In the early 1970s, a group of community leaders from the public and private sectors conceived the notion of building a convention center in Seattle to foster new economic development and increase hotel occupancy rates. In 1982, by action of the state Legislature, a public non-profit corporation was established to acquire land and to design, construct, promote and operate the Washington State Convention Center (WSCC). A site adjacent to and above Interstate 5 was selected and initial construction began in the fall of 1985, continuing for nearly three years. The first scheduled event took place on June 18, 1988. From: http://www.wsctc.com/about_us/history.aspx

WSCC expanded again in July 2010 with the opening of The Conference Center. Located at the northeast corner of Eighth Avenue and Pike Street, this LEED-certified space was originally designated to be the new home of the Museum of History and Industry following the 2001 expansion. As the needs of the museum changed, the WSCC was able to acquire the property and began a complete conversion of the four-level facility. The Conference Center´s 71,000 square feet provides the room necessary to service groups that had become too large to utilize the original convention center. The Conference Center can either stand alone as a self-contained conference facility or it can combine with the entire WSCC to offer an impressive total of 414,722 square feet of meeting and exhibit space. From: http://www.wsctc.com/about_us/history.aspx