The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is a collection of buildings in New Orleans, Louisiana. The lower end of building one is located 500 m (1640 feet) upriver from Canal Street on the banks of the Mississippi River. Named after former mayor of New Orleans Ernest N. Morial, as of 2005 it has about 1.1 million square feet (102,000 m²) of exhibit space, covers almost 11 blocks, and a gross amount of over 3 million square feet (280,000 m²) of total space.

The convention center was planned and built in 1978, is the 16th largest facility of its kind in the United States, and the 2nd busiest. The first building was constructed as part of the 1984 World's Fair; a series of additional buildings further up river expanded the Convention Center complex in subsequent decades.

During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it was the second most important center to collect the survivors, after the Louisiana Superdome. On August 26-27, 2005, Wheel of Fortune came to originally tape three weeks of shows at the convention center. But when they heard about the hurricane, they cancelled the last week to evacuate. The convention center is currently in an expansion, including over 1.6 million square feet (150,000 m²) of exhibit space and a 60,000 square-foot (6,000 m²) ballroom. The expansion is planned to end by 2006.

External links

• Convention Center website
• New Orleans Convention Center on Google Maps

Buildings and Monuments Honoring Alpha Phi Alpha Men | Convention centers in the United States | Buildings and structures in New Orleans

Ernest Morial Convention Center