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Grand River Center...
NOW OPEN
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Construction
Progress Updates!
Below
we have archived the construction
of the Conference Center. The newest update
appears at the top of the list and chronologically
work down to the groundbreaking ceremony featured
at the bottom of the page. We hope you find
this
an entertaining and educational feature as we
watch this important Dubuque facility come
to life together. |
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Welcome
the the Grand River Center
October
25th, 2003 - NEW
UPDATE!
The
big day has come! Hundreds of Dubuquers
converge on the Grand River Center
to cut the ribbon and lead the
way into 21st Century activity
at the Port of Dubuque. Click
Here or on the images below
to visit the 80 image final gallery.
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Finishing
Touches -
October 13th, 2003
Just
days until the ribbon-cutting,
the detail work is wrapping up
at the Grand River Center both
inside and out. Click
Here or on the images below
to visit the 64 image update gallery.
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Reflecting
on Perfection -
July 25th, 2003
Sheer
interior size and striking reflective exteriors
compete for the most impressive views of
the Grand River Center which will be complete
in a few weeks. Click
Here or on the images below to visit
the 76 image update gallery.
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It's
All Perspective - May 10, 2003
Impressive
views dominate the Grand River Center
inside and out. Work moves forward
at a brisk pace as steel, stone and
glass come together to form a striking
silhouette on the river horizon. Click
Here or on the images below to
visit the 44 image update gallery.
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Set
in Stone - March 14, 2003
The
structural work is all but complete
on the main building, the pre-cast
stone
is in place, and workers focus on
the facade and interior or the
structure.
Standing next to the bold stone pillars,
and imagining the huge glass walls,
it is becoming ever easier to get
a
feel for the spectacular final look
and feel of the Grand River Center.
Click
Here or on the images below to
visit the 28 image update gallery.
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A
Bold Statement on the Horizon - February
17, 2003
Well,
if you wondered what it was going
to
look like, you can get a pretty good
idea right now. With the steel
infrastructure
in place and the roof and exterior
pre-cast stone being applied, the
exterior
shape of the convention center is
unmistakable against the horizon
on the Wisconsin
Bluff line.Click
Here or on the images below to
visit the 31 image update gallery.
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Starting
From the Ground Up - January 10, 2003
Weather
play an issue when you are working
outdoors. For the most part, workers
at the Mississippi River National
Education
and Conference Center have enjoyed
a very mild and dry year. However,
for some unlucky reason, each time
we visited, the weather was not
cooperating
quite like we'd hoped. In some of
the earlier photos in the set,
taken the
week before the Grand Harbor Resort's
opening, rain left a muddy mess
throughout
the site. Again on Jan, 8th, winds
whipped and temperatures plummeted
making it very painful to be outside
unprotected for very long. The
day
before had been over 50 degrees and
people were golfing. It goes to
the
the unpredictable condition that contractors
must deal with, especially in the
early
stages of a construction project. Click
Here or on the images below to
visit the 28 image update gallery.
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Breaking
Ground! - June 24th, 2002
Dubuque
Celebrates The Birth Of The Mississippi
River National Education and Conference
Center.
It's not so much the heat... Yes, it
was a hot day, but also a very exciting
and historic day for the City of Dubuque
and the America's River Project. After
many years of planning and thousands
of man hours by hundreds of organizers
and volunteers, the fruits of their
labor paid off on June 24th as Governor
Tom Vilsack led a host of area dignitaries
and interested residents in marking
the first day of construction on the
magnificent new event venue at the
Port of Dubuque.The conference center
will be completed by November 2003.
The
Mississippi River National Education
and Conference Center is one of the
key features of the $188-million America's
River project. The building will be
an 114,500 square foot conference,
meeting, and training facility on the
bank of the Mississippi River. It will
offer state-of-the-art technology to
all of its 12,000-square-foot meeting
and classroom space. The facility will
feature a flexible 30,000-square-foot
exhibition and assembly hall. The most
unique design of the facility is a
2,100 square-foot glass event room
that provides a year-round panoramic
view of the Mississippi River.
Browse
81 great images from the event, Click
Here!
Governor
Vilsack applauds Dubuque's
vision and leadership.
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John
Deere pitched in to make this
a groundbreaking worth remembering.
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About the Center
The Mississippi
River Education and Conference Center will be a 114,500-square-foot
state-of-the-art convention, meeting, and learning facility. Connected
to the Riverfront Hotel via a skywalk, the Conference Center will be
Dubuque's premier venue for conventions and large group events. The
building will present a striking image from both land and water and
is sure to be a marquee image of the America's River Complex. The center
boasts 12,000-square-feet of meeting and classroom space, an adaptable
30,000-square-foot exhibition and assembly hall, and a 12,000-square-foot
Grand Salon Ballroom next to a 9,000-square-foot outdoor river terrace.
These areas will become a prized commodity for area dining and entertainment
events. Fiber optic and satellite links will connect the center to
the riverfront hotel, the Mississippi River Discover Center and Aquarium
and National Rivers Hall of Fame, as well as the outside digital world.
The center is the last of the major construction elements to be constructed.
Its projected completion date will come sometime in late 2003.
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A
New Look
The Education and Conference center has a bold new look. Take
an animated Quicktime three-dimensional fly-around of the
new facility (Coming Soon!). Or click the images below for
great views of the structure form many differently angles.
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The
Original Vision
Every Plan has phases. This is no exception. Look at these early
artists renderings of what the Conference Center may look like.
Compare the classic, yet bold maritime look to the current fluid,
modern look of the design as it will appear when constructed. |
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(Above) The educational Wetlab, which will still exist,
will be connected fiber-optically to the rest of the world.(Left)
A view of the conference center from the river. Notice
the giant suspension poles and wires. |
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(Above)
The lobby area boasted a grand glass-walled view of the
Mississippi. (Left) A land side view of the Center. |
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