America's Showplace | |
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 The Spectrum, then named the Wachovia Spectrum, in 2008 | |
 Interactive map of The Spectrum | |
| Former names |
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|---|---|
| Address | 3601 SouthBroad Street,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Location | South Philadelphia,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°54′15″N75°10′16″W / 39.90417°N 75.17111°W /39.90417; -75.17111 |
| Owner | Comcast Spectacor, L.P. |
| Operator | Global Spectrum |
| Capacity | Concerts: *End stage: 18,369 *Center stage: 19,456 *Theater: 5,000–8,000 Basketball: 18,168 Ice Hockey: 17,380 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 1, 1966[1] |
| Opened | September 30, 1967 |
| Renovated | 1986 |
| Closed | October 31, 2009 |
| Demolished | November 23, 2010 – May 2011 |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill |
| General contractor | McCloskey & Company, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) (1967–1996) Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) (1967–1996) Philadelphia Freedoms (WTT) (1974) Philadelphia Wings (NLL) (1974–1975) Philadelphia Fever (MISL) (1978–1981) Philadelphia Wings (NLL) (1987–1996) Philadelphia Bulldogs (RHI) (1994–1996) Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL) (1996–2004, 2005–2009) Philadelphia KiXX (NPSL/MISL/NISL) (1996–2009) La Salle Explorers (NCAA) (1996–1998) Philadelphia Soul (AFL) (2004–2008) (select games) | |
The Spectrum (later known asCoreStates Spectrum,First Union Spectrum andWachovia Spectrum) was anindoor arena inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania. The arena opened in September 1967 as part of what is now known as theSouth Philadelphia Sports Complex. After several expansions of itsseating capacity, it accommodated 18,168 forbasketball and 17,380 forice hockey,arena football,indoor soccer, andbox lacrosse. It was the home arena for thePhiladelphia Flyers and thePhiladelphia 76ers from 1967 to 1996 before both moved to theCoreStates Center (known as Spectrum II during planning and construction, and currently named Xfinity Mobile Arena). The Spectrum continued to be used for concerts and as the home for other sports teams including a newAHL affiliate for the Flyers, thePhiladelphia Phantoms.
The final event at the Spectrum was aPearl Jamconcert on October 31, 2009.[2] The arena was demolished between November 2010 and May 2011.
Opened as the Spectrum in September 1967, Philadelphia's first modern indoor sportsarena was built to be the home of the expansionPhiladelphia Flyers of theNHL, and also to accommodate the existingPhiladelphia 76ers of theNBA. The building was the second major sports facility built at the south end ofBroad Street in an area previously known as East League Island Park and now referred to simply as theSouth Philadelphia Sports Complex.
Ground was broken on the arena on June 1, 1966, byJerry Wolman and then-Philadelphia MayorJames Tate as the home of the NHL's expansionPhiladelphia Flyers.[1] The first event at the arena was the Quaker City Jazz Festival on September 30, 1967,[3] produced by Larry Magid.[4]
The first sporting event at the arena was an October 17, 1967 boxing match featuringJoe Frazier vs. Tony Doyle.[5] From 1967 through 1972, fifteen fight cards were held at the Spectrum. The NBA's 76ers also moved there fromConvention Hall as a second major league sports tenant. Lou Scheinfeld, former President of the Spectrum, explained that the name "Spectrum" was selected to evoke the broad range of events to be held there: "The 'SP' for 'sports' and 'South Philadelphia', 'E' for 'entertainment', 'C' for 'circuses', 'T' for 'theatricals', 'R' for 'recreation', and 'UM' as 'um, what a nice building!'" Scheinfeld also said that a seat in the city's first superbox initially cost $1,000 a year: "For every Flyers game, Sixers game, circus, you name it, you got 250 events for $1,000."[6] The Flyers won their first ever home game in this arena by defeating thePittsburgh Penguins, 1–0.Bill Sutherland scored the arena's first goal.
