The Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center is located in the Historic Columbus Iron Works. Situated on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, the Trade Center is a local landmark of the downtown area and is located conveniently to first-class sleeping accommodations, restaurants and entertainment facilities. Painstakingly restored to its Civil War splendor, the Iron Works is a unique setting for your next meeting or conference. Situated on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, the Trade Center is a local landmark of the downtown area and is located conveniently to first-class sleeping accommodations, restaurants and entertainment facilities. A symbol of the city's industrial growth, it began operating in 1853. For more than a century, it was a bustling manufacturing center where the country's first ice box was built and where skilled laborers built some of the steam ships that went up and down the Chattahoochee. It is now home to the award-winning Columbus, Georgia Convention & Trade Center.