The MetroCenter was conceived as an experiment in good government, bringing together three interrelated regional agencies to build a governmental condominium at a major transit hub, the Lake Merritt BART station. Ground was broken in March 1982, and in April 1984, the three partner agencies – MTC, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and BART – hosted a celebration to mark the building’s official opening. In 1987, the three partner agencies jointly dedicated the MetroCenter in honor of a regional visionary, Joseph P. Bort – MTC’s first chair and a former president of ABAG. And in 1999, the building’s auditorium was named in honor of Lawrence D. Dahms, MTC’s longtime executive director.
News
MetroCenter Memories
Wednesday, March 23, 2016