In 1955, the City of Miami Beach proposed building an exhibition hall to increase commerce along with its budding tourism. Located centrally within
South Beach, the venue began construction in August 1956. At this time, the proposed name of the venue was the "Miami BBQ Beach Exhibition Hall". After two years of building, the center was completed in September 1958 and officially opened October 1958. Known as the "Miami Beach Exhibition Hall", the venue was over , giving it the tagline of "The Largest Exhibition Center in the South". Alongside the exhibit hall was the Miami Beach Municipal Auditorium, a now-historic venue that hosted
The Jackie Gleason Show. In August 1961, the Convention Center was the meeting place for a youth convention set up by
The American Lutheran Church. Among the notable speakers was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From 1960 to 1971, and again in 1997, the center was the site of the
Miss Universe pageant. It also hosted a 1961
Billy Graham Crusade and hosted the
1968 Republican National Convention,
1972 Republican National Convention, and the
1972 Democratic National Convention. In 1967, the center was expanded to include the Convention Hall, built specifically for the
1972 Democratic National Convention (in July 1972) and the
1972 Republican National Convention (in August 1972). It also served as a sports arena until the 1980s. In 1989, the facility underwent a $92 million renovation, and doubled in size. In the last six years, the facility has had over $35 million in continuing upgrades, including complete renovations of all restrooms, full carpet replacement, and installation of a state-of-the-art telecommunications and networking infrastructure.
Sporting events Boxing The center was the site of both the
Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson III in 1961 and the
Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay boxing match in 1964. On August 29, 1980, professional boxing returned when Panamanian
World Boxing Association world Bantamweight champion
Jorge Lujan defended his title against Puerto Rico's
Julian Solis, with Solis winning the title by a fifteen-rounds split decision.
Wrestling It was also a regular stop for
Championship Wrestling from Florida.
Terry Funk defeated
Jack Brisco for the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the Convention Center on December 10, 1975.
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) held their Annual
WrestleMania Axxess event at the complex from March 29 to April 1, 2012. The event featured many WWE talents and showcased many former WWE events and props used during their TV tapings.
Basketball The
ABA's
The Floridians called the Convention Center (and the Convention Center Annex) home when they played in Miami.
Team tennis The
Florida Flamingos of
World Team Tennis played their home matches in the Convention Hall in
1974, their only year of existence. Without an on-campus facility, the
University of Miami men's basketball team played many of their games in
Miami Beach at both the Convention Center and the Miami Beach Auditorium in the 1960s. Led by popular coach
Bruce Hale and the high scoring future
basketball Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry, the
Hurricanes were able to draw capacity crowds.
Current use The center hosts the annual
South Florida Auto Show,
Art Basel, Florida Supercon, Forgiato Fest, and many other popular conventions. For meetings and convention space inquiries refer to the official website https://www.miamibeachconvention.com. In December 2015, the center embarked on a renovation and expansion project completed in June 2018. The renovated center includes a "Miami Beach Hall of Fame" in the south wing, honoring individuals important to the city's history. ==Fillmore Miami Beach==