Sept. 05–Contractor Gerald A. Martin Ltd. in said Thursday it has completed the $8.6 million Albuquerque Convention Center Phase 1 Remodel.
The project consisted of demolition and reconstruction, and was the first phase of a multi-phase upgrade to the outdated facility, the company said in a news release.
Phase I consisted of demolition and reconstruction of five major areas of the facility: a 33,000-square-foot ballroom; an 11,000-square-foot commercial kitchen; a new service area elevator; and, the demolition and back-fill of an underground 15 foot x 125 foot covered concrete vehicle ramp in preparation for the second phase of the project.
The Gerald Martin team also re-stuccoed the East Complex Building.
The company said all the work was done while the Convention Center remained open to the public and traffic flowed through Downtown Albuquerque.
Albuquerque Convention Center staff has said that the remodel and updated amenities has helped the sales team in booking events for the space.
The increased capacity in the food and beverage area has also translated into more capacity for food sales. In the first week alone, 26 events were booked with an increase in the bottom line of over $1 million over previous years.
