In 1967, the Spectrum arena (SA), also known as the CoreStates Spectrum, was opened in Philadelphia, on the south side of Broad Street. Some 43 years later, the building was demolished. Now it is part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex (SPSC), home to many of the city’s sports teams and clubs. Read more on iphiladelphia.
Construction history
The development and design of the most modern sports arena of the twentieth century in Philly belongs to the American architectural and urban planning company Skidmore, Owings & Merrill from Chicago. It is one of the most important architectural firms in the world. It has more than 50,000 projects. The general contractor is Philly construction magnate Thomas D. McCloskey. He managed many of the city’s buildings, including Veterans Stadium, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, the Mint, Central Square and, of course, SA.
The SA was built in the fall of 1967. The ground for the future arena was laid by Eagles president Jerry Woolman and former Mayor James Tate. It was the first modern indoor sports facility in the history of Philly. It featured a scoreboard with a message board for the first time among other similar structures. These boards displayed photos, animations, and even messages. This was real magic for those times.
It was planned to house the Philadelphia Flyers (PF), a professional hockey club that competes in the National Hockey League as part of the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division. So, it happened. From 1967 to 1996, SA served as the home to the hockey team. The PF have played their home games at the arena since its inception. They appeared in the same year as the Philly sports venue.
But not only hockey was played in the arena of Philly’s first modern indoor facility. It also hosted soccer and mini-football competitions, lacrosse, basketball and more. The arena was the home of the Philadelphia 76ers, an American basketball team that competes in the North American professional basketball league, the NBA.
The SA was owned by Comcast Spectacor, an American company that was engaged in sports and entertainment in Philly. They owned not only the arena, but also the PF hockey club, the Philadelphia Wings lacrosse team, the Seoul Infernal esports team and others.
In its first 25 years, the SA offered an incredible view of the neighboring John F. Kennedy Stadium. The building was expanded several times. Its capacity was 17,380 for hockey fans and 18,168 for basketball fans. The SA also housed a football arena, where many matches were played, a soccer field and a lacrosse facility (a team game with a hard rubber ball that is carried across the field using special nets with a long handle, lacrosse).
Disadvantages of the arena
As for the internal seating arrangement and amenities, SA did not have many VIP seats. Although the arena was fairly new in the city, it did not have all the amenities for players and fans that existed in other sports arenas. The Philly venue was the first to introduce an electronic scoreboard with a whiteboard that broadcast important messages, animations and photos.
As for sightlines, most of them caused serious concerns. Not all, but a lot of seats in the former arena were not comfortable for viewing. Due to the closed space, fans, especially at the high level, could not enjoy the viewing and the game in general. This only caused irritation.
In addition, there was only one hall in the arena. It included 3 levels. This again created some discomfort for visitors. Since all the events at SA were attended by a full house, the situation was sometimes cramped.
Interesting games and events in the history of the sports arena
Already in 1967, in November, the first games began at the Philly arena. It was a boxing match between professional boxer Joe Frazier and Tony Doyle. Before that, the venue had hosted the first jazz festival in the history of SA.
Since then, and until the 2000s, the city’s sports ground had hosted interesting games and matches every year. They were not necessarily related to sports. Thus, in the 60s, this place became a real stage for performances by popular American bands and singers, and in the 70s, a theater. It also became a venue for the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the MILL Championships, Monster Jam, wrestling competitions and more.
However, SA was mostly used for sporting events. Basketball tournaments were held here among the Big Five and The Atlantic 10 Conference. In the 2000s, the arena hosted the elite Built Ford Tough Series of bull riding competitions. In 2002, they began their tour in Connecticut. In 2003-2004, they came to Philly with the show.
Perhaps, among all these bright events, the matches of the PF hockey team stood out. As mentioned earlier, they compete in the National Hockey League as members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. Their hockey games attracted a lot of spectators.
The PF played at the SA regularly from 1967 to 1995. Their last and final game took place in 1995-1996. But this season was the final one not only for the Flyers but also for the Philadelphia 76ers, who also played their games at the Philly arena. Soon after, these two teams moved to the new and larger Wells Fargo Center.
The Philadelphia Phantoms (PP) hockey team, the Philadelphia Soul soccer team and the Philadelphia KiXX professional mini-football team continued to play at SA.
As before, this place served as a venue for various sports games and concerts. At one time, Elvis Presley, Foghat, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, E Street Band, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Pearl Jam and many others performed there.
The last historic game and the dismantling of the arena
In 2008, the head of the American sports and entertainment company Comcast Spectacor announced that the SA would cease to operate. Later, the building would be demolished. A new integrated entertainment complex, a modern media center for all local live broadcasts, would appear in its place, Xfinity Live! Philadelphia.
The last game at the historic arena was played after the official announcement of SA’s dismantling. On April 10, 2009, the PP and the Hershey Bears from Hershey, Pennsylvania, played a hockey game there. The PP won with a score of 5:2.
As of 2009, SA was considered one of the oldest buildings in the city. That year, the arena was officially closed. Its dismantling did not begin for about a year. A year later, active dismantling of the city’s first modern indoor arena began. From November 23, 2010, to May 2011, the SA completely disappeared from Philly.
So, if you are interested in the exact location of the sports arena, look for Xfinity Live! Philadelphia. It is at the corner of 11th Street and Pattison Avenue.
Philly Live! is an important component of the SPSC. It’s the current home of many local professional teams. Interestingly, the complex grew on the formerly demolished 3 stadiums of the city, SA, Veterans and John F. Kennedy.