Timeline

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Seattle: Timeline#

Chronological record of the convention center story. Dates from primary sources where available.

Original Building (1981–1988)#

Date	Event	Source
Jul 4, 1976	Freeway Park opens (adjacent, Lawrence Halprin / Angela Danadjieva, 4.9 acres)	Wikipedia
Dec 1981	Freeway site selected over Seattle Center and Kingdome lot (120+ public meetings)	HistoryLink
Mar 1982	State legislature authorizes bonds	HistoryLink
Sep 1985	Demolition begins	HistoryLink
Jun 18, 1988	Arch: first event (1,400-person conference). 102,000 sq ft exhibit space.	HistoryLink
Jun 23, 1988	Arch: formal dedication (Gov. Gardner, Mayor Royer, 4,000 guests). Cost: $186M.	HistoryLink
Sep 15, 1990	Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel opens (Convention Place station as northern terminus)	Wikipedia

Arch Expansion (1994–2010)#

Date	Event	Source
Jan 1994	Expansion plans unveiled: 6-story building north of Pike, ~144,000 sq ft exhibit. Est. $190M.	Seattle Times
Late 1994	City Council endorses expansion, contingent on protecting low-income housing	Seattle Times
1995	Legislature authorizes $111.7M state funding	Wikipedia
Oct 1996	Board selects north-of-Pike site; commits to 772 replacement housing units	Wikipedia
1996–1997	Developers selected: R.C. Hedreen Co. (convention center + 30-story hotel) + Trammell Crow (office tower). Architect: LMN Architects.	Wikipedia, Kiewit
Apr 1999	City Council approves controversial bridge/canopy design spanning Pike Street. Councilman Steinbrueck: “a tragedy” and “a real violation of the public interest.”	DJC
May 19, 1999	Expansion construction begins	Kiewit
May 30, 1999	Waldorf Towers imploded (7-story, 1906, elderly/low-income residents relocated). 175 explosives. Police cordoned 11 blocks.	Seattle Times
Dec 2000	One Convention Place (office tower, Trammell Crow) completed	Wikipedia
Jun 2001	Elliott Grand Hyatt Seattle opens (30 floors, 425 rooms, Hedreen)	Wikipedia
Jul 2001	Expanded Arch opens. Exhibit space doubles: 102,000 → 205,700 sq ft. Cost: $205M. Two Pike Street crossings: glass arch (with skybridge beneath) and truck bridge.	Wikipedia, Kiewit
Aug 2001	First event in expanded facility: Seattle Gift Show	Wikipedia
2000–2004	95,000 sq ft space at 800 Pike (designed for MOHAI) temporarily occupied by Seattle Public Library during Koolhaas library construction	Wikipedia
2005	MOHAI chooses South Lake Union armory site instead of 800 Pike. Space reverts to WSCC.	Wikipedia
Jul 2010	800 Pike Conference Center opens. 71,000 sq ft on 4 floors, 17 meeting rooms. LEED certified.	SCC official

Summit Expansion#

Date	Event	Source
Pre-2018	SCC claims 300+ turned-away conventions worth $1.5B over 5 years (~$300M/year). For comparison, total operating revenue from all events in FY2025 was $66.5M. The underlying study has not been located.	SCC claim as reported in PSBJ (Mar 26, 2026)
2015–2016	Board authorizes Summit expansion	Approximate (needs board minutes)
2014	Honda dealership purchased ($56.5M) for Summit site	Bond official statement
2017	Convention Place bus station purchased ($275M)	Bond official statement
Jul 25, 2018	2018 bonds issued ($1.0B — $598.8M first priority + $404.8M subordinate)	EMMA
Aug 2018	Summit groundbreaking	425 Magazine
Jul 21, 2018	Convention Place station permanently closes	Wikipedia
Jan 25, 2023	Summit ribbon-cutting ($1.9B final cost, $300M over budget, 18 months late)	425 Magazine

Financial Events#

Date	Event	Source
2020	COVID: lodging tax drops to ~$38M (CBRE projected $141M)	Audit
Aug 10, 2021	Refunding bonds issued ($544M)	EMMA
2022	Reserves begin rapid decline (from $200M+ peak)	Audit series
FY2024	Operating loss: -$69.4M (GAAP). Lodging tax: $99.9M vs CBRE projection $171M (-42%)	2024 Audit
Feb 2024	CEO Jeffrey Blosser retires	PSBJ
Sep 2024	Jennifer LeMaster becomes CEO (from Atlanta GWCCA)	SCC press
Feb 2026	LeMaster describes situation as “fragile”	Seattle Times
Mar 26, 2026	PSBJ reports $1.4M net operating income for FY2025	PSBJ

920 Olive Way#

Date	Event	Source
2013	PFD purchases 920 Olive Way ($56.4M)	Audit / Assessor
Jul 30, 2019	Board authorizes C&MRes LLC residential option	Board minutes
Sep 24, 2019	Board approves option (Nicole Grant sole dissenter, Jerry Hillis seconds)	Board minutes
Jul 2021	Projected closing date — never completed	Board minutes
Dec 2024–Jan 2026	Board litigation sessions re: stalled option	Board minutes
Feb 2026	Resolution #2026-3 terminates C&MRes option	Board minutes

Upcoming#

Date	Event	Source
Oct 2026	FY2025 audited financials expected	Based on FY2024 release (Oct 2025)
2029	State backstop guarantee expires	Bond official statement
2030	Debt service increases 83% ($85.2M → $155.8M/year)	2024 Audit, Note 6
2058	Final bond maturity	Bond official statement

Board Meeting Minutes Index#

To be compiled from downloaded minutes (2018–2022, Wayback Machine archive) and seattlecc.com (2023–2025). Target: every meeting date, key agenda items, votes, and notable quotes.

Timeline on Convention City Almanac