The Moscone Center is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It comprises three main halls: Two underground halls underneath Yerba Buena Gardens, known as Moscone North and Moscone South, plus a three-level Moscone West exhibition hall across 4th Street. It was initially built in 1981 by architects Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum as one single hall, Moscone South, and named after George Moscone, a former mayor of San Francisco who was assassinated in 1978.
Ironically, Moscone had opposed the development of the area since he thought it would displace middle-class residents. The expansion of Moscone North and Moscone West in 1992 and 2003 added an additional of 533,000 square feet to its original 330,000 square feet of exhibit space.
It is well known for hosting events focused on Apple Inc., such as Macworld Expo and the Worldwide Developers Conference. It is also home to several large professional gatherings, such as the American Bar Association's annual meeting, the Game Developers Conference, and public gated events such as WonderCon and the 1984 Democratic National Convention.
PowerLight Corporation installed a large solar electricity system on the roof of the center in March 2004. The installation of this system marked San Francisco's first major step towards obtaining all municipal energy from pollution-free sources. With the 60,000 square foot solar array (675 kW capacity) in place, San Francisco boasts one of the largest city-owned solar installations in the country. The electricity generated by the solar system, combined with savings from energy efficiency measures, delivers the equivalent energy to power approximately 8,500 homes.
The location of the complex in the South of Market area provides easy access to downtown San Francisco's many hotels and restaurants, as well as major transportation systems such as BART and Muni Metro. The Amtrak bus stop at the Moscone Center (station code SFM) also transports riders to nearby Emeryville Amtrak station.
American Airlines recently announced plans for an AAdvance Bag Check facility at the Moscone Center. American Airlines passengers will be able to check their luggage and print their boarding pass at Moscone, then simply collect the bags at their final destination.
