Mr. Steel, 64, is the president and chief executive of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which, along with the Hudson Yards redevelopment and a spurt of new hotels, is helping to redefine the underused Far West Side of Manhattan.
The convention center is undergoing a $465 million renovation.
Interview conducted and condensed by
VIVIAN MARINO
Q. How is business at the convention center?
A. Business is good. This past fiscal year was very strong for us, which is reflective of the trade-show industry. We’re occupied about 70 percent of the year, which given the calendar and the need for maintenance in the building, is pretty much fully operational.
The business that we have right now is primarily trade and consumer shows. We’re increasingly looking to add in some smaller, narrow-windowed events, special events and activities that take place in a short period of time to fill in the remaining days.
Q. What is the status of the center’s redevelopment project?
A. We’re about 95 percent done. We have pretty much completed all the exterior wall work; we are largely finished with the new green roof, which will be the second-largest in the country and the largest in the Northeast; we have some part to finish on the south side of the building, but the north side is pretty much finished.
The construction began in 2009, so by the time we’re finished it’ll be a full four-and-a-half-year project. We will be completely done by June/July of this year.
Q. Are you going for LEED certification?
A. Yes, it will be silver.
Q. The roof will certainly make the neighborhood more aesthetically pleasing.
A. If you look at the Silver Towers on 42nd street, they look down over essentially six acres of greenery, and that would be the same for any of the buildings being developed in the area. It’s really a very different and more welcoming aspect than was a flat, black roof with air-conditioners on the top.
Q. The center seems to have needed a top-to-bottom renovation, especially given complaints about leaks.
A. It desperately needed it.
It had some issues from almost the day it started almost 30 years ago. I think the design was perhaps ahead of the materials that we used at the time. So in terms of things like roof leaks, which had become a real issue, simply being able to address that and get this taken care of was a huge leap forward. It sounds like a simple thing, but that was a real important aspect of what was done.
Q. What were some of the other important changes?
A. We spent close to $20 million to bring the building up to speed in terms of Internet and Wi-Fi access. This will allow us to attract more of the financial conferences that have heavy use of Internet and Wi-Fi.
Q. So are you attracting more business as a result?
A. I think two things have happened. First of all there were a couple of events that had left the city that have now come back. Fancy Food Show has now returned to New York. It went to Washington, D.C. Lightfair International is returning to New York.
Q. What are your thoughts on all the new development in the area, particularly Hudson Yards?
A. We welcome it. We’ve been on the Far West Side for a long time; now it feels as if we’re in Midtown West. The whole development is changing the dynamics for us. The fact is that the No. 7 subway line extension, which will open sometime this year, will finally connect us to the city, and we haven’t been connected before. The extension of the No. 7 line, conceived for the benefit of Hudson Yards, will have a huge impact on the Javits Center and its operation.
With the development of the High Line and of Hudson River Park by Related, I refer to this as the “Golden Age of Javits.” Finally. We’ve been there for a long time waiting, and now it’s suddenly coming to us, and we’re in a very different place and we’ll be appreciated in a very different way.
Q. When the center’s renovations are completed, will there be a celebratory bash?
A. We had a soft event back in November, primarily to acknowledge the role the hotel community had played with helping the development. I think at this point we’ll probably be happy enough to have it end.