Hynes Convention Center

42°20′51″N 71°5′3″W / 42.34750°N 71.08417°W / 42.34750; -71.08417OwnerMassachusetts Convention Center AuthorityOperatorMCCABuilt1968Opened1968Renovated19884,000 (Auditorium)Enclosed spaceWebsitewww.signatureboston.com/hynes

The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center is a convention center located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1988 from a design by architects Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood. It replaced the John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium, also a convention center, built in 1963 during the Massachusetts Turnpike expansion from Route 128 to the Central Artery, which was regarded as "ungainly". The 1988 design "attempted to relate in scale and materials to its Back Bay setting, adopting granite and setbacks. The severe gray interior is reminiscent of an early 20th-century German railroad station".^[1] The Center is named after former Boston mayor John Hynes.

Function as meeting space

Physical characteristics

The building has 176,480 square feet (16,400 m²) of exhibit space and can accommodate up to four concurrent events. It features 91,000 square feet (8,450 m²) of meeting space with 38 permanent rooms and a 24,544-square-foot (2,280 m²) grand ballroom.^[2]

Notable past events

• Anime Boston occupies the Hynes annually with approximately 25,000 attendees each year.^[3]
• Berklee College of Music Berklee High School Jazz Festival ^[4]
• CollegeFest
• First Night Boston
• Harvard Model Congress
• Harvard Model United Nations
• iGEM Giant Jamboree^[5]

Location

The convention center is connected to the nearby Prudential Center complex.

Transportation

The convention center is connected by aerial passageways to a nearby hotel complex and can be reached by public transportation via the Hynes Convention Center station on the MBTA Green Line and, using the passageways, via the Back Bay station on the Orange Line, Commuter Rail, and Amtrak. Logan Express shuttles run directly to and from Logan International Airport.

Nearby hotels

• Colonnade Hotel Boston is connected underground via the Prudential Center T Stop and Prudential Mall.
• Copley Square Hotel
• Newbury Guest House
• Mandarin Oriental, Boston
• Hilton Back Bay
• Sheraton Boston is directly connected to the convention center.
• Marriott Copley Place is connected to the convention center via the Copley Place Mall.
• Westin Copley Place is connected to the convention center via the Copley Place Mall.

Closure and redevelopment

On September 16, 2019, Governor Charlie Baker announced his plans to close and sell the Hynes to finance an expansion at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.^[6]

Gallery

• 
  Partial view of awning, Boylston Street entrance
• 
  Boylston Street facade, 2009
• 
  East facade looking south, 2009
• 
  Interior escalator, 2009
• 
  Interior corridor, 2009

References

Further reading

• Patterson, Gregory A. "New Hynes Convention Center to open today". The Boston Globe, January 21, 1988. p. 25.
• Gold, Allan R. "Amid debate, Boston's convention center opens. (John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center)". The New York Times 137. January 23, 1988.
• Goldberger, Paul. "Architecture view; How to Take the Curse Off Convention Centers". The New York Times. February 26, 1989.
• Campbell, Robert. "A second look at Boylston's new buildings". The Boston Globe. September 12, 1989. p. 63.
• Howe, Peter J. "Lawmaker urges veto for Hynes Center subsidy". The Boston Globe. July 1, 1991.
• Leigh, Scot. "Hynes chief says criticism from Malone harms center". The Boston Globe. July 12, 1991.
• Biddle, Frederic M. and Scot Lehigh. "Senate panel backs Hynes aid but limits effort to ease removal of convention center director". The Boston Globe. October 30, 1991. p. 27.
• Van Voorhis, Scott. Finneran says Hynes center could be sold. Boston Herald. April 20, 2002. p. 18.
• Palmer, Thomas C. Jr. "For sale: Hynes Convention Center? Board mulls future of Back Bay facility". The Boston Globe. June 25, 2002. p. D1.
• Van Voorhis, Scott. "Hynes center review affecting bookings; Bankers group doesn't commit to 2007 date". Boston Herald. June 29, 2002. p. 16.
• Editorial; "Goodbye to Joyce and Hynes Center". Boston Herald. January 17, 2003. p. 22.
• Thomas C. Palmer Jr. "Tentative tourists: prospect of Hynes Center's closing cuts into bookings". The Boston Globe. November 26, 2003. p. D.1.
• Governing Greater Boston: Meeting the Needs of the Region's People. Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 2003.
• "Boston's Hynes Convention Center, Garage Seen Worth Only $99 Million". The Boston Globe. April 13, 2004.
• Neuwahl, Janette. "Business leaders urge state to keep Hynes Center open; they cite revenue generated in area". The Boston Globe. April 2, 2005. p. B5.
• Howe, Peter J. "Despite cross-town rival, Hynes rallies". The Boston Globe. August 23, 2005.
• Sanders, Heywood. Space Available: The Realities of Convention Centers as Economic Development Strategy. Brookings Institution Research Brief, January 1, 2005.
• Chesto, Jon. All signs point to a long life for the Hynes center. The Patriot Ledger. Quincy, Mass.: January 21, 2006. p. 29.
• Howe, Peter J. "Commission will urge state to keep Hynes convention center". The Boston Globe. December 19, 2006.
• ArchBoston.org. "Evolution of the Prudential Center: 1954–1989". Discussion thread beginning March 7, 2007.
• ArchBoston.org. "Hynes renovation". Discussion thread beginning April 20, 2007.
• Mohl, Bruce. "Hynes set to get $18m renovation. (John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center)". The Boston Globe. April 21, 2007.
• Darrow, Bryan. "Hynes Center to upgrade: older convention facility gets new lease on life in Boston. (News Line)". Meetings & Conventions 42.7 (June 2007): 18(1).
• Abelson, Jenn. "Hynes Center signs deal with local restaurateurs". The Boston Globe. April 4, 2009. p. B5.

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