On March 1, 1968, wind blew part of the covering off the Spectrum's roof during a performance of theIce Capades, forcing the building to close for a month while Mayor Tate fought with then-Philadelphia County District AttorneyArlen Specter over responsibility for the construction of the roof, and the damage was repaired.[7] The 76ers moved their home games to Convention Hall and to thePalestra, but neither of those arenas had ice rinks at the time, and there were no other NHL-quality sites in the Philadelphia area. The Flyers hurriedly moved their next home game against theOakland Seals toMadison Square Garden inNew York followed by a meeting with theBoston Bruins played atMaple Leaf Gardens inToronto before establishing a base atLe Colisée inQuebec City, home of their top minor league team, theAHLQuebec Aces, for the remainder of their regular season, marking the first NHL games in Quebec City in over four decades, and years before theQuebec Nordiques joined the NHL. The roof was repaired in time to permit the Flyers to return to the Spectrum to open their firstStanley Cup playoffs against theSt. Louis Blues on April 4, 1968; the opening faceoff came just as theassassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was transpiring inMemphis, Tennessee.[8] Similarly, in 1993, the Flyers played a day game against the Los Angeles Kings during a blizzard. A piece of flying debris smashed out one of the concourse windows, cancelling the game just after the first period.
In the 1970s, the venue's location near Broad Street and the reputation forfisticuffs that the Flyers had developed led to the nickname "Broad Street Bullies".
In 1976, the local pay television servicePRISM (so-named in part as you could see "the spectrum" via a prism) was launched by Spectacor, carrying home games of the Flyers and 76ers (as well as the Phillies); PRISM's technical and studio operations were based out of the event level of the Spectrum (though PRISM's administrative offices were instead located inBala Cynwyd). PRISM's successor,NBC Sports Philadelphia, is based out of the present-day Xfinity Mobile Arena in a similar arrangement.
A plaque inside The Spectrum stated that it held the world record for the fastest conversion from Hockey to Basketball.
The Spectrum, along with theMet Center andThe Forum, was one of the first sports arenas to have a scoreboard with a messageboard. Furthermore, the messageboards on the Spectrum scoreboard were the first dot matrix screens in pro hockey or basketball, capable of photos, animation, and replays as well as messages. This was replaced in 1986 with ArenaVision, which consisted of six 9-by-12-foot (2.7 by 3.7 m)rear-projection videoscreens at the top and a four-sided American Sign and Indicator scoreboard at the bottom. Inside the videoscreens wereGeneral Electric projectors located 15 feet (4.6 m) away from each screen.[9]
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The Flyers won their firstStanley Cup at the Spectrum on May 19, 1974, defeating theBoston Bruins, 1–0, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals in front of a then-capacity crowd of 17,007. Perhaps the most important and emotional hockey game—or sporting event of any kind—ever held there, however, came at the height of theCold War on January 11, 1976, when the Flyers became the first NHL team to defeat (by 4–1) the vaunted hockey team of theSoviet Central Red Army (ЦСКА).[1] Two games in the inauguralCanada Cup hockey tournament were also held at the Spectrum in September of that year, as theU.S. took onCzechoslovakia and theUSSR.
Ten NHL or NBA playoff championship series were hosted at the Spectrum. The Flyers competed in theStanley Cup Finals in1974,1975,1976,1980,1985, and1987. The 76ers played in theNBA Finals in1977,1980,1982, and1983. The 1976 and 1992NHL, and 1970 and 1976NBA All-Star Games were also held here. The AHL Phantoms also won their firstCalder Cup title on Spectrum ice before a sellout crowd of 17,380 on June 10, 1998, by defeating theSaint John Flames, 6–1.
The only visitors to win the Stanley Cup and NBA championship at the Spectrum were theMontreal Canadiens (1976) and theLos Angeles Lakers (1980) respectively.
The Spectrum is the only venue to host the NBA and NHL All-Star Games in the same season, doing so in 1976, when it also hosted that year'sFinal Four. It is also one of a handful of venues to host the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals at the same time, doing so in 1980 (all four major Philadelphia teams would reach the championship round of their respective sport in 1980).
