Waterloo City Council Approves 5 Sullivan Conv Center Name Change It's not the first name change for the convention center in downtown Waterloo. Originally built in 1975, the Conway Civic Center was built as the "hub" of the city with the intention to bring convention-goers and tourists from all over the nation. Back in the day, city officials wanted to bring the city's east and westside together, and that's how they arrived at the building's original name. They combined the words, "connecting way", to make "Conway". Vintage Ephemera via Amazon In 1988, the name was changed to the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center