Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center

For the convention center in downtown Philadelphia, see Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Philadelphia Civic Center
Construction
"The Nation's Most Historic Arena"
Former names	Municipal Auditorium Philadelphia Convention Hall
Location	3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Coordinates	39°56′51″N 75°11′42″W / 39.947368°N 75.195043°W / 39.947368; -75.195043Coordinates: 39°56′51″N 75°11′42″W / 39.947368°N 75.195043°W / 39.947368; -75.195043
Capacity	Basketball: 9,600 Concerts: 12,037 (The Beatles 1964) Convention: 15,000
Opened	1931
Closed	1996
Demolished	2005
Construction cost	$5,300,000 ($82.6 million in 2016 dollars^[1])
Architect	Philip H. Johnson
Tenants
Penn Quakers (NCAA) (1944) Philadelphia Warriors (NBA) (1952–1962) Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) (1963–1967) Philadelphia Blazers (WHA) (1972–1973) Philadelphia Firebirds (NAHL/AHL) (1974–1979) La Salle Explorers (NCAA) (1989–1996)

The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center, more commonly known as the Philadelphia Civic Center and the Philadelphia Convention Center, formerly known as Municipal Auditorium and the Philadelphia Convention Hall, located in Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, was a complex of five or more buildings developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in 1899. There were two important buildings on the site. The Commercial Museum, built in 1899, was one of the original exposition buildings. The Municipal Auditorium (Convention Hall), built in 1931, Philip H. Johnson, architect. The site was host to national political conventions in 1900, 1936, 1940 and 1948.

Location

The Convention Hall arena was located at 3400 Civic Center Blvd, on the edge of the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, and just to the southwest of Franklin Field. It was built in 1930 and its highest capacity was approximately 12,000. The building was an Art Deco landmark, notable for its many friezes and other decorative aspects.

History

1930–1966

Originally known as the Municipal Auditorium, the Convention Hall hosted many events, including the 1936 and 1948 Democratic National Conventions, the 1940 and 1948 Republican National Conventions. Thus the building became known as Convention Hall. Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela all spoke there, and The Beatles and the Philadelphia Mummers both performed there. The Philadelphia Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers both played many of their games in the arena; the 1960 NBA All-Star Game was played there.

President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke at a campaign appearance on August 29, 1964 at Convention Hall. He appeared at the Hall alongside many notable Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Democratic leaders.^[2] Four days later, The Beatles played the venue on September 2, 1964 during their first tour of the United States. Tickets went on sale in May 1964 and sold out within 90 minutes.^[3] The Rolling Stones played Convention Hall on May 1, 1965 during their third American tour.^[4]

1967–2005

After the opening of the Spectrum in South Philadelphia in 1967, the building nearly became obsolete. On February 5, 1970, The Jackson 5 played their first official concert for Motown Records there. The building was later used for Atlantic 10 Conference and Big Five basketball games. World Championship Wrestling also staged professional wrestling there, which included three pay-per-view events: Halloween Havoc in 1989 and 1992 and the 1994 Slamboree event. The Civic Center also hosted the World Hockey Association's Philadelphia Blazers and the minor-league Philadelphia Firebirds hockey teams. The University of Pennsylvania used the building for commencements (due to it being larger than Penn's own basketball arena, the nearby Palestra), as did Drexel University, Temple University, and La Salle University.

Foundations of the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine being built after the demolition of the Philadelphia Civic Center

Convention Hall was torn down in 2005, after more than a decade without a regular tenant. The 1996 Atlantic 10 Men's basketball tournament was the last event ever held there (its convention functions were taken over by the Pennsylvania Convention Center in the city's central business district); prior to this, it also hosted college basketball in the form of the 1986 MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Afterwards, it served as a soundstage for movies and the TV series Hack starring David Morse. The Championship fight scene for Tommy 'the machine' Gun played by real life boxer Tommy Morrison for the 1990 movie Rocky V was shot there.

