I posted this in the Aqueduct casino thread, but it's probably more appropriate here:
If you read the transcript of Cuomo's state of the state address, it actually does not call for the complete demolition of the Javits Center, necessarily. He actually proposes making a smaller convention center out of the Javits or on another site on the west side.
Quote:
We can then master plan the 18-acre Jacob Javits
Convention Center site as a mixed-use facility to revitalize
New York City’s West Side. We will follow the highly
successful Battery Park City model, which has resulted in
housing, hotels, museums, and over 10 million square feet
of Class A office space. As part of the redevelopment, we
will explore options for serving the needs of smaller and
medium sized trade shows at the Javits site or elsewhere on
the West Side of Manhattan.
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http://www.governor.ny.gov/assets/do...-York-Book.pdf
That elsewhere he's referring to is probably the west side of the Farley post office building, which has been looked at to serve as a smaller event space, but would need significant fire and life safety upgrades first.
Focusing on having smaller venues in space constrained Manhattan seems like a good plan. I would imagine there's more of a market for this scale of event but not enough venues. Look at the difficulty Fashion Week had when they were looking for a new spot. The only time I ever go to the Javits is for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, and it takes up maybe a quarter of the exhibition space. The boat shows can go to Queens.
And if they kept part of the Javits Center, it could be the south end that has the glass entry pavilion, the only architecturally interesting part of the building (it's actually quite beautiful on the inside). It's also the side closest to the subway and the part of the building they're likely spending the most on in the current renovation, so maybe that half billion dollars won't go completely to waste.