The Cobo Center as seen from Windsor
On August 15, 1960, Cobo Hall (now known as Cobo Center), one of the nation’s first mega convention facilities, officially opened. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, who was Detroit’s mayor from 1950 to 1957.
The Cobo Center is located on the site where Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French colonist, first set foot and landed on the banks of the river in July 1701 and claimed the area for France in the name of King Louis XIV.
Every sitting U.S. President since 1960 (Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) has addressed a convention or attended an event at Cobo Center. Prior to becoming President, Barack Obama also visited.
Sources :
Detroit Historical Society Facebook Page