Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center

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Indoor arena in Pennsylvania 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
Address	3400 Civic Center Boulevard
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates	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	$5.3 million ($106 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	Philip H. Johnson
Tenants
Temple Owls (NCAA) (1938–1955) Philadelphia Warriors (NBA) (1952–1962) Philadelphia Tapers (ABL) (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, commonly known simply as the Philadelphia Civic Center, was a convention center complex located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in 1899. The two most significant buildings in the complex were the original main exhibition hall built in 1899, which later housed the Philadelphia Commercial Museum, and the Municipal Auditorium, later called the Convention Hall, which was built in 1931 to the designs of architect Philip H. Johnson. 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 Boulevard, 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.

Arena history

1930–1966

Originally known as the Municipal Auditorium, the arena hosted many events, including the 1936 and 1948 Democratic National Conventions, and the 1940 and 1948 Republican National Conventions. Thus the building became known as Convention Hall. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there, and The Beatles, The Grateful Dead and the Philadelphia Mummers each 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 October 29, 1964, at Convention Hall. He appeared at the Hall alongside many notable Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Democratic leaders. 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. The Rolling Stones played Convention Hall on May 1, 1965, during their third American tour.

1967–2005

After the Spectrum opened in 1967, the Civic Center continued on as an alternate venue to the larger arena for events requiring less seating or overall space. 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. Jim Crockett Promotions, under the NWA banner, and later the Ted Turner-owned WCW, 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, St. Joseph's University, and La Salle University. Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela both spoke there.

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 scenes in 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 was partially installed into the Sharp Hall. The Institute however was disbanded in 2019 and the uninstalled pipework sold.

The last remnant of the Civic Center, Pennsylvania Hall (built in 1978), was imploded on March 4, 2007. The University of Pennsylvania Health System's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine opened on the site in October 2008.

One limestone frieze that adorned the Civic Center, 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and 48 feet (15 m) long and depicting the history of labor from the days of the ancient Egyptians to the 20th century, was carefully removed before the building was demolished. It was purchased by the Alessi Organization in 2005 and in 2017 was installed outside its new Crossing Shopping Center at East 22nd Street and Route 440 in Bayonne, New Jersey.

References

1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
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.
Brinkman, Bennett (24 November 2019). "'Unique in the nation': American Organ Institute students, alumni reflect on program ahead of closure". OUdaily.com. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
"American Organ Institute Originally M. P. Möller (Opus 5819, 1931)". Pipe Organ Database. Organ Historical Society. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
Hargis, Lucianna (January 29, 2019). "Historic Limestone Friezes from Philadelphia Civic Center". Olde Good Things. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
Keller, Kristen (November 25, 2017). "Nearly century-old work of art perfect fit for working-class Bayonne". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved November 25, 2017.

External links

v t e Venues of the Democratic National Convention
1800s	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)
1900s	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)
2000s	Staples Center (2000) FleetCenter (2004) Pepsi Center / Invesco Field (2008) Time Warner Cable Arena (2012) Wells Fargo Center (2016) Wisconsin Center (2020) United Center (2024)

v t e Venues of the Republican National Convention
1800s	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 Theatre (1888) Industrial Exposition Building (1892) St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall (1896)
1900s	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) Dallas Convention Center (1984) Louisiana Superdome (1988) Houston Astrodome (1992) San Diego Convention Center (1996)
2000s	First Union Center (2000) Madison Square Garden (2004) Xcel Energy Center (2008) Tampa Bay Times Forum (2012) Quicken Loans Arena (2016) Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium and Charlotte Convention Center (2020) Fiserv Forum (2024)

v t e Golden State Warriors
Founded in 1946 Played in Philadelphia (1946–1962) and Oakland (1971–2019) Based in San Francisco, California
Franchise	History All-time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	Philadelphia Arena Philadelphia Convention Hall Cow Palace San Francisco Civic Auditorium USF War Memorial Gymnasium San Diego Sports Arena San Jose Arena Oracle Arena Chase Center
Personnel	Owner(s) Joe Lacob (majority) Peter Guber President Brandon Schneider General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. Head coach Steve Kerr
G League affiliate	Santa Cruz Warriors
Retired numbers	6 13 14 16 17 24 42
NBA championships	1947 1956 1975 2015 2017 2018 2022
Rivalries	Cleveland Cavaliers Los Angeles Lakers Sacramento Kings
Culture and lore	73–9 Dance Cam Mom Death Lineup "Good Feeling" Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Inside Moves Nate the Great Nellie Ball Run TMC Splash Brothers The Block The Sleepy Floyd game Warrior Girls Wilt the Stilt 100-point game

