Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh | |
---|---|
Hotel chain | Westin Hotels |
General information | |
Address | 1000 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222 |
Coordinates | 40°26′39″N79°59′42″W / 40.4442°N 79.9949°W |
Opening | 1986 |
Owner | Starwood Capital Group |
Management | Westin Hotels |
Height | 324 feet (99 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 26 |
Design and construction | |
Developer | Liberty Center Ventures |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 616 |
Number of restaurants | 1 |
Parking | 600 |
The Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh is a 26-story, hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, with a prominent position in the area adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Cultural District. The hotel is connected via an enclosed walkway to the convention center. The building is part of Liberty Center, a two building complex which also includes the Federated Tower. Liberty Center was developed and built by Liberty Center Ventures, a partnership of Forest City Enterprises and Jos. L. Muscarelle, Inc. and opened in December 1986. [1] In August 2013, Liberty Center was sold by Forest City to Starwood Capital Group for $135 million. [2] [3]
Liberty Center was developed and built by Liberty Center Ventures, a partnership of Forest City Enterprises and Jos. L. Muscarelle, Inc. and opened in December 1986. The $137 million mixed-use complex was the first major development following the Renaissance II burst of construction in downtown Pittsburgh. [4] The hotel broke ground on December 6, 1984, construction "topped off" on September 26, 1985, and the entire Liberty Center complex opened in December 1986. [5] [6] [7] [8] The complex was financed from three sources: a $99 million loan from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, a $21 million from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, and the remainder from Jos. L. Muscarelle, Inc. and Forest City Enterprises. [4]
The hotel opened as the Vista International and was managed by Hilton International. [4] From 1995 to 2001, the hotel was managed by DT Management Inc., a subsidiary of Hilton Hotel Corporation and was known as the DoubleTree Pittsburgh Hotel at Liberty Center. In 2001, Starwood took over management of the hotel, rebranding it as The Westin Convention Center. [9] [6]
In the 1980s it hosted the annual regional ad agency awards & banquet. [10]
Several notable figures have chosen the hotel:
In 2016 as part of a partnership with Anthrocon, the hotel was given an anthropomorphic mascot named "Westie", a West Highland White Terrier. [18] [19]
The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and wearing clothes. The term "furry fandom" is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the internet and at furry conventions.
Anthrocon is a furry convention that takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, each June or July. Its caters to the furries: fans of fictional anthropomorphic animal characters in art and literature. The convention was first held in 1997 in Albany, New York, and moved multiple times before settling at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2006, the convention has drawn millions in financing to the local economy.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016.
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLLCC) is a 1,500,000-square-foot (140,000 m2) convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is served by two exits on Interstate 579. The initial David L. Lawrence Convention Center was completed on the site on February 7, 1981, but as part of a renewal plan the new, completely redesigned center was opened in 2003 and funded in conjunction with nearby Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park. It sits on the southern shoreline of the Allegheny River. It is the first LEED-certified convention center in North America and one of the first in the world. It is owned by the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
The Westin Harbour Castle Toronto is a large hotel opened in 1975 on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Westin Hotels chain within Marriott International.
A furry convention is a formal gathering of members of the furry fandom — people who are interested in the concept of fictional non-human animal characters with human characteristics. These conventions provide a place for fans to meet, exchange ideas, transact business and engage in entertainment and recreation centered on this concept. Originating in California, United States, during the mid-1980s, as of 2016 there are over 50 furry conventions worldwide each year.
Liberty Place is a skyscraper complex in Philadelphia. The complex is composed of a 61-story, 945-foot (288 m) skyscraper called One Liberty Place, a 58-story, 848-foot (258 m) skyscraper called Two Liberty Place, a two-story shopping mall called the Shops at Liberty Place, and the 14-story Westin Philadelphia Hotel. Prior to the construction of Liberty Place, there was a gentlemen's agreement not to build any structure in Center City higher than the statue of William Penn on top of Philadelphia City Hall. The tradition lasted until 1984 when developer Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse & Associates announced plans to build an office building complex that included two towers taller than City Hall. There was a great amount of opposition to the construction of the towers with critics believing breaking the height limit would lead to construction of many more tall skyscrapers, ruining the livability and charm of Center City. Despite the opposition, construction of One Liberty Place was approved and the first phase of the project began in 1985 and was completed in 1987. One Liberty Place became the city's first skyscraper. The iconic design and spire make the complex a recognizable part of the Philadelphia skyline.