The Spectrum was used for many basketball tournaments, includingBig Five games, eightAtlantic 10 Conference tournaments (1977, 1983, 1997–2002), the 1975, 1980 and 1992NCAA East Regional (site of the famous last-second shot byChristian Laettner ofDuke to beatKentucky), and the 1976 and 1981Final Fours (both won byBob Knight'sIndiana Hoosiers). Smaller conferences preferred holding tournament games at this venue over the larger Center nearby.
In 2003 and 2004, thePBR brought theirBuilt Ford Tough Series tour to the Spectrum.
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Many concerts were staged at the Spectrum, often praised for its acoustic properties, beginning in the 1960s. In the 1970s, Electric Factory Concerts became the prominent concert promoter for the facility.[31]
Philadelphia soul groups that performed at the Spectrum includeLaBelle in '71 andHall & Oates in '83.The O'Jays (they were signed toPhiladelphia International) performed there in '73, andLou Rawls (also signed to Philly International) performed there in '69.Boyz II Men from Philly performed there in '95.
Guns N' Roses performed at the Philadelphia Spectrum on August 4, 1988; August 5, 1988; June 13, 1991; December 16, 1991; and December 17, 1991.[38]
The Spectrum Theater was a venue for acts not big enough to fill the entire Spectrum arena. The stage was placed in the middle of the Spectrum floor, and the other half of the arena behind the stage was closed off with curtains, creating a theater-like environment. Some of the acts that played in this configuration includedFrank Zappa in 1973, 1976 and 1977; David Bowie'sDiamond Dogs Tour in 1974;The Kinks' Soap Opera Tour in May 1975,Bob Marley'sNatty Dread Tour in 1975 andKaya Tour in 1978;Bruce Springsteen in 1976; TheBee Gees in 1979;Peter Gabriel's tour in 1982;Howard Jones in 1985 andJulian Lennon with Chris Bliss on June 20, 1986.
The 1995–96NHL andNBA seasons were the final ones for the Flyers and the 76ers at the Spectrum. The 76ers' last game was a 112–92 loss to theOrlando Magic on April 19; on May 12,Eric Lindros scored the arena's final Flyers goal in the 2nd period, andMike Hough of theFlorida Panthers scored the arena's final official NHL goal in the 2nd overtime of Game 5 of the1996 Eastern Conference semifinals, a 2–1 Flyers loss. Although both the Flyers and 76ers moved across the parking lot to the new and largerXfinity Mobile Arena (then CoreStates Center), the arena remained in place and was used by thePhiladelphia Phantoms of theAHL, thePhiladelphia KiXX of theNISL, thePhiladelphia Soul of theArena Football League for Saturday home games, and a variety of other sporting events and concerts.
The Spectrum had relatively few luxury suites or other amenities common in newer arenas. Additionally, the arena's sight lines were cited as a concern. Some seats in both the hockey and basketball configurations (especially those added in the upper level over the years) had badly obstructed views. There was only oneconcourse for all three levels, making for somewhat cramped conditions whenever attendance was anywhere near capacity.[citation needed]
On July 14, 2008,Comcast Spectacor ChairmanEd Snider officially announced that the Spectrum would be shuttered and torn down to make way forPhilly Live!, a proposed retail, dining and entertainment hub. "This has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make," said Snider. "The Spectrum is my baby. It's one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me."
