David L. Lawrence Convention Center Riverfront Plaza
Formerly a staging area for barges and a downtown by-pass highway, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Riverfront Plaza welcomes visitors arriving by boat, bike and foot. It directly connects the Convention Center to Pittsburgh’s 15-mile downtown system of riverfront parks and trails. The riverfront Plaza also offers additional public green space, native plantings and trees, and a boat landing. Visitors can access the riverfront Plaza via a scenic winding walk flanked by flowing waterfalls through the heart of the Convention Center.
Get DirectionsBefore and After Photos
Features
Partners
Sports and Exhibition Authority, owner and operator
Riverlife (design and engineering support)
LaQuatra Bonci Associates (landscape design)
Sports and Exhibition Authority of Allegheny County website
Background
Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center debuted in 2003 and was immediately recognized internationally for its sustainable design as the largest Gold LEED-rated building in the world. The site, however, lacked pedestrian access to the Allegheny Riverfront. After an extensive planning period and public process, the Convention Center Riverfront Plaza broke ground in 2009 and was opened to the public by the Sports and Exhibition Authority in 2011, completing the Convention Center’s connection to the riverfront and creating a new link between the existing Allegheny Riverfront Park trail and riverfront trail in the Strip District.
