Dena'ina Center is the big building with the white roof covering a full Anchorage city block.What stands out most to me is the new convention center. It's modern, 3 stories and cost $111 million to build in 2008. Although the exhibition hall at street level is only 47,000 square feet, I wanted to drop it to scale on the courthouse site for fun.
First, here's a few images of the new Dena'ina Center:
It looks pretty nice. Definitely a big step up from the Prime Osborn Convention Center. It cost $111 million to construct. However, in addition to an exhibition hall, it includes two extra floors of meeting and ballroom space. If we look at the courthouse site and assume that the Hyatt can become a part of the convention complex, we already have Grand Ballroom and meeting rooms in the Hyatt. All we really need is an exhibition hall box.
The Hyatt and courthouse blocks at the same scale as the Dena'ina Center aerial above.
The Hyatt's second level ballroom layout, along with the Dena'ina Center footprint on the old county courthouse site. The full courthouse block is highlighted in yellow.
The Dena'ina Center exhibition hall, grand lobby and "some" support space floor plan overlayed on the courthouse block. Also included is the Hyatt's second level ballroom floor.Why do we believe it could cost $200 to $500 million to build a new convention center? Are we assuming we replicate everything the Hyatt already offers across the street, while also adding a new exhibition hall?
Why not just go with a two story box featuring an exhibition hall covering the entire block on the second floor and retail/dining space at street level, facing Bay and the river? We should be able to get something nice completed for $100 million. It can be connected to the Hyatt's ballroom level by skywalk, basically creating a three block convention facility, all located above street level.
Then consider demolishing that failing parking deck (millions cheaper than rebuilding it) over the river, taking the money not spent on rebuilding and making a real public waterfront space that's integrated with the Hyatt, new convention center's exhibition hall and Berkman?