The Phantoms commemorated the final season of the Spectrum by wearing a special patch on their uniforms, as illustrated on the right. The team also celebrated some of the building's memorable moments throughout the season. The Flyers marked the last season by playing two pre-season games at the Spectrum. They played theCarolina Hurricanes in an NHL pre-season game on September 27, 2008, and the Phantoms on October 7 of that same year. Before the game against Carolina, the Flyers honored the team captains in the franchise's history. Those honored in thepre-game ceremony wereLou Angotti,Ed Van Impe,Bob Clarke,Mel Bridgman,Bill Barber,Dave Poulin,Ron Sutter,Kevin Dineen,Éric Desjardins,Keith Primeau andDerian Hatcher.[39]
The last NCAA basketball game the Spectrum hosted saw theVillanova Wildcats defeat thePittsburgh Panthers on January 28, 2009.[40] The Sixers played one regular season game againstChicago Bulls on March 13, 2009, winning by a score of 104–101 in the final NBA game in the Spectrum.[41][42] The game was sold-out and attendance was 17,563.[41][43]
The Phantoms' last regular season game at the Spectrum was played April 10, 2009, against theHershey Bears, as the Phantoms won the game, 5–2, while the last Kixx game was against theMassachusetts Twisters on March 22. The Kixx moved onto theTemple University campus and played the 2009–10 season at theLiacouras Center. The Phantoms were sold to a Pittsburgh-based ownership group, and moved toGlens Falls, New York, for the 2009–10 season, and subsequently moved toAllentown, where they became the Flyers-affiliatedLehigh Valley Phantoms.
"With this season being the final season of the Wachovia Spectrum, we will celebrate the history of the Spectrum with an exciting, year-long, celebration of events," Comcast Spectacor President Peter Luukko said.Phish was rumored to be among the acts to commemorate the closing of the arena. "It is our hope and intent to bring back many of the musical acts and entertainers who have made the Spectrum 'America's Showplace.'"Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played two shows at The Spectrum on April 28 and 29 as part of theirWorking on a Dream Tour, and returned on October 13–14 and 19–20 for their Spectrum swan song. Springsteen debuted a specially-written version of the song"Wrecking Ball", which he had written in honor of the demolition ofGiants Stadium, with revised lyrics to honor the Spectrum.
A scheduled concert withLeonard Cohen on October 22 was moved to theTower Theatre inUpper Darby, instead. On October 23, 2009, Philadelphia area musiciansThe Hooters,Todd Rundgren andHall & Oates headlined a concert titled "Last Call".[44] Tickets were as low as $6.00. The remaining members of theGrateful Dead; including Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann performed their final set of shows at the Spectrum on May 1 and 2, 2009; the show of May 2 was their 54th consecutive sell-out at the Spectrum. The Dead closed the show of May 2 with the song "Samson and Delilah". The song contains the fitting refrain "If I had my way, I would tear this old building down." The lyric was changed by the band's singerBob Weir to say "I wouldn't tear this old building down." With the demolition of The Spectrum, all venues at which The Grateful Dead played through their career within the City of Philadelphia, except for the Irvine Auditorium, have succumbed to the wrecking ball.
On October 27, 28, 30, and 31, American rock bandPearl Jam played over one hundred unique songs across the four days. On the final night, the band played 34 songs over nearly four hours before ending with their hit "Yellow Ledbetter".
Opened in 1967 as the first of the five modern facilities to be built at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex between 1967 and 2004, by the time it closed in 2009 the Spectrum was the oldest of the four venues still standing of the two indoor arenas and four outdoor stadiums built at the South end of Broad Street since 1926. The complex's total area expanded with the addition of each new facility and now takes up the entire southeast quadrant of the grounds occupied in 1926 by Philadelphia'sSesqui-Centennial International Exposition, a massive 184-dayWorld's fair built on 700+ acres of until then largely undeveloped city-owned swamp and park land, includingLeague Island Park adjacent to theU.S. Navy Yard bounded by 10th Street, Packer Ave., 23rd Street, and Terminal Avenue. The Spectrum itself occupied the portion of the Exposition's grounds on the south side of Pattison Avenue between Broad and 11th Streets that in 1926 served as the fair's main trolley terminal operated by thePhiladelphia Rapid Transit Company.[45]
For its first 25 years, the Spectrum overlooked the 102,000-seatJohn F. Kennedy Stadium, known prior to 1964 as "Municipal Stadium", located roughly 600 feet (180 m) south of the indoor arena. Opened on April 15, 1926, the stadium was also the Sesqui-Centennial Exposition's only intentionally permanent facility.[46] The site of 42Army–Navy Games between 1936 and 1979, JFK Stadium eventually fell into disuse in favor of the newer nearby Veterans Stadium, was condemned in 1989, and demolished in 1992 to make way for theXfinity Mobile Arena which opened four years later in August 1996. Known earlier as the "CoreStates Center" (1996–1998), the "First Union Center" (1998–2003), and the "Wachovia Center" (July 2003 – June 2010), the 20,000-plus-seat indoor arena replaced the Spectrum as the home of the Flyers, 76ers, andPhiladelphia Wings of theNational Lacrosse League beginning with each club's 1996–97 season. With the demolition of the Spectrum, Xfinity Mobile Arena has become the oldest of the complex's three current venues.