The August Wilson African American Cultural Center is a U.S. nonprofit arts organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that presents performing and visual arts programs that celebrate the contributions of African Americans not only in Western Pennsylvania, but nationally and internationally.
Samuel Charles Conway is an American researcher in the pharmaceutical, biomedical and agrochemical fields of organic chemistry. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Dartmouth College. Aside from his scientific career, Conway is known for his activities in the furry fandom, having served since 1999 as chairman and chief organizer of Anthrocon, the second largest furry convention in the world. He is a published author, and has acted as a volunteer emergency coordinator, entertainer, and auctioneer.
Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline.
Federated Tower is a 358 ft tall skyscraper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The building is part of Liberty Center, a two building complex which also includes the Westin Convention Center Hotel. It was completed in 1986 and has 27 floors and 530,000 square feet of space. It is the 16th tallest building in the city and houses the corporate headquarters of Federated Hermes.
The Omni William Penn Hotel is a 23 floor hotel located at 530 William Penn Place on Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including John F. Kennedy. The hotel staff innovated Lawrence Welk's now famous bubble machine, and it was the site of Bob Hope's marriage proposal in 1934. The hotel has won numerous awards including being named to the "Best of Weddings 2009" list by The Knot and receiving the Editor's Choice Award in the Business Hotels category on Suite101.com.
Liberty Center can refer to:
Printscape Arena at Southpointe is a multi-purpose dual arena facility located at exit 48 of Interstate 79 in the Pittsburgh business park of Southpointe in Cecil Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. It served as the practice facility for the Pittsburgh Penguins from opening on May 20, 1995, until 2015.
Starwood Capital Group is an investment firm headquartered in Miami Beach, Florida. It is managed by Barry Sternlicht. It was co-founded by Sternlicht and Robert Faith in 1991. In 1993, Faith left Starwood to found Greystar Real Estate Partners.
Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown is a hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, with a prominent position in the Golden Triangle area adjacent to Point State Park, the Fort Pitt Museum and the Cultural District. Hilton announced plans for the skyscraper hotel on June 11, 1956 and ground was broken for it on September 20, 1957 with Conrad Hilton himself in attendance. It was opened for business with a special gala on December 3, 1959 again attended by Mr. Hilton as well as Governor Lawrence. The hotel is the city's largest with 712 rooms and over 40,000 square feet of conference facilities.
Bakery Square is an open-air shopping and office development in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Larimer, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Shadyside and East Liberty in the city's East End. Bakery Square is located on 5.1 acres along Penn Avenue.
The H. J. Heinz Company complex, part of which is currently known as Heinz Lofts, is a historic industrial complex in the Troy Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The buildings were built by the H. J. Heinz Company from 1907 through 1958. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and five of the buildings are listed as a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark.
Tower Two-Sixty, alternatively known as “The Gardens at Market Square” or “The Gardens,” is a Millcraft Investments skyscraper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Construction began in 2013 and was substantially completed in 2016. The $107 million, LEED CS Silver-certified tower consists of 18 floors and is located the Market Square and Point Park University sections of Downtown Pittsburgh. The tower includes a 197-room Hilton Garden Inn Hotel and Market Square Garage, 321-car parking complex managed by Alco Parking.
The Westin Georgetown, Washington, D.C. is a luxury Postmodernist-style hotel located at 2350 M Street NW in the West End neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. Completed in 1984, the hotel was originally known as The Regent of Washington, D.C., but changed its name in 1985 to The Grand. After the hotel's owners were declared bankrupt in October 1994, the corporate predecessors to Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide purchased the property in November 1995. Westin Hotels partnered with the new owners and rebranded the property first as The Westin Hotel in January 1996, then as The Westin Grand in 1999, and finally as The Westin Georgetown in 2010. Since 2011, The Westin Georgetown has been AAA-rated four diamonds.
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