I-X Center To Close Permanently Due To Coronavirus

CLEVELAND — The I-X Center will permanently close due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company announced Wednesday.

The indoor event center has hosted trade shows, presidential rallies, competitions and the popular I-X Indoor Amusement Park. Annually, the space draws approximately 2 million visitors.

However, with tourism and event industries effectively halted due to the spread of COVID-19, the I-X Center suffered an economic blow. Company officials blamed the virus' impact on industry for the decision to close.

“The global pandemic has decimated the event industry as well as many other businesses and has ultimately led to this decision,” a company official said in a news release.

The I-X Center was originally built in 1942 as a plant for constructing B-29 bombers. After the war, the facility was briefly used as a space for soybean storage. In 1950, with the Korean War on, the plant began manufacturing tanks.

In 1985, the facility became the largest single-building exhibition space in the world. The facility hosted trade shows, large events and competitions, before also producing its own events like the I-X Indoor Amusement Park.

"The I-X Center would like to thank all its customers, employees, and attendees who helped make the I-X Center a success over the past 35 years," company officials said.