Owensboro is the county seat of Daviess County in north-central Kentucky. Originally part of Shawnee territory, settlers first arrived there in the 1700s. The city played an important role in the Civil War era and served as a key river port that continues to this day. The city’s environs also gave birth to the Bluegrass sound in American music, starting in the 1930s and 1940s. Numerous festivals are held in the downtown area, including the National Barbecue Festival and many national and regional amateur sports competitions.
The site of the new Owensboro-Daviess County Convention Center on the Ohio River bank was previously occupied by the Executive Inn which accommodated performances by many of the most popular singers of its era. To serve this wide range of activities, programs and events, as well as to provide an important economic development tool, the city undertook the development of a new convention center which includes over 40,000 ft² of exhibition space, nearly 30,000 ft² of meeting space and extensive public lobbies, as well as service and support facilities.
Location
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Status
Completed 2014
Size
169,000 SF
Project Team
Trey Trahan, Leigh Breslau, Brad McWhirter, Sean David, Rachel Hall-Taravella, Mark Hash, Michael McCune, David Merlin, Jared Moore, Kim Nguyen, Art Terry, Judson Terry
Collaborators
Conventional Wisdom, LBYD, Associated Design Group, CD&M, SMW, CiniLittle, Rolf Jensen Associates, Calori & Vanden-Eynden, Gamble and Associates
Awards
AIA Chicago, Distinguished Building Honor Award, 2017
Tags
Cultural , Civic , Commercial , Hospitality , Rootedness
Set in a newly developed riverside park, the facility will join a recently completed performing arts center and an expanded Bluegrass Museum honoring the city’s remarkable history as a triumvirate of public amenities unusual in communities of this scale.
Organized on two levels, with the halls at grade and the meeting and banquet facilities above, the complex acts as a beacon on the river, signaling the extraordinary ambitions of this community. The exhibition halls and meeting facilities are distinguished by views out to the river while the lobbies overlook the historic downtown.
