{"id":1081,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-15 20:36:51","latitude":41.39861930000000000973159330897033214569091796875,"longitude":-81.8530884000000042988176573999226093292236328125,"title":"I-X Center","subtitle":"From Factory to Exposition Center","fullsize":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/d918f614ed2aac926ea0fd41c3c6304a.jpg","address":"1 I X Center Dr, Cleveland, OH ","zoom":13,"creator":["Jaret Glueck"],"description":"The International Exposition Center, originally known as the Cleveland Bomber Plant, was built in 1942 with the purpose of constructing major sections of B-29 bombers for the United States during the Second World War. It was constructed and owned by the U.S. Department of Defense and was operated by Fisher Body, a subsidiary of General Motors. Following the conclusion of World War II, the Cleveland Bomber Plant was used briefly as an exhibition hall and sales center, a foreshadowing of what was to come many years later.
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\r\nThe workspace at the Cleveland Bomber Plant during World War II was diverse. African American men and women worked alongside white workers for attractive wages for the time. The demand for workers in the factory was so great that employees required approval from the Department of Defense to change jobs. Aside from the fabrication of B-29 bomber nose and tail sections, Fisher Body also received a contract to build and test top-secret experimental XP-75 fighter planes. The operations were so secretive that those working at the plant did not even know the specifications of the planes themselves.
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\r\nAfter the end of World War II, the Cleveland Bomber Plant was leased to National Terminals and used as a soybean storage facility. The plant was used in this way until the beginning of the Korean War. U.S. involvement in the Korean War saw the Cleveland Bomber Plant become the Cadillac Tank Plant (or Cleveland Tank Plant). During the time of the Cadillac Tank Plant, the plant had expanded to include a photo department, a labor relations office, a full-time lawyer's office, and even a hospital with nurses and a staff doctor. This expansion, coupled with the thousands of workers at the facility, made the plant feel more like a small town in its own right than just a place of work.
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\r\nThe Cadillac Tank Plant produced tanks, artillery pieces, and other military vehicles with varying degrees of success. Following two years of production, the U.S. Army rejected all tanks made at the plant because of a faulty gun mechanism. In 1953, the Walker Bulldog, a light tank, was successfully put into service in Korea.
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\r\nBetween 1964 and 1966, Chrysler held the manufacturing contract at the plant while General Motors held the engineering contract. The relationship between these two companies was reputed to be poor. The plant was divided between these two companies, and a wall was built to protect trade secrets from one another, showcasing the lack of cooperation between the two. Chrysler would eventually lose the manufacturing bid to the Allison division of General Motors, leading to a smoother production process once again. Production continued until 1972. With United States involvement in the Vietnam War coming to an end, the U.S. government decided not to continue with the program upon the completion of the last General Motors contract.
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\r\nAfter the Department of Defense closed the Cleveland Tank Plant, it made the site available for purchase. General Motors and the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland all showed some interest in purchasing the tank plant, but ultimately, none of them bought it.
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\r\nIn 1977 the plant was purchased by The Park Corporation of Charleston, West Virginia, with the intention of transforming the it into an international trade mart. Years after its purchase, in 1985 the facility reopened as the International Exposition and Trade Center, or I-X Center, and was reputedly the largest single-building exposition facility in the world. The I-X Center hosted a large variety of events such as conferences, car, motorcycle, boat, and home and garden shows, trade shows, and later the I-X indoor amusement park.
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\r\nThe I-X Center had created strong competition for the Cleveland Convention Center. After it opened, the I-X Center drew away both the auto and boat shows that were previously held at the downtown convention center. Local unions tried to create new contracts that were aimed at helping the Cleveland Convention Center to keep or attract new trade shows, as the available work at the Cleveland center continued to decline. There was also a "gentlemen's agreement" between Ray Park, owner of the I-X Center, and the City of Cleveland that the I-X Center would not solicit shows that were traditionally run at the Cleveland Convention Center. Despite this agreement, however, the I-X Center offered the space and time desired by shows such as the Auto Show, and the I-X Center was picked over the Cleveland Center.
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\r\nThe Cleveland Convention Center went under renovations and attempted to showcase and market these renovations to remain competitive with the I-X Center and other cities. These renovations proved not to be enough as the Cleveland Convention Center would continue to operate at a loss after its most profitable shows went to the I-X Center.
