The Monroeville Convention Center is back in business.
State, Allegheny County and Monroeville stakeholders announced Tuesday that the center, targeted for closing in June, will remain open.
The decision came after discussions with center owner Oxford Development Company and Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts retailer that was scheduled to take over part of the space.
In making the announcement, state and local stakeholders said Hobby Lobby and Oxford Development had “mutually agreed to pursue termination of their lease agreement” after a publicly crafted takeover plan was offered to save the center.
“Oxford and Hobby Lobby heard our concerns and both agreed to terminate their lease and now we’re working on a long-term arrangement for the Convention Center,” Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock said Tuesday evening at a news conference at the Monroeville Municipal Building after the announcement was made earlier in the day.
“The main message today is the Monroeville Convention Center is open for business.”
The new proposal involves the operation of the convention center as a “long-term community asset” hinging on a community- or government-based ownership plan or government-backed lease. Details of the plan are “ongoing,” according to the announcement, which said public officials had provided Oxford and Hobby Lobby with information showing the center’s importance to the community.
“After a thoughtful review of this information, Hobby Lobby and Oxford mutually agreed that it is in the best interest of the community to pursue termination of the Hobby Lobby lease at this location,” the announcement stated.
In a posting on X, state Rep. Brandon Markosek, who was among the local officials involved in talks to save the center, described the negotiations as “complex and still ongoing.” In a separate letter, he said the deal would save hundreds of jobs and bring more than 400,000 people to Monroeville each year for convention center shows or events.
“The MCC is a vital asset to Monroeville. Its ancillary economic effects on the local economy and the eastern region of Allegheny County cannot be overstated,” he wrote.
Among the officials involved with the negotiations with Oxford and Hobby Lobby were state Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, county Executive Sara Innamorato, state Sens. Jim Brewster and Jay Costa, state Rep. Nick Pisciottano, and Mr. Gresock, the Monroeville mayor.
“Today’s announcement is the result of several weeks of discussions, including information sharing about the MCC’s large impact. We want to thank Hobby Lobby and Oxford for their sincere effort to reach a positive outcome. Everybody at the table worked behind the scenes to deliver a result that will see the MCC become a properly owned and funded community asset,” the stakeholders said in disclosing the agreement.
Mr. Gresock expressed gratitude to Oxford and Hobby Lobby for working to find a solution and to state, county, and local officials for rallying to save the center.
“I want to thank Monroeville residents and neighbors who spoke out in a loud voice to save the convention center. You made it clear that the public wanted to protect this great community asset and your words carried tremendous weight with all parties,” he said in a video message.
During the news conference, Mr. Gresock said it was unknown at this time how the convention center would be owned and managed, but that all parties involved said it will remain open as the Monroeville Convention Center.
“At this time we don’t have the exact details. We’re still working through all of that,” he said.
“It’s such an important asset for our community — 400,000 people a year come here just for conventions, 20,000 hotel rooms that are filled because of the conventions, the millions of dollars of economic activity and the ripple effect of the convention center is staggering. That was the main focus for me and other elected officials — to save this for the community and the entire region.”
‘Good for the region’
The June 1 closing had left a number of vendors scrambling for a new location for their conventions while causing a significant economic fallout to the municipality. Tuesday’s announcement stated that officials will be reaching out to those who had shows scheduled after June 1 in hopes of winning them back.
Mr. Gresock said 38 of 40 promoters who had events booked at the center this year agreed Tuesday to reschedule events on their original dates.
“We reached out to the promoters. They then reach out to the individual vendors,” Mr. Gresock said.
One who is excited about the convention center’s resurrection is Brian Wissner, owner and operator of the Pittsburgh Gaming Expo.
Mr. Wissner said he “came really, really close” to booking another venue for his October show before he got word that the convention center would not shut down after all. He is now planning to return to Monroeville after the whirlwind of the past couple weeks.
“I feel like I’m on a roller coaster,” he said.
While Mr. Wissner is still waiting to see the final contract details before renewing at the Monroeville Convention Center, he said he is “pretty confident that’s the direction we’ll be going.”
He noted that he prefers staying there because he is familiar with the layout, the stage and other logistics. If all goes according to plan, he will keep the same dates for the show — Oct. 4-6 — that he has had in previous years. This would be the expo’s fourth year at the venue.
“We’re happy the venue was saved. It’s good for the region,” he said.
Mr. Wissner said he had been bracing for the worst. He had explored other venues like the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown; the UPMC Events Center at Robert Morris University; and the All American Field House in Monroeville as alternatives.
At the same time, he was aware of the discussions aimed at saving the Monroeville Convention Center.
“My head’s still kind of spinning a little bit,” he said. “We’ve got some lost time to make up for.”
Hotel’s future still uncertain
The expo typically generates about 350 room stays over its duration. While Mr. Wissner is on the verge of returning to the convention center, he is now dealing with the loss of the adjacent DoubleTree Hotel, which abruptly shut it doors last week.
In the past, he has used the hotel to house his operation and store expo-related equipment. Mr. Wissner said he is working with the VisitMonroeville tourism group to reserve rooms at other hotels.
“It’s not ideal,” he said. “We managed to figure out a venue situation in less than a month. We’ll figure this out, too.”
Tuesday’s announcement did not mention the DoubleTree, but Mr. Gresock said saving the convention center bodes well for the future of the hotel.
“We’re still working through that as well,” he said at the news conference. “We had investors and operators already looking at the hotel last week, and just today we had five different investment groups that made contact and want to come look at the hotel.
“The fact that the convention center drives so much business to the DoubleTree Hotel, it’s going to get a new operator very soon. I’m very confident about that.”
Another event left hanging by the convention center closing was Steel City Con. While its April convention was not affected by the shutdown, it was another story when it came to its August and December shows.
When news of the closing broke last month, Steel City stated that it was in discussions with multiple venues in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area about moving.
Co-owner Bob Stein said Tuesday that “we’re happy that the Monroeville Convention Center is staying open and it’s great for the community,” but declined further comment.
Opened in 2009 in the Monroeville Mall complex, the convention center — a former Wickes furniture store — features 100,000 square feet of space and can accommodate up to 5,400 people and 400 to 500 show booths and exhibits.
Oxford had entered into a 12-year lease with Hobby Lobby to take about half of the center’s space. The rest would be available as retail space.
Mr. Gresock said officials are “very committed to finding another location [in Monroeville] for Hobby Lobby. We’re very much willing to help them.”
When Oxford announced the deal with Hobby Lobby, it said that the center was not profiting. A company spokeswoman did not return emails seeking a comment Tuesday. Nor did Hobby Lobby.
Despite past issues, Mr. Gresock said he was relieved the convention center would remain open, and that he was determined to work toward a more profitable future.
“There are a lot of options we’re working through as far as numbers and how it will look,” he said, “but we’re definitely trying to come up with a long-term solution where everybody’s happy and the Monroeville Convention Center will stay in Monroeville for many, many years.”
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com. John Hayes: jhayes@post-gazette.com.
First Published: March 5, 2024, 5:47 p.m.
Updated: March 6, 2024, 8:01 p.m.