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SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 AT 1:00 AM Cobo's new ballroom unveiled tonight LOUIS AGUILAR THE DETROIT NEWS 15 COMMENTS

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The 40,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom's exterior at Cobo Center was toured by members of the news media on earlier this year. The unveiling of the interior will take place tonight. (Max Ortiz / The Detroit News)

Detroit -The $115 million transformation of the legendary Cobo Arena into a Recommend 75 shimmering ballroom with three-story glass walls is now complete. Tweet 0 About 300 VIP’s inaugurate the Grand Riverview Ballroom tonight The ballroom, according to Cobo Center officials, can seat the entire 2,250 0 population of Grosse Pointe Shores.

The 6,500 glass panels surrounding the ballroom will provide sweeping Dow NYSE NASDAQ S&P 500  Email views of the Detroit River and city skyline. It will have two of the world’s largest retractable wall partitions, each about the size of an NBA basketball  Print court. It has a hydraulic-lift stage, which will provide dramatic introductions of  Share vehicles during the annual auto show, rising from the floor below.  A A  The Grand Riverview Ballroom is one the landmark pieces of the nearly $300 million renovation of Cobo Center. The upgrades will add 22,500 square feet of exhibition space, a massive digital video screen on Jefferson serving as the outdoor marquee, and extensive upgrades throughout the convention center. The overhaul started three years ago and is slated to finished in 2015.

“People will soon be asking, ‘What was your first event in the new Cobo Center?” said Thom Connors, Cobo’s general manager.

Ownership of Cobo transferred from the city to the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority in 2009. Since then, the convention center has been on the upswing.

Last year, convention, trade show and meeting business doubled to $200 million, compared with $94 million in 2011, officials said.

It’s made a $1.7 million profit so far in the first nine months of its fiscal year 2013. ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Many Metro Detroiters hold strong memories of the former Cobo Arena sports and concert venue, officials admit. The ballroom space is where the Tigers' Singing Hot Dog Man 'sorry to see this day come' steep, bowl-like venue was located. It's a huge recruiting weekend for Michigan football Last year, Connors told the Detroit News that "almost every day, someone and basketball tells me of what band they saw or event they attended” at the former Cobo Tigers unleash 26 hits on Royals in rout Arena.

The former arena opened in 1960 and was home to the Detroit Pistons Ford Field serves up slice of Detroit from 1961-78. It hosted presidential speeches, boxing, wrestling, figure skating, roller derby and high school graduation ceremonies. UP DOWN

Earlier this week, Vince Selinger was taking photos with his camera of the glass walls of the ballroom from the Detroit Riverwalk pathway which passes within a few yards of Cobo.

“They did a good job, but I think I’m always going to remember the great FEATURED JOBS THIS WEEK bands I saw there,” Selinger, 58, said. Hiring all Nursing Pharmacist His father saw Frank Sinatra and John Coltrane perform at Cobo. As a Positions! Southgate Pharmacy IMPERIAL MI teenager in the late 1960s, his older sister took him to a Simon and HEALTHCARE CENTRE Dearborn Heights , MI Garfunkel concert. “It was the first place I went where everybody had long hair. People were smoking pot. It was another world,” he said. Engineer Sr Prog/Analyst He returned to Cobo for at least a dozen concerts in the 70s, he said. In CSR Technology Inc. HCL Global Systems, Inc. Auburn Hills , MI Farmington , MI 1975, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band recorded its “Live Bullet” album, which was released the following year. Performers such as Aretha Franklin, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Prince, the Sex Pistols and PREVIOUS NEXT Madonna played at the venue.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: “The Who, Alice Cooper, Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker,” Selinger,” he said, naming off some the famous acts he saw at Cobo. Recruiters, showcase your positions here. As Selinger reminisced another man on the Riverwalk overhead and chimed in his Cobo Arena memories. “James Brown, baby, back, like in the 70s’. We tore it up! The whole crowd dancing, dancing, dancing,” the man said. “And the Pistons, that’s where they still need to be playing.”

The band Phish was the last concert at Cobo in 2009. The venue waned in popularity during its final years because of competition from larger venues. [email protected] Join the Conversation The Detroit News aims to provide a forum that fosters smart, civil discussions on the news and POLICIES events that we cover. The News will not condone personal attacks, off topic posts or brutish Community Policy language on our site. If you find a comment that you believe violates these standards, please Privacy Policy click the "X" in the upper right corner of the post to report it. Terms of Service

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Jim Aaron · Top Commenter The Cobo Complex is run by a professional company that runs convention centers in many places, the Crooks and shakedowns have been removed and business is growing, they will be taking lots of business from Chicago as well. Reply · 9 · Like · Follow Post · 5 hours ago

FoundedBy TheFrench · Top Commenter · Detroit, Michigan Can't wait to see this!! On with the improvement party! ;-) Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · about an hour ago

Timothy Hutton · Top Commenter At the in of the day will all can agree, Cobo's anticipated future success is due to public financing (taxes), not middle men (Regional Board who contacted operations). Reply · Like · Follow Post · 2 hours ago

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