Hynes Convention Center

Last updated
John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center
Hynes Convention Center Boston.jpg
Hynes Convention Center, from Boylston Street.
Hynes Convention Center
Address900 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
United States
Coordinates 42°20′51″N71°5′3″W / 42.34750°N 71.08417°W / 42.34750; -71.08417
Owner Massachusetts Convention Center Authority
OperatorMCCA
Built1968
Opened1968
Renovated1988
Theatre seating
4,000 (Auditorium)
Enclosed space
Website
www.signatureboston.com/hynes

The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center is a convention center located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1988 from a design by architects Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood. It replaced the John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium, also a convention center, built in 1963 during the Massachusetts Turnpike expansion from Route 128 to the Central Artery, which was regarded as "ungainly". The 1988 design "attempted to relate in scale and materials to its Back Bay setting, adopting granite and setbacks. The severe gray interior is reminiscent of an early 20th-century German railroad station". [1] The Center is named after former Boston mayor John Hynes.

Contents

Function as meeting space

Physical characteristics

The building has 176,480 square feet (16,400 m2) of exhibit space and can accommodate up to four concurrent events. It features 91,000 square feet (8,450 m2) of meeting space with 38 permanent rooms and a 24,544-square-foot (2,280 m2) grand ballroom. [2]

Notable past events

Location

The convention center is connected to the nearby Prudential Center complex.

Transportation

The convention center is connected by aerial passageways to a nearby hotel complex and can be reached by public transportation via the Hynes Convention Center station on the MBTA Green Line and, using the passageways, via the Back Bay station on the Orange Line, Commuter Rail, and Amtrak. Logan Express shuttles run directly to and from Logan International Airport.

Nearby hotels

Closure and redevelopment

On September 16, 2019, Governor Charlie Baker announced his plans to close and sell the Hynes to finance an expansion at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. [6]

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References

  1. Southworth, Susan & Southworth, Michael (2008). AIA Guide to Boston (3rd ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press. p. 217. ISBN   978-0-7627-4337-7.
  2. "Floor Plans & Specs | Signature Boston".
  3. "Anime Boston History". Anime Boston . Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  4. "Berklee's High School Jazz Festival Hits Final Note After Half a Century | Berklee". www.berklee.edu.
  5. "On the road to Paris: Why Paris?".
  6. DeCosta-Klipa, Nik (September 16, 2019). "Charlie Baker wants to sell the Hynes Convention Center for redevelopment". The Boston Globe . Retrieved April 24, 2022.

Further reading