Former names | Cobo Hall (1960–2010) [1] Cobo Center (2010–2019) [1] TCF Center (2019–2021) [1] |
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Address | 1 Washington Boulevard |
Location | Detroit, Michigan |
Coordinates | 42°19′34″N83°2′49″W / 42.32611°N 83.04694°W |
Public transit | Convention Center |
Owner | Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority |
Operator | ASM Global |
Type | Convention center |
Construction | |
Opened | 1960[1] |
Renovated | 1989, [2] 2015 [2] |
Expanded | 2015 [2] |
Architect | Giffels & Rossetti [3] |
Website | |
Official website |
Huntington Place (formerly known as Cobo Hall, Cobo Center, and briefly TCF Center) is a convention center in Downtown Detroit, owned by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) and operated by ASM Global. Located at 1 Washington Boulevard, the facility was originally named after former Mayor of Detroit Albert Cobo.
The largest annual event held at Huntington Place is the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), which has been held at the center since 1965.
Huntington Place is 2,400,000-square-foot (220,000 m2) in size and has 723,000 square feet (67,200 m2) of exhibition space, with 623,000 square feet (57,900 m2) contiguous. [4] It previously featured an arena, Cobo Arena, which hosted various concerts, sporting events, and other events. [2] In 2015, the facility completed a renovation that repurposed the Cobo Arena space, adding additional meeting halls, a glass atrium with a view of the Detroit riverfront, and the 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) Grand Riverview Ballroom. [5] [6]
It is served by the Detroit People Mover with its own station. [7] Huntington Place has several large, attached parking garages, as well as parking on the roof of the facility, and direct access to the Lodge Freeway. [8] [9] The facility is located along the Detroit International Riverfront, and within walking distance of several downtown hotels. [10]
The facility and its attached arena initially cost $56 million. [2] It was designed by the Detroit architectural firm Giffels & Rossetti and took four years to complete. [2] [3] Louis Rossetti was the chief architect. [3] The facility is on the site where Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French colonist, first set foot and landed on the banks of the river in July 1701 and claimed the area for France in the name of King Louis XIV. [2] The first convention at the facility was held in 1960 by the Florists' Telegraph Delivery (FTD). [2] The first event was the 43rd Auto Industry Dinner on October 17, 1960, at which President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the keynote speaker. [2] In 1989, a renovation was completed to expand its size to 2,400,000 square feet (220,000 m2). [2] [4]
Joe Louis Arena, named after boxer and former heavyweight champion Joe Louis, was built adjacent to the facility. [11] It served as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League from 1979 until its closure in 2017 when they moved to Little Caesars Arena. Demolition of the arena began in 2019. [12]
In 2009, Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. vetoed the Detroit City Council's resolution against the expansion of the facility. [13] [14] Shortly after, the facility came under ownership and operation, through a 30-year capital lease, of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA). The five-member Authority Board consists of one representative from each of five government agencies – the City of Detroit, State of Michigan and the three Metro Detroit counties of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. Consensus agreement from the authority is needed for all decisions, and it has become a model for regional cooperation in Southeast Michigan. [15]
In October 2010, the DRCFA awarded a management contract to SMG, [16] which merged with AEG Facilities to form ASM Global in 2019. [17] It extended the contract for three years in September 2013 and again in June 2017. [16] [18] In 2015, a five-year, $279 million renovation was completed, including a new atrium, ballroom, and meeting spaces, constructed mainly within the former Cobo Arena building. [5] [6]
In 2017, in the wake of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit riot, current mayor Mike Duggan proposed that Cobo Center be renamed due to modern reappraisals of Cobo's tenure as mayor. Cobo had upheld exclusionary covenants against African Americans, and was accused of responding poorly to allegations of harassment and police brutality against African American residents. [19] [20] [21] [22] In 2018, the DRCFA stated that it had already been considering the sale of naming rights to the facility, for the first time in its history. [21]
In June 2018, the DRCFA approved a 22-year naming rights agreement with Chemical Bank, which took effect on July 1, 2018; the following month, Chemical announced that it would relocate its headquarters to downtown Detroit. The parties agreed to delay the official announcement until February 20, 2019, after Chemical and TCF Financial Corporation announced their intent to merge. [23] Chemical stated that it would wait until after the completion of the merger to announce Coho Center's new name, but that it was expected to carry the TCF branding. In the meantime, Chemical Bank logos appeared on advertising and signage at the facility, and a ceremonial bust of Albert Cobo was removed from public display. [23] [24] [25] The merger between Chemical and TCF was completed on August 1, 2019, with the combined company taking on the TCF name. [26] Cobo Center was officially renamed TCF Center on August 27, 2019. [21]
