street-Hudson Yards subway station, making it easy to reach by public transit. When arriving for large events, visitors should expect long lines and plan extra time for entry and parking.
In March 2020, as COVID-19 cases rose across New York State, the center's halls were partitioned to set up a temporary hospital with room for 2,000 patients. The building had already hosted the NFL Draft in 2005, and in November 2016 it served as Hillary Clinton's election-night gathering venue.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,592 contributors worldwide.