The Glass City Center is a performing arts and

convention center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

located in downtown

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. Opened on March 27, 1987, as the SeaGate Convention Centre, the center's exhibit hall measures 74,520 square feet (207 feet by 360 feet) of space and seats up to 5,100 for a

banquet A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...

, 9,000 for a meeting, and 4,000 in a classroom configuration. It can be divided into three smaller halls, and when used for

concerts A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

with a 60 foot by 40 foot stage, can seat 2,000 (in one of the smaller halls), 3,000 (in two of the smaller halls), or 5,900 (in the entire hall) for concerts, stage shows, and other shows, this so that there are no bad seats in the house. Many of those seats used for concerts are in telescopic risers; there are 18 telescopic units at the arena, set up in sections of six; as a result, there are six sections of riser seating and a total of 3,216 in the risers (536 per section). The center also features of meeting space. The facility was the host to the following notable events: *

Gathering of the Juggalos The Gathering of the Juggalos (also known as The Gathering or GOTJ) is an annual music festival put on by Psychopathic Records, featuring performances by the entire label roster as well as numerous well-known musical groups and underground music, ...

2001 (July 13–15, 2001) *

Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament The Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament is an NCAA Division I postseason single-elimination tournament. The winner of the tournament receives the Mid-American Conference (MAC) automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball ...

(1996-1999, annually) * Toledo Ice (

ABA ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

) (partial 2005–2006 season) *

Glass City Rollers Glass City Rollers (GCR) is a roller derby league based in Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List ...

(

WFTDA The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body for the sport of women's flat track roller derby. It sets the international standards for rankings, rules, and competition in the sport, and provides guidance and ...

) (current tenant) *The center was the site of the annual

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

beginning in 2005. The group canceled its 2020 meeting due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The Park Inn by Radisson hotel attached to the center closed permanently in April 2020. In July, Lucas County Commissioners announced the structure would be renovated to house a 216-room Hilton Garden Inn and 93-room Homewood Suites. They also announced the demolition of the adjacent SeaGate Hotel which has been vacant since 2009. In February 2022, it was announced that the SeaGate Centre would be renamed as the Glass City Center as part of their renovations to the facility. It features a new, 16,000-square-foot ballroom, along with a redesigned exterior and interior of the building.

References

Sports venues completed in 1987 Convention centers in Ohio 1987 establishments in Ohio College basketball venues in Ohio Basketball venues in Ohio Buildings and structures in Toledo, Ohio Tourist attractions in Toledo, Ohio {{Ohio-struct-stub