Meydenbauer Center#
Opened: 1993. Center Hall: 36,000 sq ft. Total event space: ~54,000 sq ft. Walk Score: ~85. Theater: 410 seats.
Bellevue’s city-operated convention center, 10 miles east of Seattle across Lake Washington. Named for William Meydenbauer, a Seattle baker who homesteaded on the bay in 1869.
The Building#
| Address | 11100 NE 6th St, Bellevue WA 98004 |
| Center Hall | 36,000 sq ft (divisible) |
| Meeting rooms | 9 rooms totaling 12,000 sq ft |
| Executive suite | 2,500 sq ft |
| Theater | 410 seats |
| Parking | 434 spaces |
| Current | Center Hall remodel underway (completion expected mid-2026) |
Governance#
Operated by the Bellevue Convention Center Authority, a city entity. Unlike Seattle’s state-created PFD or Tacoma’s multi-city PFD, Meydenbauer is a single-city operation funded from Bellevue’s general fund and operating revenue.
Neighborhood#
Downtown Bellevue has transformed from suburban mall district to a dense urban center with 50,000+ daily workers (Amazon, Meta, T-Mobile). The convention center sits adjacent to Bellevue City Hall, two blocks from Bellevue Square, and directly on the East Link light rail corridor.
Unlike Seattle’s convention center (which sits on a freeway lid in the center of a walkable core), Meydenbauer is surrounded by superblock-scale development — large floor plates, wide arterials, structured parking. Walk Score is high but the walking experience is different: mall-to-office, not neighborhood-to-neighborhood.
Transit#
| Mode | Station | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| East Link (2 Line) | Bellevue Downtown | Light rail to Seattle (~25 min to Westlake) |
| B Line RapidRide | NE 6th St | Frequent bus across Bellevue |
| I-90 / SR 520 | — | Cross-lake freeway access |
The 2 Line opened in 2024, connecting Bellevue to Seattle’s Eastside stations. The Crosslink opened in March 2026, completing the through-route to downtown Seattle. A convention attendee at Meydenbauer can now reach the Arch via light rail without a car.
Hotels#
Downtown Bellevue has ~3,500 hotel rooms within walking distance — more than Tacoma (~700) but far fewer than Seattle (~17,000):
| Hotel | Rooms | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Hyatt Regency Bellevue | 732 | Adjacent |
| W Bellevue | 245 | 2 blocks |
| Westin Bellevue | 176 | 3 blocks |
| Hilton Bellevue | 353 | 4 blocks |
Scale in Context#
| Facility | Exhibit space | Total event space | Hotel rooms (walking) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle: The Arch | 236,700 sq ft | — | ~17,000 |
| Seattle: The Summit | 149,200 sq ft | 573,770 sq ft | ~17,000 |
| Meydenbauer, Bellevue | 36,000 sq ft | 54,000 sq ft | ~3,500 |
| Tacoma Convention Center | 50,000 sq ft | 119,000 sq ft | ~700 |
Meydenbauer is the smallest of the four regional facilities by exhibit space. Its niche is corporate meetings and mid-size events drawing from the Eastside tech workforce — not the trade-show market that drives the WSCC.
The Name#
William Meydenbauer (1832–1906) was a German-born baker who left Seattle for quieter land on the east shore of Lake Washington in 1869. The sheltered bay where he homesteaded became Meydenbauer Bay — a swimming and dancing destination by 1906, ferry landing until 1921, and briefly home to the American Pacific Whaling Company after the Ship Canal opened in 1917.
The convention center, 1.5 miles uphill from the bay, carries the name but not the waterfront. Meydenbauer Bay Park, expanded by the city in recent years, preserves the shoreline connection.
See also: Seattle (10 miles west, same metro) | Tacoma Convention Center (40 miles south)
Sources#
- Meydenbauer Center
- Visit Bellevue
- Eastside Heritage Center: Meydenbauer Bay
- Bellevue history
- walkscore.com