TCF Center

TCF Center, formerly known as Cobo Hall and Cobo Center, is a convention center in downtown Detroit, Michigan, owned by the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA). Located at 1 Washington Boulevard, the facility was originally named after former Mayor of Detroit, Albert Cobo.

TCF Center
Outside of TCF Center in 2015, following the renovation and re-purposing of the former Cobo Arena structure.
Former namesCobo Hall (1960–2010)[1]
Cobo Center (2010–2019)[1]
Address1 Washington Boulevard[1]
LocationDetroit, Michigan[1]
Coordinates42°19′34″N 83°2′49″W
Public transit Convention Center
OwnerDetroit Regional Convention Facility Authority[1]
OperatorSMG[1]
TypeConvention center[1]
Construction
Opened1960[1]
Renovated1989,[2] 2015[2]
Expanded2015[2]
ArchitectGiffels & Rossetti[3]
Website
Official website

The largest annual event held at TCF Center is the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), which has been held at the center since 1965.

Description

TFC Center is 2,400,000-square-foot (220,000 m2) in size and has 723,000 square feet (67,200 m2) of exhibition space, with 623,000 square feet (57,900 m2) contiguous.[1][4] It previously featured an arena, Cobo Arena, which hosted various concerts, sporting events, and other events.[2] In 2015, the facility completed a renovation that repurposed the Cobo Arena space, adding additional meeting halls, a glass atrium with a view of the Detroit riverfront, and the 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) Grand Riverview Ballroom.[5][6]

It is served by the Detroit People Mover with its own station.[7] TCF Center has several large, attached parking garages, and direct access to the Lodge Freeway.[8][9] The facility is located along the Detroit International Riverfront, and within walking distance of several downtown hotels.[10]

History
TCF Center, then Cobo Hall, in 2007, with the southern end of M-10 passing under the center 300 yards (270 m) from ending at street level (and becoming/leaving Jefferson Avenue).

The facility and its attached arena initially cost $56 million.[2] It was designed by the Detroit architectural firm Giffels & Rossetti and took four years to complete.[2][3] Louis Rossetti was the chief architect.[3] The facility is on the site where Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French colonist, first set foot and landed on the banks of the river in July 1701 and claimed the area for France in the name of King Louis XIV.[2] The first convention at the facility was held in 1960 by the Florists' Telegraph Delivery (FTD).[2] The first event was the 43rd Auto Industry Dinner on October 17, 1960, at which President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the keynote speaker.[2] In 1989, a renovation was completed to expand its size to 2,400,000 square feet (220,000 m2).[2][4]

Joe Louis Arena, named after boxer and former heavyweight champion Joe Louis, was built adjacent to the facility.[11] It served as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League from 1979 until its closure in 2017 when they moved to Little Caesars Arena. Demolition of the arena began in 2019.[12]

In 2009, Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. vetoed the Detroit City Council's resolution against the expansion of the facility.[13][14] Shortly after, the facility came under ownership and operation, through a 30-year capital lease, of the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA). The five-member Authority Board consists of one representative from each of five government agencies – the City of Detroit, State of Michigan and the three Metro Detroit counties of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb. Consensus agreement from the authority is needed for all decisions, and it has become a model for regional cooperation in Southeast Michigan.[15]

In October 2010, the DRCFA awarded a management contract to SMG. It extended the contract for three years in September 2013 and again in June 2017.[16][17] In 2015, a five-year, $279 million renovation was completed, including a new atrium, ballroom, and meeting spaces, constructed mainly within the former Cobo Arena building.[5][6]

In 2017, in the wake of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit riot, current mayor Mike Duggan proposed that Cobo Center be renamed due to modern reappraisals of Cobo's tenure as mayor. Cobo had upheld exclusionary covenants against African Americans, and was accused of responding poorly to allegations of harassment and police brutality against African American residents.[18][19][20][21] In 2018, the DRCFA stated that it had already been considering the sale of naming rights to the facility, for the first time in its history.[20]

The TCF Center was converted into a temporary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan

In June 2018, the DRCFA approved a 22-year naming rights agreement with Chemical Bank which took effect on July 1, 2018 (the following month, the bank announced that it would relocate its headquarters to downtown Detroit). The deal would not be publicly announced until February 20, 2019; the parties agreed to delay the official announcement until Chemical finalized and announced its agreement to merge with the Minnesota-based TCF Financial Corporation.[22] A new name for Cobo Center was not formally announced at this time, as the bank wanted to wait until after the completion of the merger. In the meantime, the Chemical Bank branding would appear on advertising and signage at the facility, and a ceremonial bust of Albert Cobo was removed from public display.[22][23][24] The Chemical–TCF merger was completed on August 1, 2019, and the combined company took on the TCF name.[25] Cobo Center was officially renamed TCF Center on August 27, 2019.[20]

Notable events
Ford Motor Company exhibit at the 2019 North American International Auto Show.