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\r\nThe addition of 185,000 square feet of exhibit space in 2008 puts the I-X Center at a total of 2.2 million square feet, and it remains one of the largest trade show and exhibition centers in the world as of 2026. The I-X Center was closed during the COVID pandemic and was purchased and reopened by the Industrial Realty Group in 2021. Events continued until March 2026, with the Industrial Realty Group seemingly uninterested in continuing to use the I-X Center for event space.
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\r\nThe I-X Center remains a historic piece of Cleveland's industrial and commercial legacy. From the manufacturing of important military hardware to one of the largest exposition centers in the world, its many different uses mirror the shifting phases of Cleveland's economy.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"The International Exposition Center, originally built as the Cleveland Bomber Plant, has seen an impressive variety of uses over its years of operation. From bomber planes and tanks to the various trade shows and events, the I-X Center has been used for countless different productions and conventions.","website":"","related_resources":["\"I-X Center will substitute for arson-damaged school.\" The Plain Dealer. September 27, 1990.","\"I-X Center.\" Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.","McDonnell, Sean. \"I-X Center deal falls apart, leaving future uncertain for historic event space - Negotiations to bring a manufacturer to the I-X Center appear to have fallen apart.\" The Plain Dealer. February 27, 2026.","\"I-X Center Takes on Biggies.\" The Plain Dealer. March 23, 1986.","\"Old Friend to Boost Convention Center.\" The Plain Dealer. July 23, 1986.","\"Teamsters OK Pact at Convention Center.\" The Plain Dealer. March 12, 1986.","\"Tank Plant.\" The Plain Dealer. October 13, 1986."],"factoids":["After an arson attack on the North Olmsted High School in 1990, the I-X Center was temporarily used to house the students from the school."],"files":{"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/d918f614ed2aac926ea0fd41c3c6304a.jpg":{"id":13096,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"M41 Walker Bulldog Tanks","description":"A set of M41 Walker Bulldog tanks coming off the line at the tank plant. | Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections at Cleveland State University | March 22, 1952 | Cleveland Press","thumbnail":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/d918f614ed2aac926ea0fd41c3c6304a.jpg"},"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/ed84a6688c804b4f33a9a171ea7261a7.jpg":{"id":13087,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"View of the Ground Floor","description":"The interior of the Cleveland Tank Plant, note the size of the production line runways. The factory is packed with assembly areas of all different kinds. | Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections at Cleveland State University | June 8, 1960 | Cleveland Press","thumbnail":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/ed84a6688c804b4f33a9a171ea7261a7.jpg"},"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/8cd1a1b1d209a8db2f3b897b0e72341e.jpg":{"id":13093,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Aerial view of the Cleveland Tank Plant","description":"An aerial photo of the Cleveland Tank Plant captures the immense size of the facility. | Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections at Cleveland State University | May 15, 1975 | Cleveland Press","thumbnail":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/8cd1a1b1d209a8db2f3b897b0e72341e.jpg"},"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/57b8cdf577fbb027079f24a5fed42379.jpg":{"id":13088,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"A Second Look at the Ground Floor","description":"Another impressive angle showing the size and scope of the Cleveland Tank Plant. | Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections at Cleveland State University | November 15, 1961 | Frank Aleksandrowicz","thumbnail":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/57b8cdf577fbb027079f24a5fed42379.jpg"},"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/72b3be8737dd4a1eb8c805e3d469b065.jpg":{"id":13090,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"B-29 Bomber","description":"No known photo exists of the interior of the Fisher B-29 plant in Cleveland. While this photo does not show the Cleveland bomber plant, which made the nose and tail sections of the aircraft fuselages, it gives a general idea of what the plant may have looked like during its wartime production. | National Museum of the US Air Force | ca. 1940s","thumbnail":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/72b3be8737dd4a1eb8c805e3d469b065.jpg"},"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/ad6ff8b0434fa99f88709c7f82dfc42a.jpg":{"id":13101,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Cleveland Auto Show","description":"The Cleveland Auto Show, once a popular attraction at the Cleveland Convention Center, moved to the I-X Center and became one of its most popular events. | Flickr | March 7, 2015 | Erik Drost","thumbnail":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/ad6ff8b0434fa99f88709c7f82dfc42a.jpg"},"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/14ef46631ec907087bf72b106b91a613.jpg":{"id":13102,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Cleveland Boat Show","description":"The Cleveland Boat Show, like the Cleveland Auto Show, also moved from the Cleveland Convention Center, the spacious I-X Center was quite appealing for shows like this that required so much room. | Flickr | March 19, 2022 | Mark Cameron","thumbnail":"https://www.clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/14ef46631ec907087bf72b106b91a613.jpg"}}}