On December 13, 2020, Huntington Bancshares announced its intent to acquire TCF. [27] The merger was completed in June 2021, [28] and on December 9, 2021, TCF Center was renamed Huntington Place. [29] [30]
In 1961, the show car event Detroit Autorama moved to the facility, and has been held there ever since. [31]
Since 1965, the largest event held at Huntington Place is the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). This event draws thousands of international press and suppliers during its initial five days and has a charity preview party for 11,000 guests before the public opening. [32] Since 1976, the Charity Preview has raised an average of $2.4 million yearly for southeastern Michigan children's charities. [33] After the Charity Preview party, the NAIAS is open to the public for ten days, drawing, on average, 735,000 attendees. [16] [34] The show was originally held in January, but was to move to June beginning in 2020. [35] On March 29, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 NAIAS had been cancelled due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. [36] The 2021 NAIAS was also cancelled and replaced by a downsized outdoor event in Pontiac, Michigan. [37] [38]
Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Emanuel Augustus, then known as Emanuel Burton, via a ninth-round TKO on October 21, 2000. The fight took place at Cobo Hall rather than Cobo Arena. [39] [40]
The anime convention Youmacon has been held annually at Huntington Place since 2012. [41]
Capacity | 12,000 |
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Construction | |
Built | 1960 |
Closed | 2010 |
Tenants | |
Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1961–1978) NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships (NCAA) (1965–1981) Detroit Loves (WTT) (1974) Michigan Stags (WHA) (1974–1975) Detroit Mercy Titans (NCAA) (1989–1994; 1997–1999) Detroit Ambassadors (OHL) (1990–1992) Detroit Rockers (NPSL) (1990–2001) Motor City Mustangs (RHI) (1995) Detroit Dogs (ABA) (2000–2001) |
Cobo Arena was an arena built in 1960 with seating for 12,000 that served as the home court of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association from 1961 to 1978 and the host of the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships from 1965 to 1981. [2] [42] The short-lived Michigan Stags of the World Hockey Association and the Detroit Loves of World TeamTennis called Cobo Arena home in 1974, as did the Detroit Rockers of the National Professional Soccer League, the Detroit Mercy Titans basketball team of the NCAA, and the Motor City Mustangs of Roller Hockey International. [43] [44] [45] [46]
Cobo also hosted rock concerts, by such artists as Van Halen, The Doors, J. Geils Band, Jefferson Starship, Queen, Black Sabbath, Journey, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Iron Maiden (twice in 1982), David Bowie, Ted Nugent, Prince, The Tragically Hip, The Who, Judy Garland, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Parliament-Funkadelic, Duran Duran, the Cure, Phish, Sex Pistols, Madonna, Anthrax, Exodus and Helloween. [47] [48] [49] Bob Seger recorded all of Live Bullet and part of Nine Tonight at Cobo Arena. [50] [51] Yes recorded two songs at Cobo Arena for their Yesshows album, released in 1980. Kiss recorded most of live album Alive! and video Animalize Live Uncensored at the arena and it is featured in their video for "Modern Day Delilah". [47]
On August 4 and 5, 1980, Journey recorded most of their live album Captured at Cobo Arena. [52]
As the venue for Big Time Wrestling on every other Saturday night in the 1960s and 1970s, it was considered to be "The House the Sheik built." [53] It also hosted Skate America in 1995. [54]
WWE and WCW also hosted numerous house shows and tapings in the arena during the 1990s, but WWE would return in 2006 for the premiere of the 2006 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event.
On June 23, 1963, following the Detroit Walk to Freedom civil rights march, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the original version of his "I Have a Dream" speech at Cobo Arena to a full house. [47] [55] [56]
In January 1994, during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Joe Louis Arena, skater Nancy Kerrigan was bludgeoned in her right lower thigh by an assailant in a corridor of Cobo Arena, which was being used as a practice facility. The assault, which was dubbed "the whack heard 'round the world", [57] was planned by rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and co-conspirator Shawn Eckardt, in a plot to prevent Kerrigan from competing at the championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics. [58] [59]
Cobo Arena closed in 2010 as part of a major renovation completed in 2015. The space was used to construct new facilities, including the 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) Grand Riverview Ballroom, a new atrium area, 21 additional meeting rooms, and an outdoor terrace. [60] [61]
The Detroit Auto Show, formerly known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan. Hosted at Huntington Place since 1965, it is among the largest auto shows in North America, and is widely regarded as one of the automotive industry's most important events.
Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena station on the Detroit People Mover. The venue was named after former heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit.
Detroit Olympia, also known as Olympia Stadium, was a multi-purpose arena in Detroit. Nicknamed "The Old Red Barn", it was best known as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from its opening in 1927 to 1979.
