The Lake County convention center will be located adjacent to the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary.
The three-member Lake County Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed Wednesday the Hard Rock site is a better bet for the long-term interests of the county’s citizens than a competing convention center proposal at Hobart’s Patriot Park.
The winning plan calls for construction of an estimated $137 million, 145,000 sq. ft. glass and steel convention and event center on 29th Avenue just west of the Burr Street entrance and exit ramp to the Borman Expressway (Interstate 80/94).
The building will be jointly owned by a new Lake County Convention Center Authority and the city of Gary, and operated by Hard Rock.
