Boston Convention Center renamed to honor former Mayor Tom Menino: "A significant moment for the city"
The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was officially renamed Saturday to honor the late former Mayor Tom Menino.
Menino led the city for more than 20 years and was a driving force behind the construction of the convention center on Summer Street in South Boston.
His family joined current Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and several other community leaders at a ceremony Saturday to celebrate the name change.
"Symbol of Boston's transformation"
"This building stands a symbol of Boston's transformation and no one was more instrumental in that transformation than my dad, Tom Menino," said Menino's son, Tom Jr. "He knit the city together block by block, neighborhoods by neighborhoods with a common thread - opportunity."
"I wish you were here because you would've loved how your vision turned out" said Menino's daughter, Susan Menino Fenton.
Menino grew up in Hyde Park and was one of the most successful mayors in the history of Boston, according to WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller.
"He made this a top priority"
"The ceremony today is a significant moment for the city, in the history of the city and certainly for the Menino family," Keller said.
"He knew that the city was not going to be able to compete for high dollar tourism and conventions if it didn't upgrade its convention center facilities. The old Hynes in the Back Bay was getting outmoded and being passed over. He made this a top priority. He made it happen, despite tremendous political and financial obstacles, so it's fitting that it should bear his name going forward."
The date for the ceremony is also significant. Menino became the mayor of Boston on July 12, 1993. The convention center opened in 2004.
"The fact is, he did get things done and the Menino Center is perhaps the single greatest example of that," Keller said.
Menino retired from office in 2013. He died in October 2014 at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer.