Press Release

Monterey Hires SOM for Conference Center Renovation

Monterey, California: The Monterey City Council has awarded a contract for architectural and engineering services to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) for the renovation of the Monterey Conference Center. SOM is one of the largest and most influential architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world. 

“Monterey is fortunate to have attracted the design talent and expertise that SOM will bring to our Conference Center renovation project,” said City Manager Mike McCarthy.

 “We appreciate the opportunity to assist the City of Monterey to breathe new life into their Conference Center, at the heart of the historic downtown area,” said Michael Duncan, FAIA Design Director for the project. “The vision for the project is one of transformation and re-invigoration, enhancing the public realm and building upon the strength of downtown Monterey. We are familiar with the challenges of upgrading and improving convention and conference facilities and look forward to applying many of the same concepts that have guided our ongoing work on the Moscone Convention Center Expansion and Improvement in San Francisco.”

The Monterey Conference Center renovation will dramatically improve the City’s and the County’s position as a destination for meetings and conferences. Once complete, the Monterey Conference Center will be LEED-certified with advanced technology, additional and more functional space and improved options for a variety of meeting needs.

The motivation for the renovation comes directly from sales clients seeking to bring their business to Monterey but requiring a more advanced facility. Monterey’s hotel community is funding the renovation.

The project will be managed by Ausonio, Inc., a Castroville-based firm whose project team includes a highly respected consultant with experience building projects worldwide. Now that the project management firm and the architectural firm are in place, they will begin to develop the timeline for renovation of the Monterey Conference Center. 

Founded in 1936, SOM has completed more than 10,000 projects across 50-plus countries. SOM’s experience on the Monterey peninsula stretches back decades. One of the company’s founders, Nathaniel Owings, was a resident of Big Sur for many years and was active in the communities of Big Sur and Monterey for many years.

Monterey is a waterfront community on the central coast of California with a temperate climate year-round. The Monterey Conference Center is located just steps away from the pristine waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,700 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award — in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Abu Dhabi.