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The San Diego Marriott Marquis (then known as the Intercontinental), under construction c.1983? (It opened in April 1984.)

The Marriott Marquis, c.1989 (The Grand Hyatt opened in 1992.)

As was mentioned in a recent Comic-Con blog post, the Marriott Hall in San Diego has been demolished to make way for a new, larger ballroom facility.

Harbor Drive, on the left of the map, is the street which runs in front of the Convention Center. On the right is the marina and waterfront.

The project has three components:

1. Marriott Hall

   • “A lower exhibit hall level consisting of 35,900 square feet of exhibit space, 19,800 square feet of pre-function space (such as a gathering area for conference check-ins, cocktail space or exhibit space), 16,200 square feet of back of house space;
   • “A 6,500-square foot mezzanine level; and
   • “An upper ballroom level containing 35,900 square feet of ballroom space and 25,200 square feet of pre-function space, and 11,800 square feet of back house space.”  [Hall H = 64,842 sq.ft.]

2. Marina Terrace

   • “…a 25,000 square-foot flexible outdoor area used for hotel events such as cocktail parties, receptions, and luncheons up to 15% of the year. When not in use for outdoor hotel events, Marina Terrace will be accessible for use by the public as an open gathering and activity space 85% of the year.”

   

3. Marina Walk

   • “…a minimum 50-foot-wide public accessway containing a 40-foot-wide public pedestrian access corridor and a 10-foot-wide landscape buffer, adjacent to the Hyatt parking structure, containing palm trees, evergreen canopy trees and drought resistant, non-invasive plants. Marina Walk will widen to 80 feet as it approaches the Embarcadero Promenade, and will widen to 145 feet at the Harbor Drive gateway to Marina Walk.”

The highlights:

• 27,000 square feet of ballroom and meeting space above a 25,000 square foot parking area replaced by two ballrooms, each with 35,900 square feet of exhibition space.
• Relocation of cooling towers.
• Removal of surface parking along the marina.  (Check out this street view of what exists now!)
• A new restroom! (Behind Sally’s Restaurant.)

Hotel owners plan to have the $70 Million project completed by next Summer.

Two weeks out from Comic-Con (that’s next week) is generally what we call “Hell Week” as all the details get locked down, programming goes out, meetings get set, dinners take shape and so on. But we’re beginning to get a picture of what’s new this year. And one thing that wont be new is selfie sticks on the con floor. The Con has updated its Tech rules to keep pace with the times, and selfie sticks, live streaming from panels, e-cigs and more are all prohibited:

No Selfie Sticks or Similar Devices at Comic-Con
We know you want that perfect photo of yourself and the gang at Comic-Con and your arms just aren’t long enough, but please be aware that selfie sticks, GoPro poles, or any device that extends your camera or phone away from your hand, are not allowed at Comic-Con. With so many people in attendance, protruding cameras or phones sticking up in the air are a definite hazard. If you’re caught with a selfie stick, you will be asked by security to put it away and not use it at Comic-Con. This includes all of the Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, Programming and Event rooms, etc., and on Convention Center grounds outside, and any official Comic-Con events outside the Center, including the Marriott Marquis, Manchester Grand Hyatt, Hilton San Diego Bayfront, and Omni San Diego hotels, the Horton Grand Theatre, and the San Diego Central Library.

As one wag in a blog post put it, can a selfie stick really be any more hazardous than giant wings on a cosplayer, but I’d rather duck around a show-off with a great costume than a narcissist with a phone—also selfie sticks are used to get “upskirts,” another reason to ban them. According to the post, drones are also banned, a wise preemptive strike against preemptive strikes.

There’s a lot more news on the Toucan blog, including this post on changes to the local scene. I can’t believe Torsten missed this, but an entire venue has been torn down:

One thing that has gone away: Marriott Hall. That venerable programming venue, which hosted Anime and Film Festival screenings and the Fulfillment Room for the past few years, has been torn down by the Marriott Marquis and Marina Hotel to make room for a bigger and better convention facility, which is still under construction. Because of that, some changes have been made to locations for various ongoing Comic-Con programs and events.

Anime screenings have been moved back to the convention center and fullfillment to the Hyatt.

I can’t say that I’ve ever been to Marriott Hall but I guess it was located between the Marriott and the Hyatt parking garage. This area is actually being updated to include a whole new 171,000 sq ft meeting facility! Designed and constructed at a cost of some $70 million, I guess this shows that private enterprise is the way to go on the shores of San Diego harbor. The new area will include:

• The demolition of the existing Marriott Hall ballroom and the removal of 403 parking spots;
• The construction of a new and expanded Marriott Hall with ballroom and exhibit hall space;
• The construction of an outdoor event area, known as Marina Terrace
• The addition of public access corridor improvements, known as Marina Walk, that would be located between the Marriott and the adjacent Manchester Grand Hyatt;
• The relocation of two existing mechanical cooling towers and the addition of two new cooling towers.
The project does not involve an increase in the number of hotel rooms or any in-water work at the Marriott Marina.

Artists rendition above. Torsten, get planning now.

This post also mentions The Quartyard, an area located to the northeast of Petco (Where all the new stuff seems to be happening) described as “an Urban Park constructed from repurposed shipping containers in the East Village Neighborhood of Downtown San Diego.” This area houses a coffee shop and food trucks! The food truck where I got my life-changing breakfast burrito no longer exists, alas, but I’m still burrito bound.

The CCI folks have also released a map of the expanded “campus” for 2015, which includes the usual core hotels. Programming at the Horton Grand Theater has been continued, and playback of Hall H panels has been moved to the Omni. In addition, the San Diego Central Library will be a hub of activity this year, with the addition ogfthe Art of Comic-Con exhibit and more:

Educational programs (Shiley Events Suite, 9th floor); Podcasts and Web Series programs (Neil Morgan Auditorium, ground level); Art of Comic-Con Gallery Exhibition (Gallery, 9th floor). The official address for the Central Library is 330 Park Blvd., however for the Auditorium, it’s better to enter off of 11th Ave., by K St.

Here’s a detailed map of the venues, which are spread out quite a bit this year by con standards, so wear comfortable shoes.

Do any of locals have any other tips and hints for this year? Ideas for where to get a breakfast burrito? Memories of Marriott Hall? Let us know below!