Public officials and local merchants in Monroeville are relieved after Oxford Development Co. said it will build a new convention center in the old Wickes Furniture building to replace the 250,000-square-foot ExpoMart, which will be closing in November.

When Oxford announced that ExpoMart, which had become a pillar of the local economy, would be converted into office space as a part of a plan to downsize and remodel the adjacent Radisson Hotel, public officials and merchants worried about losing business.

Every year, ExpoMart hosts hundreds of conventions and trade shows and brings in thousands of visitors who patronize the local hotels, restaurants and retail centers, said Chad Amond, president of the Monroeville Area Chamber of Commerce.

"There's definitely a ripple effect that is associated with having the ExpoMart here," he said.

Scott Bergstein, vice president of realty services for Oxford, said the plan has been in the works for about 10 months and started with the decision to renovate the 30-year-old Radisson Hotel.

"It follows just from the idea that we wanted to re-look at what we had there and then figure out what was the best solution," he said.

The decision to convert the convention center into office space stemmed from a local demand for office space.

The plan, which went through several iterations over the past 10 months, did not always include a new convention center. That had local officials and merchants worried.

Municipal Manager Marshall Bond said Monroeville had begun exploring options for public financing of a new convention center, though he would not detail proposals. He said Monroeville was hoping to attract a private developer to build a new center.

"We were in a mode of trying to replace it and ... I think everybody in a public capacity was attempting to [find] a really viable alternative for it," he said. "We were out beating the bushes here."

Mr. Bond, who was out of town last week, did not know for certain that Oxford would be building a new convention center until a Post-Gazette reporter informed him Tuesday.

"It's a key economic generator for the community," he said. "It's just pleasing that our 'Plan A' here has come to fruition."

The new convention center, while it will have less square footage, will be higher quality and better suited for events like weddings, proms and graduation. Oxford will put about $11 million into the building.

"The ExpoMart is pretty industrial-looking and not really suitable for higher-end functions," he said.

The Radisson, which had suffered because of the opening of less-expensive, "select service" hotels in Monroeville over the past eight years or so, will receive a $10 million makeover to make it "higher end." Everything, including the building's facade, rooms, lobby and swimming pool, will be redone.

The hotel, which closed completely on Monday, had 322 rooms and was under-occupied, Mr. Bergstein said. Oxford plans to demolish the nine-story south tower and renovate the 16-story north tower and downsize the hotel to 186 rooms.

"The hotel business has changed in the 30 years since we built the hotel," he said. "What we came up with was a smaller, but higher-end, hotel."

Mr. Bergstein said 170 Radisson employees had to be laid off, but that all would be considered for rehiring when the hotel reopens in the beginning of next year. The hotel runs a large banquet business, so he said many of the employees would be rehired despite the hotel's downsizing.