The Auditorium's M.P. Moller 86-rank pipe organ, built in 1931, was removed just prior to the building's demolition and placed in Pennsylvania Hall in temporary storage. In October 2006 the organ was donated to the University of Oklahoma's, American Organ Institute where it will be restored and become the centerpiece of their music programs.

The last remnant of the Civic Center, Pennsylvania Hall (built in 1978), was imploded on March 5, 2007. The University of Pennsylvania Health System's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine opened on the site in October 2008.

References

↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
↑ Woolley, John T.; Gerhard Peters. "Remarks in Convention Hall, Philadelphia. August 29, 1964". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
↑ Valania, Jonathan (2004-04-28). "A Hard Night's Day: Forty years ago the Beatles came to Philadelphia. And nothing would ever be the same.". Philadelphia Weekly. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
↑ "American Spring Tour, 1965". frayed.org. Retrieved 2008-12-30.

External links

Venues of the Democratic National Convention

The Athenaeum and Warfield's Church (1832)
Fourth Presbyterian Church (Baltimore) (1835)
The Assembly Rooms (1840)
Odd Fellows Hall (1844)
Universalist Church (Baltimore) (1848)
Maryland Institute (1852)
Smith and Nixon's Hall (1856)
South Carolina Institute Hall / Front Street Theater (1860)
The Amphitheatre (Chicago) (1864)
Tammany Hall (1868)
Ford's Grand Opera House (1872)
Merchants Exchange Building (1876)
Cincinnati Music Hall (1880)
Interstate Exposition Building (1884)
Exposition Building (1888)
Wigwam (1892)
Chicago Coliseum (1896)
Convention Hall (1900)
St. Louis Coliseum (1904)
Denver Auditorium Arena (1908)
Fifth Regiment Armory (1912)
Convention Hall (1916)
San Francisco Civic Auditorium (1920)
Madison Square Garden (II) (1924)
Sam Houston Hall (1928)
Chicago Stadium (1932)
Philadelphia Convention Hall/Franklin Field (1936)
Chicago Stadium (1940)
Chicago Stadium (1944)
Philadelphia Convention Hall (1948)
International Amphitheatre (1952)
International Amphitheatre (1956)
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena / Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1960)
Atlantic City Convention Hall (1964)
International Amphitheatre (1968)
Miami Beach Convention Center (1972)
Madison Square Garden (IV) (1976)
Madison Square Garden (IV) (1980)
Moscone Center (1984)
Omni Coliseum (1988)
Madison Square Garden (IV) (1992)
United Center (1996)
Staples Center (2000)
FleetCenter (2004)
Pepsi Center / Invesco Field (2008)
Time Warner Cable Arena (2012)
Wells Fargo Center (2016)

Venues of the Republican National Convention

Musical Fund Hall (1856)
Wigwam (1860)
Front Street Theater (1864)
Crosby's Opera House (1868)
Academy of Music (1872)
Exposition Hall (Cincinnati) (1876)
Interstate Exposition Building (1880)
Exposition Hall (Chicago) (1884)
Auditorium (1888)
Industrial Exposition Building (1892)
St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall (1896)
Convention Hall (1900)
Chicago Coliseum (1904)
Chicago Coliseum (1908)
Chicago Coliseum (1912)
Chicago Coliseum (1916)
Chicago Coliseum (1920)
Public Auditorium (1924)
Convention Hall (1928)
Chicago Stadium (1932)
Public Auditorium (1936)
Convention Hall (1940)
Chicago Stadium (1944)
Convention Hall (1948)
International Amphitheatre (1952)
Cow Palace (1956)
International Amphitheatre (1960)
Cow Palace (1964)
Miami Beach Convention Center (1968)
Miami Beach Convention Center (1972)
Kemper Arena (1976)
Joe Louis Arena (1980)
Reunion Arena (1984)
Louisiana Superdome (1988)
Houston Astrodome (1992)
San Diego Convention Center (1996)
First Union Center (2000)
Madison Square Garden (2004)
Xcel Energy Center (2008)
Tampa Bay Times Forum (2012)
Quicken Loans Arena (2016)

