Charlotte Wins CC-adjacent NASCAR Hall
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 3/27/2006
Charlotte, N.C., got the checkered flag, beating out Atlanta and Daytona Beach, Fla., for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
The hall will be constructed in a lot next to the Charlotte Convention Center and connected to the venue via a bridged walkway.
Molly Hedrick, a spokeswoman for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which will operate the hall, said the convention center's meeting space offerings may expand by approximately 70,000 net square feet. A new ballroom, which will be located in the Hall, will be larger than the existing ballroom in the convention center. The center currently offers 280,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space.
NASCAR may construct a 300,000 sq. ft. office building integrated into the Hall of Fame complex.
Hedrick said the hall would bring invaluable national recognition to Charlotte.
"Obviously, the exposure that we've already received is priceless," she said. "(The hall) is just a unique venue that will not exist anywhere in the United States."
Groundbreaking for the hall, to be owned by the city, is expected to take place next spring with an opening in spring 2010. The city anticipates that the hall will generate $62 million in annual economic impact.
The hall's estimated $150.5 million construction price tag will be funded by the city's bed tax, which was recently increased by 2 percent.
According to the city, its proposal, racing history and fan base all added up to victory. Auto racing represents a $6 billion industry in North Carolina. There are 10 race tracks within 60 miles of Charlotte and 10 more within 120 miles. Approximately 1.3 million racing fans visit the region every year.
The hall was designed by the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, designer of New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
