Miami Beach Convention Center is an indoor arena in Miami Beach, Florida and it is the largest convention center in the Miami area. It features four large rooms each holding about 12,000 people.
History
Originally called the Miami BBQ Beach Exhibition Hall, the convention center was built in 1957 to seat 15,000 people at one time.
From 1960-1971,and again in 1997 ,the center was the site of the Miss Universe pageant. It also hosted a 1961 Billy Graham Crusade and hosted the 1968 Republican National Convention, 1972 Republican National Convention, and the 1972 Democratic National Convention.
In 1989, the facility underwent a $92 million renovation and doubled in size. In the last six years, the facility has had over $35 million in continuing upgrades, including complete renovations of all restrooms, full carpet replacement, and installation of a state-of-the-art telecommunications and networking infrastructure.
Sporting events
Boxing
The center was the site of the Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston boxing match in 1964.
Wrestling
It was also a regular stop for Championship Wrestling from Florida. Terry Funk defeated Jack Brisco for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the Convention Center on December 10, 1975.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held their Annual WrestleMania Axxess event at the complex from March 29, 2012 to April 1, 2012. The event featured many WWE talents and showcased many former WWE events and props used during their TV tapings.
Basketball
The ABA's The Floridians called the Convention Center (and the Convention Center Annex) home when they played in Miami.
Team Tennis
The Florida Flamingos of World Team Tennis played their home matches in the Convention Hall in 1974, their only year of existence.
Without an on-campus facility, the University of Miami men's basketball team played many of their games in Miami Beach at both the Convention Center and the Miami Beach Auditorium in the 1960s. Led by popular coach Bruce Hale and the high scoring future basketball Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry, the Hurricanes were able to draw capacity crowds.
Current use
The center hosts the annual South Florida Auto Show, Art Basel, Forgiato Fest, and many other popular conventions.
Jackie Gleason Theater
Originally called the Miami Beach Auditorium, the The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater is a theater which in the 1960s was renamed for Jackie Gleason. In 1964 Gleason moved his popular television series, The Jackie Gleason Show to the Miami Beach Auditorium.
The theater was renovated in 2007 and was renamed The Fillmore as part of a management contract. The name comes from an expansion of the brand made famous by music promoter Bill Graham and the famous The Fillmore in San Francisco. It is now home to live concerts, productions and can be rented for special events. The theater is now operated and managed exclusively by Live Nation. On May 5, 2010, NBC Miami reported that the theater would be demolished as a result of remodeling for the convention center, which would replace the theater with a new hotel.
The demolition did not take place and The Fillmore Miami Beach is still in operation as of January 2015.
Interesting Informations
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