Bayside Expo Center

Bayside Expo Center (also known as the Bayside Expo and Conference Center) was a convention center located in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Originally opened as a shopping mall called Bayside Mall in the 1960s, the mall later failed and the convention center opened in its place. In 2010, it was purchased by the University of Massachusetts Boston after the building went into foreclosure.
History.
Bayside Mall was built in 1967 by Family City Development in 1967. Originally featuring Zayre, Almy's, Woolworth, and Stop & Shop as its major tenants. The center suffered greatly from high crime and poor sales among its stores, causing Almy's and many of the other stores to close in 1972, and the rest to close in 1973. A $15 million development plan launched in 1982 began converting the property to Bayside Expo Center. Bayside Expo Center officially opened for business in January 1983.
UMass Boston's eventual plan was to demolish the center, and redevelop it into space for the campus. It had been proposed as the site for the Olympic Village as part of the Boston bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The property is located near the JFK/UMass station on the MBTA Red Line, which would have been renovated under the Olympics plan. On 4 March 2015, part of the roof of the building collapsed under the weight of snow during Boston's record-setting winter of 2015.
In April 2016, demolition of the building began in order to expand the parking area, to build new pedestrian walkways connecting Mount Vernon Street with the Dorchester Shores Reservation and the Boston Harborwalk, and to improve the lighting, landscaping, bike racks, and security. UMass officials and the Kraft Group had discussed constructing a stadium for the New England Revolution at the Bayside site, which was ultimately cancelled. In January 2018, the UMass System put the property up for sale, with initial estimates indicating that the university could receive $200 million or more from such a sale.
In May 2018, the U.S. Treasury Department approved a request submitted by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker that the Columbia Point census tract, which includes the Bayside Expo Center, be designated as an opportunity zone under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In February 2019, the UMass Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 99-year final lease agreement for the Bayside Expo Center with Accordia Partners for $235 million.