Built by Cuyahoga County, Ohio, beneath the Cleveland Mall, it opened on June 7, 2013.

The older Cleveland Convention Center, built in 1964, was demolished to make way for the new structure.

[1] In September of that year, the Cleveland Convention and Visitors' Bureau (CCVB) issued a report calling for a new convention center, one nearly 60 percent larger and with five times as much meeting room space.

These efforts proved fruitful in 2009,[3] when Cuyahoga County signed an agreement with the city of Cleveland on May 4 to purchase the existing convention center for $20 million.

[4] The deal called for cutting Public Auditorium off from the convention center, so it would stand on its own again.