Since 1965, the largest event held at TCF Center is the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). This event draws thousands of international press and suppliers during its initial five days and has a charity preview party for 11,000 guests before the public opening.[26] Since 1976, the Charity Preview has raised an average of $2.4 million yearly for southeastern Michigan children's charities.[27] After the Charity Preview party, the NAIAS is open to the public for ten days, drawing, on average, 735,000 attendees.[16][28] The show was originally held in January, but was to move to June beginning in 2020.[29]

On March 29, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 NAIAS had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the conversion of TCF Center to a field hospital by FEMA workers.[30]

In 1961, the show car event Detroit Autorama moved to the facility, and has been held there ever since.[31]

Cobo Arena
Cobo Arena
Capacity12,000
Construction
Built1960
Closed2010
Tenants
Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1961–1978)
Michigan Stags (WHA) (1974–1975)
Detroit Rockers (NPSL) (1990–1996)
Motor City Mustangs (RHI) (1995)

Cobo Arena was an arena built in 1960 with seating for 12,000 that served as the home court of the NBA's Detroit Pistons from 1961 to 1978 and the host of the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships from 1965 to 1981.[2][32] It occasionally hosted large rock music concerts, including The Doors, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Iron Maiden (twice in 1982), Prince, The Tragically Hip, The Who, Judy Garland, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Parliament-Funkadelic, Duran Duran, the Cure, Phish, Madonna, Anthrax, Exodus and Helloween.[33][34][35] Bob Seger recorded all of Live Bullet and part of Nine Tonight at Cobo Arena.[36] Yes recorded two songs at Cobo Arena for their Yesshows album, released in 1980. Kiss recorded most of live album Alive! and video Animalize Live Uncensored at the arena and it is featured in their video for "Modern Day Delilah".[33]

As the venue for Big Time Wrestling on every other Saturday night in the 1960s and the 1970s; it was considered to be "The House the Sheik built."[37] It was also home of the short-lived Michigan Stags of the World Hockey Association and the Detroit Rockers of the National Professional Soccer League.[38][39] It also hosted Skate America in 1995.[40]

On June 23, 1963, following the Detroit Walk to Freedom civil rights march, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the original version of his "I Have a Dream" speech at Cobo Arena to a full house.[33][41][42]

In January 1994, during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Joe Louis Arena, skater Nancy Kerrigan was bludgeoned in her right lower thigh by an assailant in a corridor of Cobo Arena, which was being used as a practice facility. The assault, which was dubbed "the whack heard 'round the world",[43] was planned by rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and co-conspirator Shawn Eckardt, in a plot to prevent her from competing at the championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics.[44][45]

Cobo Arena closed in 2010 as part of a major renovation completed in 2015. The space was used to construct new facilities, including the "Grand Riverview Ballroom"—a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) event space, a new atrium area, 21 additional meeting rooms, and an outdoor terrace.[46][47]

gollark: I don't really know. I'm using a lot on my inefficient Node project.
gollark: Remotcraft.
gollark: Probably. I may not have enough free RAM.
gollark: Having to go from the lobby to TC2020 is very annoying.
gollark: That too. It's all lit with glowstone nanoparticles.

