Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center
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The Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center, usually referred to as the Expo Center, is a convention center located in Portland, Oregon. It was originally built in the early 1920s as the Pacific International Exposition Center. It was at one time home to 3,500 Japanese-Americans in 1942. Multnomah County acquired the facility in 1965; it was renamed the Multnomah County Exposition Center. It became home to the annual Multnomah County Fair in 1969.
Since the Metropolitan Exposition and Recreation Commission took over ownership and management of the facility in 1994, the complex has been renamed and underwent major renovations.
Halls A, B and C are currently the oldest buildings in the complex. Halls A and B have 15-foot ceiling heights, and hall C has a 25-foot ceiling height. Hall A features 48,000 square feet of space and can accommodate up to 2,726; Hall B features 36,000 square feet of space and can seat up to 2,700. Hall C, which has 60,000 square feet of space, seats up to 4,736.
Hall D, the newest building in the complex (built in 2001), replaced an older exhibit hall. It has 72,000 square feet of space, a 30-foot ceiling height, can be divided into two exhibit halls and can seat up to 7,000. Hall E, built in 1997 is the largest exhibit hall in the complex with 108,000 square feet of space and a 30-foot ceiling height. It seats up to 9,000. Halls D and E are connected by a 4,500-square-foot connector. There is a total of 324,000 square feet of exhibit space.
There is also a 4,400-square-foot East Hall and an eight (divisible into 11) meeting rooms with a total of 7,374 square feet of space.
It is the northern terminus for Portland's light-rail transit system. It hosts over 100 events a year, including trade shows, conventions, meetings and other special events.