Ilitch Holdings, Inc. is an American holding company established in 1999 to provide all companies owned by Mike and Marian Ilitch with professional and technical services. Its privately held businesses include Little Caesars Pizza, the National Hockey League (NHL) Detroit Red Wings, the Major League Baseball (MLB) Detroit Tigers, Olympia Entertainment, Olympia Development, Olympia Parking, Blue Line Foodservice Distribution, Champion Foods, 313 Presents, the Little Caesars Pizza Kit Fundraising Program, Hockeytown Cafe, and a variety of venues within these entities. Ilitch Holdings subsidiaries manage Detroit's Fox Theatre, City Theatre, Comerica Park, Pine Knob Music Theatre, Michigan Lottery Amphitheater, Meadow Brook Amphitheater, and Little Caesars Arena, which replaced Joe Louis Arena after closing in July 2017.
Michigan Central Station is the historic former main intercity passenger rail station in Detroit, Michigan. Built for the Michigan Central Railroad, it replaced the original depot in downtown Detroit, which had been shuttered after a major fire on December 26, 1913, forcing the still unfinished station into early service. Formally dedicated on January 4, 1914, the station remained open for business until January 6, 1988, when Amtrak service was relocated. The station building consisted of a train depot and a 230-foot office tower with thirteen stories above two mezzanine levels. The tallest rail station in the world at the time of its construction, the Beaux-Arts style architecture was designed by architects who had previously worked on Grand Central Terminal in New York City.
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The Edward Hotel & Convention Center was a 14-story, 773-room former conference center hotel located in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. Until its closure in 2018, it was the second largest hotel in Michigan, after the Marriott in Detroit's Renaissance Center.
Youmacon is an annual four-day anime convention held during November at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Youmacon's creation was inspired by other conventions including Anime Central and Ohayocon, with the convention's name coming from the Japanese word for demon or ghost. Founded by Morgan Kollin in 2005, it is the largest anime/gaming convention in Michigan. Midwest Media Expo was the convention's sister event.
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is an American bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Its banking subsidiary, The Huntington National Bank, operates 1047 banking offices, primarily in the Midwest: 459 in Ohio, 290 in Michigan, 80 in Minnesota, 51 in Pennsylvania, 45 in Indiana, 35 in Illinois, 32 in Colorado, 29 in West Virginia, 16 in Wisconsin, and 10 in Kentucky.
Tourism in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan is a significant factor for the region's culture and for its economy, comprising nine percent of the area's two million jobs. About 19 million people visit Metro Detroit spending an estimated 6 billion in 2019. In 2009, this number was about 15.9 million people, spending an estimated $4.8 billion. Detroit is one of the largest American cities and metropolitan regions to offer casino resort hotels. Leading multi-day events throughout Metro Detroit draw crowds of hundreds of thousands to over three million people. More than fifteen million people cross the highly traveled nexus of the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel annually. Detroit is at the center of an emerging Great Lakes Megalopolis. An estimated 46 million people live within a 300-mile (480 km) radius of Metro Detroit.
Albert Eugene Cobo was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957.
The metropolitan area surrounding and including Detroit, Michigan, is a ten-county area with a population of over 5.9 million, a workforce of 2.6 million, and about 347,000 businesses. Detroit's six-county Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of about 4.3 million, a workforce of about 2.1 million, and a gross metropolitan product of $200.9 billion. Detroit's urban area has a population of 3.9 million. A 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers study estimated that Detroit's urban area had a gross domestic product of $203 billion.
Huntington Place station is a Detroit People Mover station in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located inside the Huntington Place convention center, on the third floor near Congress Street, with elevators and escalators inside the building connecting the station to street level.
The QLINE is a 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) streetcar system in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened on May 12, 2017, it connects Downtown Detroit with Midtown and New Center, running along Woodward Avenue (M-1) for its entire route. The system was developed by M-1 Rail, a nonprofit organization, and is owned and operated by the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan.
The Suburban Collection Showplace is a convention center in Novi, Michigan. Located off Interstate 96, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Detroit, it is the second-largest convention center in Metro Detroit. It is best known as the current location of the Michigan State Fair.
Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Opening on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, replaced Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), respectively.
Gary Torgow is an American businessman, serving as the chairman of The Huntington National Bank, a subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares,
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TCF Financial Corporation, an acronym for Twin City Federal, was a bank holding company based in Detroit, Michigan. Its operating subsidiary, TCF Bank, operated 478 branches in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, and South Dakota. It also operated specialty lending and leasing businesses in all 50 states, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. TCF was acquired by Huntington Bancshares in June 2021.