1960 Worldcon Site Selection

Site selection for the 1960 Worldcon was held at Detention in 1959.

It was held on Sunday at the WSFS Business meeting which chose Pittsburgh for the 1960 Worldcon from the bidders, Pittsburgh in 60, DC in 1960, Philadelphia in 1960 and Chicago in 60.

The process was more complicated than typical. In Sam Moskowitz' Detention reminiscence from the Noreascon Three PB, he writes:

The bidding for the next convention site smacked of the same sleight-of-hand that had won the bid for Philadelphia in Chicago. Bids were made by Pittsburgh, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. I was somehow in on it, in what detail I no longer recall, but I joined Willy Ley and P. Schuyler Miller in making seconding speeches for  Pittsburgh. With no warning, Earl Kemp, speaking for Chicago, withdrew his bid (somewhat questionable to begin with) and threw the support of that city to Pittsburgh. Since there was a substantial Chicago-area representation in attendance, as well as my Eastern Science Fiction Association and Willy Ley's Hydra Club, and since Pittsburgh wasn't too much of a trip for Philadelphia in 1960 supporters, Pittsburgh steamrollered the other contestants.

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1959

Site Selection

1961

1960

This is page about convention bidding, the competition and its outcome. Please extend it by adding information about who was bidding, and how the race went.