CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The first renderings of Charleston Civic Center upgrades — unveiled at a meeting of the City Council finance committee Monday — show glass facades, lofty walkways and enhanced riverfront landscaping. While those concepts aren’t set in stone, architects hope the Civic Center will meet its potential with Odell Associates’ recommended upgrades. Odell did those initial renderings, but there will be a design contest for final plans.
J. Michael Woollen, of the architecture firm Odell Associates, said the project would turn the Civic Center “into a state-of-the-art coliseum and convention center.”
Members of Odell’s team kept in mind the four goals of the project: to renovate and expand the building to meet local and regional needs; to increase economic impact in the area; to provide upscale, high quality meeting and ballroom space; and to improve the overall facility.
Recommendations have changed since a first market study of the Civic Center. The firm expanded Charleston’s market to include events from a 4-hour radius around Charleston…