Qubein: Land Under Contract for Expanded Downtown High Point Events Center
Organizers of downtown High Point's revitalization project have found a home for the $20 million Congdon Events Center, which will be bigger than originally planned.
New plans for the events center call for building a 25,000-square-foot facility that will connect to two historic properties – The Factory and Plant Seven at the corner of English Road and Elm Street.
Both buildings are under contract, according to High Point University President Nido Qubein, who has led planning and fundraising efforts for the downtown project.
“We have taken the original plans from a single-use large ballroom and expanded them into a large ballroom that extends into a 100,000-square-foot multipurpose facility,” Qubein said.
“It will provide incredible opportunity, efficiencies and productivity to groups inside and outside the city. It exceeds the scale of our original vision and can host concurrent events, large expositions and a multiplicity of applications.”
The event center is being made possible by a gift from the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation and will be operated by the High Point Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The center's architecture and design will be congruent with The Factory, Plant Seven and the BB&T Point stadium, which will open in May and serve as the home field for the High Point Rockers baseball team. Plant Seven, operated by the nonprofit HP365 and adjacent to the ballpark, is a redevelopment of the former Union Square property that features co-working, showroom, event and restaurant space.
“We have created a facility that has romance and utility, as well as efficiency and effectiveness, all at the same time,” Qubein said. “I’m also excited it’s going to be located next to the stadium area. I see potential connectivity between the Congdon Events Center, expositions, showrooms and more using the stadium also as an outdoor facility for events.
The center is part of a massive revitalization project taking shape in High Point. In May 2017, Qubein announced that he would provide naming rights for the city’s new baseball stadium as well as the baseball team ownership group and money for the team.
Four months later, Qubein announced $100 million in projects, including the events center, apartments and a hotel. High Point University's board of trustees pledged $20 million to the revitalization effort.
Plans also are underway for the intersection of Hamilton Street and Montlieu Avenue for the 50,000-square-foot Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum.
The total philanthropic investment is $63 million – which is spurring millions more in private development.
