Ask a Philadelphia sports fan about the Spectrum and you’ll get a wistful smile. The arena at 3601 South Broad Street is long gone, but it’s still the building where the Broad Street Bullies won back-to-back Stanley Cups and where Dr. J and the 1983 76ers rolled to two Finals wins during their championship run.
The Spectrum opened in 1967 and closed for good in 2009, spending more than four decades as Philadelphia’s most important arena before handing the torch to its next-door successor. Here’s exactly when it closed, what it was called along the way, and why South Philly sports fans still talk about it.
Quick Answer
The Spectrum in Philadelphia opened on September 30, 1967, and closed on October 31, 2009, after a four-night farewell concert run by Pearl Jam. It was demolished between November 2010 and May 2011. Located at 3601 South Broad Street in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, it was the original home of the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) until both teams moved next door to what is now Xfinity Mobile Arena in 1996.
When Did the Spectrum Close, and Why?
The Spectrum closed on October 31, 2009 — but the countdown started years earlier. Once the Flyers and 76ers left for the new CoreStates Center in 1996, the Spectrum kept operating as a secondary venue for the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms, the indoor-soccer Philadelphia KiXX, the arena-football Philadelphia Soul, and a steady stream of concerts and family shows. By the late 2000s, running two aging arenas side by side no longer made financial sense for owner Comcast-Spectacor, and the Spectrum’s final chapter was written.
Pearl Jam closed out the building with four sold-out shows on October 27, 28, 30, and 31, 2009, opening each night with a video montage of the Spectrum’s greatest moments set to the Rocky theme. The Halloween-night finale ran more than three and a half hours. A wrecking-ball ceremony followed on November 23, 2010, and full demolition continued through May 2011, ending the Spectrum’s run at just under 42 years.
History and Origins
The Spectrum opened on September 30, 1967, with the Quaker City Jazz Festival, followed on October 17, 1967 by its first sporting event — a Joe Frazier boxing match. It was built as the home of the expansion Philadelphia Flyers and the already-established Philadelphia 76ers, and its name was itself an acronym: ‘SP’ for Sports and South Philadelphia, ‘E’ for Entertainment, ‘C’ for Circuses, ‘T’ for Theatricals, and ‘R’ for Recreation.
The arena’s early years weren’t trouble-free. On March 1, 1968, high winds tore sections off the roof during an Ice Capades performance, forcing a month-long shutdown for repairs. The Flyers had to play a string of ‘home’ games on the road at Madison Square Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens, and in Quebec City until the Spectrum reopened.
From CoreStates Spectrum to Wachovia Spectrum: The Name Changes
As corporate naming-rights deals became standard in the 1990s, the Spectrum’s name shifted with its sponsors even though everyone kept calling it ‘the Spectrum.’ It was CoreStates Spectrum from 1994 to 1998, First Union Spectrum from 1998 to 2003, and Wachovia Spectrum from 2003 until it closed in 2009 — tracking the same bank that later took over naming rights next door at the CoreStates Center, First Union Center, and Wachovia Center.
That’s also worth clearing up for anyone searching ‘Spectrum Center Philadelphia’: there was never an arena officially called ‘Spectrum Center’ in Philadelphia. That name belongs to the home of the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina — a completely different building with no historical connection to Philadelphia’s Spectrum beyond the shared word in its sponsor-driven name.
Championships and Iconic Moments
The Spectrum earned its place in sports lore as the house the ‘Broad Street Bullies’ built. The Flyers won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975, with the first title clinched on home ice on May 19, 1974 — Bernie Parent posting a shutout in a 1-0 Game 6 win over the Boston Bruins in front of a roaring Spectrum crowd. The 1975 Cup was won on the road, with the Flyers beating the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 in Game 6 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
The 76ers added to the building’s championship history in 1983, when Moses Malone and Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving’s squad won Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals on the Spectrum floor before finishing off a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 115-108 Game 4 win at The Forum in Los Angeles on May 31, 1983. The AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms also won the Calder Cup at the Spectrum in 1998. The arena additionally hosted NCAA Men’s Final Fours in 1976 and 1981, NHL and NBA All-Star Games, and concerts by Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin, cementing its reputation as both a sports cathedral and a top-tier concert hall.
Stats at a Glance
Location: 3601 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA. Opened: September 30, 1967. Closed: October 31, 2009. Demolished: November 2010 – May 2011. Capacity: 18,168 for basketball, 17,380 for hockey. Primary tenants: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL, 1967-1996) and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA, 1967-1996). Later tenants: Philadelphia Phantoms (AHL), Philadelphia KiXX (indoor soccer), Philadelphia Soul (arena football). Names over time: The Spectrum (1967-1994), CoreStates Spectrum (1994-1998), First Union Spectrum (1998-2003), Wachovia Spectrum (2003-2009).
What Replaced the Spectrum
Demolition ran from November 2010 to May 2011, and the footprint where the Spectrum once stood is now surface parking within the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Its successor had actually opened years earlier, right next door: the arena that debuted in 1996 as the CoreStates Center has since been renamed the First Union Center, Wachovia Center, Wells Fargo Center, and today the Xfinity Mobile Arena — and it remains the home of both the Flyers and 76ers.
Nothing was built to physically replace the Spectrum itself; instead, its legacy lives on through the teams, championships, and concert memories that moved with the fans to the arena next door.
The Spectrum (Philadelphia arena) FAQs
When did the Spectrum close in Philadelphia?
The Spectrum closed on October 31, 2009, following a four-night run of farewell concerts by Pearl Jam that began on October 27. The building was demolished between November 2010 and May 2011.
What was the Spectrum called before it closed?
It went by several sponsor names in its final years: CoreStates Spectrum (1994-1998), First Union Spectrum (1998-2003), and Wachovia Spectrum (2003-2009). Fans simply called it ‘the Spectrum’ throughout.
Is there a Spectrum Center in Philadelphia?
No. Philadelphia’s arena was always known as ‘the Spectrum,’ never ‘Spectrum Center.’ Spectrum Center is a separate arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, home to the Charlotte Hornets, with no connection to the Philadelphia building.
What teams played at the Spectrum?
The Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) were the primary tenants from 1967 to 1996. After they moved next door, the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms, the Philadelphia KiXX indoor-soccer team, and the Philadelphia Soul arena-football team used the Spectrum until it closed in 2009.
Was the Flyers’ 1975 Stanley Cup clinched at the Spectrum?
No. The Flyers clinched their first Stanley Cup at the Spectrum on May 19, 1974, beating the Boston Bruins 1-0. Their 1975 repeat title was clinched on the road at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium.
What replaced the Spectrum?
No new building was constructed on the site, which is now parking. Its functional replacement was the arena next door, which opened in 1996 as the CoreStates Center and is known today as the Xfinity Mobile Arena, still home to the Flyers and 76ers.
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