The Spectrum's closest sports complex neighbor wasVeterans Stadium (opened 1971, closed 2003, demolished 2004), which was located north of the arena directly across Pattison Avenue. The 60,000-plus-seat "Vet" accommodatedMLB'sPhiladelphia Phillies and theNFL'sPhiladelphia Eagles for just over three decades before it was itself replaced by two new facilities. In 2003 the Eagles moved toLincoln Financial Field, a purpose-built football/soccer stadium located SE of the Spectrum site directly across 11th Street from Xfinity Mobile Arena. The following year, the Phillies relocated toCitizens Bank Park, a dedicated baseball stadium completed in 2004 and located diagonally across from the Spectrum site at the northeast corner of Pattison Ave and Citizens Bank Way (11th St.), immediately east of the former Veterans Stadium site which now serves as a parking lot for the entire complex. In 2017, the Phillies' spring training complex inClearwater, Florida was renamedSpectrum Field afterBright House Networks was purchased byCharter Communications. While named for Charter's residential service, the name invoked memories of the Spectrum arena.[47]
Another NBA arena (Spectrum Center, the home of theCharlotte Hornets) currently includes "Spectrum" in its name, although again it refers to the Charter residential service whose naming rights are attached to that building.
Although the Spectrum formally closed on October 31, 2009, demolition of the structure did not begin for more than a year with internal work commencing on November 8, 2010.[48] Two weeks later a public "wrecking ball ceremony" attended by some of the athletes who made the building famous such asHockey Hall of FamersBernie Parent andBob Clarke of the Flyers andHall of FamerJulius Erving of the 76ers, was held in the adjacent parking lot "H" on November 23, 2010, to formally begin its external demolition.[49] However, unlike Veterans Stadium, its one-time neighbor, which had been located immediately across Pattison Avenue from the Spectrum before it was imploded on March 21, 2004, the almost half-year process of demolishing the then-44-year-old arena, done without the use of explosives, was completed in May 2011. This was done to protect its other sports facilities from dust. Water was used to prevent dust from spreading.
A 300-room hotel is planned to eventually be built on the demolished Spectrum's site, which is now occupied by a parking lot, as an adjunct to theStateside Live! project, the first portion of which opened in April 2012, at the southwest corner of 11th Street and Pattison Avenue.[50][51]
Astatue ofSylvester Stallone, depicted in his role of PhiladelphiaboxerRocky Balboa, stood for many years in front of the main Pattison Avenue entrance of the Spectrum, which had been represented in the movie as the site of Rocky'sfirst andsecond fights withApollo Creed, although the fight sequences were actually filmed at theLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The statue was removed several times over the years to be used in the filming of sequels to the original film.
In September 2006, it was given a new home in an area near the base of the steps of thePhiladelphia Museum of Art not far from where a spot on the plaza at the top of the Museum's steps where it had appeared in the filmRocky III. Since the statue was not deemed "art,"[citation needed] it was moved around the corner of the museum on Kelly Drive. Other statues that stood in the arena area included:
The statues have been incorporated into the design ofStateside Live!.[52]
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| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by first arena | Home of the Philadelphia Flyers 1967–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the Philadelphia 76ers 1967–1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first arena | Home of the Philadelphia Phantoms 1996–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first arena | Home of the Philadelphia Kixx 1996–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the NHL All-Star Game 1976 1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIBA Intercontinental Cup Final Venue 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Fed Cup Final Venue 1976 | Succeeded by |
| National | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
