Stalled in Pittsburgh

In April 2000, when ground was broken at Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center, a big, bright spotlight shone on the project. It was touted as the highest-ranked "green" center by the United States Green Building Council. What's more, it would feature a cable-stayed roof that would allow for column-free exhibit halls.

Since then, the center's light has dimmed considerably as the result of a host of construction problems and, most recently, the Feb. 5 collapse of a 20'x60' concrete slab in a second-floor loading dock. It not only caused a 48-ft. truck to fall into a hole and be suspended over the street below, but forced the closure of the building, the postponement of the 2007 Pittsburgh Intl. Auto Show and relocation of other smaller events.

The driver of the truck, a Freeman employee, suffered minor injuries.

"We had been talking to building officials ongoing. They had inspectors in there to see if they could let us back in, but as time progressed it became clear it wasn't going to happen," said Dee Dee Taft, spokesperson for the Greater Pittsburgh Auto Dealers Assn., the auto show's owner.

On Feb. 5, the Pittsburgh Boat Show was in move-out, and the auto show was starting its move-in. When the collapse occurred, the building was immediately evacuated and the fate of the auto show, scheduled Feb. 10¨C18, was thrown into limbo as inspectors were called in to assess the building's safety.

Time began to tick away.

Two and a half days later, Taft said, car show officials were still waiting. In fact, center representatives told them there wouldn't be an answer until the following week, well past the date when the show was supposed to open.

Taft added, "We said, 'We need to know now,' and they couldn't (tell us). So it became evident that it was going to take longer than needed."

In past years, the nine-day auto show spanned 330,000 square feet with more than 500 vehicles from 35 manufacturers, and between 50,000 and 100,000 attendees.

Four days after the collapse, the auto show secured new dates, April 26¨C30, cutting the length of the show in half.

"We're making lemons out of lemonade," Taft said. "It's better than having no show at all."

The auto dealers association incurred numerous costs due to the postponement:

• Manufacturers had trucks loaded with cars that couldn't be unloaded.
• Freeman had employees on the clock.
• The association will have to restart the show.
• Dealers will lose the two months that potential car buyers would have had after a February show to shop their lots (a cost Taft said was "virtually incalculable").

Mary Conturo, executive director of the Sports & Exhibition Authority, which owns the SMG-managed center, said, "We're well aware of the losses, and it's something we'll be addressing." She added that the authority has insurance for such occurrences.

Two other events were relocated. Creative Memories, set for Feb. 8¨C9, moved its meeting to the Omni William Penn Hotel; and the Learning Disabilities Assn. 44th Annual Intl. Conference, scheduled Feb. 13¨C17, moved to the Westin Convention Center Hotel Pittsburgh.

Bob Imperata, executive vice president of VisitPittsburgh, the convention and visitors bureau, said his team started calling all the events scheduled through April within a few hours of the collapse. None of the shows at that time expressed concern about the structural integrity of the building, Imperata added.

"The way this happened, it was a second-floor loading dock, not in the main part of the building, so people were comforted by that," he said.

The fate of one of the center's biggest shows of the year, the 2007 Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show, scheduled March 2¨C11, still hung in the balance at press time.

"The first and most important thing is, (what will happen) still remains to be seen. We are waiting on the folks who are doing the inspection," said John DeSantis, executive director of the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show.

The show, in its 26th year, spans 170,000 net sq. ft. with 600 exhibitors in 1,700 booths. It is easily "the largest public show in Pittsburgh", according to DeSantis.

"I have no worries about the show starting," he added. "I have confidence in the building and the industry and, as they say, the show must go on."

The building has had numerous construction problems during its short lifetime, including the collapse of a 90-ft. steel truss that killed an ironworker in 2002 with fines levied against construction companies held responsible.

For the current crisis, a team made up of the New York architectural firm of Rafael Vinoly, structural engineers and construction companies involved with the building were on-site for inspection. Still, local government officials called for a second opinion from an independent inspector.

Until the building is deemed safe it will remained closed, according to the Sports & Exhibition Authority.

"This is a shame for a lot of reasons," Imperata said. "We've gotten off to a great start and beaten all the projections. Everything was going along so well, and that's when you get hit by a 2¡ä¡Á4¡ä."