The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center will be getting a new name next month. State officials will rename the facility after Thomas Menino, the mayor who championed its creation 20 years ago.
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority announced the building becomes the Thomas Michael Menino Convention and Exhibition Center on July 12. A ceremony will mark the official name change.
Menino served as Boston’s mayor from 1993 to 2014. He was the city’s longest-serving mayor. The renaming honours his role in developing the Seaport District from industrial wasteland into a business hub.
State legislators approved the name change last fall as part of an economic development bill. The measure passed with near-unanimous support.
“The opening of the convention centre would not have been possible without the leadership of Mayor Menino,” said Marcel Vernon Sr., the authority’s chief executive.
When construction began in 2000, Menino argued Boston needed the facility to compete for major conventions. He saw it as an anchor for transforming the South Boston waterfront.
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center entranceThe strategy worked. The centre now spans 2.1m sqft. It features 516,000sqft of column-free exhibit space and 82 meeting rooms.
The facility hosted 136 events in 2024, bringing over 500,000 attendees to Boston.
Menino died of cancer in 2014, months after leaving office. His widow Angela Menino praised the honour in a statement. “Tommy believed in the potential of every neighbourhood in our city, and in the power of development to improve people’s lives,” she said.
Governor Maura Healey called the renaming “a wonderful way to pay tribute to his amazing legacy.” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Menino “guided our city through some of the hardest times in our history.”
The convention centre joins other Boston facilities named for Menino. These include an arts centre in Hyde Park, a pavilion at Boston Medical Center, and athletic fields in West Roxbury.
State officials have discussed expanding the convention centre for years. A recent report recommended adding 800 hotel rooms in the area before any expansion moves forward.
The Seaport District transformation Menino envisioned continues today. The area now features luxury apartments, office towers, and restaurants where empty lots once stood.
