David L. Lawrence Convention Center Address: Cultural District Year Built: 2003 Height: Unknown Floors: 4 Function: Convention Center Materials: Steel Architect: Rafael Vinoly Architects P.C. Aliases: The old convention center had the same name. Web Site: www.pittsburghcc.com

The old convention center (now demolished) had the same name as the new one. The new convention is going to be extremely energy efficient due to its massive windows to allow lots of light in. The curved roof is meant to imitate Pittsburgh's bridges. The convention center is located in Pittsburgh's cultural district. David L. Lawrence was the Pittsburgh mayor who was responsible for the first renaissance in Pittsburgh. Lawrence grew up in the Pittsburgh neighborhood known as "The Point". This was located where modern day Point State Park is. The point during Lawrence childhood was a very run down part of Pittsburgh with abandoned steel mills and old industry. The neighborhood was a mess. In 1945, Lawrence was elected mayor of Pittsburgh and with the help of the famous banker Richard King Mellon they began to clean up a city that had such nicknames as "The Smokey City" and "Hell with the Lid Off". During this renaissance phase many construction projects took place. This is the time period when Point State Park, Gateway Center, The Civic Arena (now Mellon Arena), The Greater Pittsburgh Municipal Airport (demolished), The Penn-Lincoln Highway (now I-376), and eventually ending with The U.S. Steel Tower and Three Rivers Stadium (demolished).

Sources and Copyright
All images, text, and code (c) copyright 2001-2003 William Kammermeier. The following sources were used to obtain information:

Miller, Randall M., and Pencak, William, ed., Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth.
      University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2002.