See also

References
  1. "About Us". TCF Center. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  2. "Media Kit". TCF Center. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  3. Duggan, Daniel (May 1, 2011). "Rossetti redux: Preserving the Cobo legacy, undoing the past". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  4. "Cobo Center Brochure" (PDF). 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  5. Gallagher, John (January 2, 2015). "Cobo Center gets ready to show off". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. Welch, Sherri (February 12, 2017). "Groups laud improved Detroit convention experience, but there's room to grow". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  7. "Cobo Center". Detroit People Mover. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  8. "Parking". TCF Center. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. "Getting Here". TCF Center. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  10. "Hotel Information". TCF Center. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  11. Aguilar, Louis (March 11, 2018). "Life after the Joe: Big changes proposed for site". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  12. Ramirez, Charles E. (June 17, 2019). "Demo crews begin removing Joe Louis Arena's exterior panels". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  13. Kaffer, Nancy (March 4, 2009). "Mayor vetoes council's rejection of Cobo Center plan". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  14. "Issues - Cobo Center Expansion, 2008-2009". Deep Blue. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  15. Gallagher, John (May 4, 2012). "Cobo's rebirth delivers business: $299-million renovation attracts events, shows regional cooperation". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  16. "2013 North American International Auto Show is a hit with car fans". WXYZ.com. January 27, 2013. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  17. Welch, Sherri (September 27, 2013). "Authority extends SMG's management contract of Cobo for 3 more years". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  18. Ferret, Christine; Hunter, George (October 10, 2017). "Detroit Mayor Cobo's legacy remains divisive". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  19. Austin, Dan (August 29, 2014). "Meet the 5 worst mayors in Detroit history". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  20. Noble, Breana (August 27, 2019). "It's official: Cobo's new name is TCF Center". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  21. Livengood, Chad (August 25, 2017). "Duggan pushes to strip Cobo name from convention center". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  22. Livengood, Chad (February 20, 2019). "Chemical Bank buys naming rights to Cobo Center". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  23. Noble, Breana (February 20, 2019). "Chemical Bank to pay $33M to rename Cobo Center". The Detroit News. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  24. Livengood, Chad (August 22, 2019). "TCF Bank set to replace Cobo Center name next week". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  25. Livengood, Chad (August 1, 2019). "TCF, Chemical Bank finish merger with eye out for buying more banks". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  26. Kovanis, Georgea (January 18, 2013). "2013 Detroit auto show charity preview: Want to get in on the glitz and glamour? It's not too late". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  27. "Sheryl Crow to play at Detroit auto show preview". Lansing State Journal. Associated Press. November 14, 2013. Archived from the original on November 21, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  28. Wayland, Michael (January 28, 2013). "Detroit auto show attendance highest in nearly 10 years". MLive. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  29. Noble, Breana (June 23, 2019). "Cobo struggles to find winter replacements for auto show". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  30. Wayland, Michael (2020-03-29). "2020 Detroit auto show canceled after venue chosen for coronavirus field hospital". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  31. Larivee, Bob (2015). Hot Rod Detroit. Oxford, Michigan: DP Publishing. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-0-692-30899-8.
  32. McFadin, Daniel (February 21, 2014). "A half-century of memories". NCAA.com. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  33. Woods, Ashley C. (April 6, 2012). "End of an era: Looking back at Cobo Arena's storied history". MLive. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  34. "Prince plays Detroit: 30+ years of concert reviews". Detroit Free Press. April 22, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  35. "Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI, USA Concert Setlists". Setlist.fm. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  36. Graff, Gary (November 19, 2018). "Remembering Bob Seger's key tours before his final road trip". The Oakland Press. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  37. Guttersohn, Robert (May 8, 2013). "Local man preserves Detroit wrestling through photographs". Royal Oak Review. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  38. Bak, Richard (December 28, 2011). "Remembering the woeful Michigan Stags hockey team". Vintage Detroit. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  39. O'Connor, Larry (May 8, 2019). "Finnerty family sees soccer legacy remain in safe hands". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  40. Hersh, Philip (October 28, 1995). "Bobek, Bonaly Fall Short Of Mark". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  41. "Address at the Freedom Rally in Cobo Hall". The King Institute. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  42. Whitaker, Morgan (June 21, 2013). "MLK's first 'I have a dream' speech". MSNBC. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  43. Deitsch, Richard (February 21, 2014). "Kerrigan opens up about 'the whack heard 'round the world'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  44. Brennan, Christine (January 3, 2014). "Tonya, Nancy reflect on The Whack heard 'round the world". USA Today. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  45. Swift, E. M. (February 14, 1994). "Anatomy of a Plot". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  46. Gallagher, John (May 30, 2015). "Latest Cobo upgrade will be an eye-popper". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  47. Williams, AJ (September 11, 2013). "Cobo Center Unveils Grand Riverview Ballroom And Atrium". Michigan Chronicle. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
Preceded by
Olympia Stadium		 Home of the Detroit Pistons
1961–1978		 Succeeded by
Pontiac Silverdome
Preceded by
Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez		 Ultimate Fighting Championship venue
UFC 9		 Succeeded by
Fair Park Arena
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