Prime F. Osborn Convention Center

Prime F. Osborn Convention Center or Osborn III Convention Center is 265,000 square feet. It is in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. It was built in 1986 as part of Union Station. Prime Osborn offers two exhibit halls with 78,500 square feet total. There are numerous ballrooms and meeting rooms for local residents or visitors to book. The City may replace this convention center in the coming decade though. There are plans for a 500,000 square foot convention center to be built near the JTA Skyway.

LaVilla, the suburb where Prime Osborn Convention Center is located was a railroad hub. It was the first station to be built by the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, which later became the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Given that the building was no longer needed for the railroad by the 1980s the building was converted to the convention center. However, it seems this history of railroad use is not as in the past as one might expect. The JTA wishes to convert the center back to a railroad terminal for the Florida East Coast Railway creating a passenger method of travel. They also hope to have a commuter rail as part of the railway. For now though it remains a convention center for any public or private event.