Golden State Warriors

Founded in 1946 Played in Philadelphia (1946–1962) and San Francisco (1962–1971) Based in Oakland, California

Franchise	Franchise Team history All-time roster Draft history Seasons Head coaches Current season

Arenas	Philadelphia Arena Philadelphia Convention Hall Cow Palace San Francisco Civic Auditorium War Memorial Gymnasium (University of San Francisco) San Jose Arena Oracle Arena Chase Center

General managers	Tyrell Gottlieb Feerick Vertlieb Stirling Attles Nelson Twardzik St. Jean Mullin Riley Myers

D-League affiliate	Santa Cruz Warriors

Retired numbers	13 14 16 17 24 42

Hall of Famers	Paul Arizin Rick Barry Wilt Chamberlain Joe Fulks Tom Gola Neil Johnston Jerry Lucas Šarūnas Marčiulionis Chris Mullin Mitch Richmond Don Nelson Robert Parish Andy Phillip Guy Rodgers Ralph Sampson Nate Thurmond Jamaal Wilkes

NBA Championships (4)	1947 1956 1975 2015

Conference Championships (8)	1947 1948 1956 1964 1967 1975 2015 2016

Culture	Wilt the Stilt 100 point game Nate the Great Nellie Ball Run TMC The Sleepy Floyd game Splash Brothers Warrior Girls 73–9

Media	TV Comcast SportsNet Bay Area Radio KGMZ Announcers Bob Fitzgerald Jim Barnett Tim Roye

Philadelphia 76ers

Founded in 1946 Formerly the Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963) Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Franchise	Franchise Team history All-time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season

Arenas	State Fair Coliseum Onondaga County War Memorial Convention Hall Philadelphia Arena The Spectrum Wells Fargo Center

General Managers	Leo Ferris Ramsay Don DeJardin Williams Nash Shue Lynam Greenberg Lucas King Stefanski Thorn DiLeo Hinkie Colangelo

D-League affiliate	Delaware 87ers

Administration	Owner(s) Joshua Harris (Co-Managing Owner, NBA Governor) David S. Blitzer (Co-Managing Owner, NBA Alternate Governor) Adam Aron Martin Geller David B. Heller Travis Hennings James Lassiter Marc J. Leder Jason Levien Michael G. Rubin Will Smith Jada Pinkett Smith Erick Thohir Art Wrubel Chief Executive Officer Scott O'Neil President Bryan Colangelo Head coach Brett Brown

Retired numbers	3 4 6 10 13 15 24 32 34 Dave Zinkoff (Microphone)

NBA Championships (3)	1955 1967 1983

Conference Championships (9)	1950 1954 1955 1967 1977 1980 1982 1983 2001

Rivals	Boston Celtics

Culture and lore	"Fo', fo', fo'" Wilt the Stilt Dr. J The Answer The Boston Strangler Dave Zinkoff Practice!? Curse of Billy Penn Hip Hop Pat Croce Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Sir Charles The Kangaroo Kid Harvey Pollack Boston's dead! Nine and 73-ers Comcast Spectacor

Media	Television The Comcast Network Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia Sixers Post Game Live Radio WPEN Announcers Marc Zumoff Alaa Abdelnaby Tom McGinnis

La Salle Explorers men's basketball

Venues	Wister Hall (19??–1955) Palestra (1955–1989) Civic Center (1989–1996) First Union Spectrum (1996–1998) Tom Gola Arena (1998–present) Hayman Center (facilities)

Culture & lore	"Fight On, Explorers" City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 (Robert V. Geasey Trophy) Scandal

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Temple Owls men's basketball

Venues	Convention Hall (1938–1955) ? (1955–1969) McGonigle Hall (1969–1997) Liacouras Center (1997–present)

Rivalries	Saint Joseph's

Culture & lore	City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 Robert V. Geasey Trophy Hooter T. Owl "T For Temple U"

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–00 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Helms and Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

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