v t e Philadelphia 76ers
Founded in 1946 Formerly the Syracuse Nationals (1946–1963) Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Franchise	History All-time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	State Fair Coliseum Onondaga County War Memorial Convention Hall Philadelphia Arena Spectrum Wells Fargo Center 76 Place at Market East (proposed)
Personnel	Owner(s) Josh Harris and David Blitzer (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment) President Daryl Morey General manager Elton Brand Head coach Nick Nurse
G League affiliate	Delaware Blue Coats
Retired numbers	2 3 4 6 10 13 15 24 32 34 MIC
NBA championships	1955 1967 1983
Rivalries	Boston Celtics
Culture and lore	Allen Iverson "Fo', fo', fo'" Wilt the Stilt Dr. J The Boston Strangler Dave Zinkoff "Havlicek stole the ball" Curse of Billy Penn Hip Hop Rights to Ricky Sanchez Pat Croce Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Sir Charles The Kangaroo Kid Harvey Pollack Bill Campbell Marc Zumoff Kate Scott Nine and 73-ers Comcast Spectacor Sixers Post Game Live Alan Horwitz Pattison station South Philadelphia Sports Complex Hustle
Category Commons

v t e La Salle Explorers men's basketball
Venues	Wister Hall (19??–1955) Palestra (1955–1989) Civic Center (1989–1996) First Union Spectrum (1996–1998) John Glaser Arena (1998–present) TruMark Financial Center (facilities)
Culture & lore	City 6 Gambling scandal Philadelphia Big 5 Big 5 Classic Robert V. Geasey Trophy Rape scandal
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of 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 1999–2000 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 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e La Salle Explorers women's basketball
Venues	Palestra (1972–1989) Civic Center (1989–1996) First Union Spectrum (1996–1998) John Glaser Arena (1998–present) TruMark Financial Center (facilities)
Culture & lore	City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 Big 5 Classic
People	Head coaches
Seasons	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 1999–2000 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 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Temple Owls men's basketball
Venues	Mitten Hall South Hall Convention Hall (1938–1955) Palestra (1955–1984) McGonigle Hall (1969–1997) Liacouras Center (1997–present)
Culture & lore	City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 Big 5 Classic Robert V. Geasey Trophy
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 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 1999–2000 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 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e Temple Owls women's basketball
Venues	Convention Hall (1938–1955) ? (1955–1969) McGonigle Hall (1969–present) Liacouras Center (1997–present)
Rivalries	Saint Joseph's
Culture & lore	City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 Big 5 Classic
People	Head coaches
Seasons	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 1999–2000 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 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Former arenas in the National Basketball Association
69th Regiment Armory Alamodome Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Amalie Arena Amway Arena Anderson High School Wigwam ARCO Arena (1985) ARCO Arena (1988) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Bill Graham Civic Auditorium Blue Cross Arena Boston Garden Bradley Center Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Caesars Superdome Calihan Hall Capital Centre Charlotte Coliseum Chicago Coliseum Chicago Stadium Cincinnati Gardens Climate Pledge Arena Cole Field House Richfield Coliseum Cow Palace Denver Auditorium Arena Detroit Olympia Edgerton Park Arena Fertitta Center Georgia Dome HemisFair Arena Honda Center Hy-Vee Arena International Amphitheatre Joe Louis Arena Kia Forum Kiel Auditorium Kingdome Lakewood Church Central Campus Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Loyola Field House Madison Square Garden (1925) The Hippodrome Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Maple Leaf Gardens Market Square Arena Matthews Arena McCamish Pavilion McElroy Auditorium McNichols Sports Arena Meadowlands Arena Memphis Pyramid Miami Arena Minneapolis Armory Minneapolis Auditorium Moody Coliseum Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, Missouri) Municipal Auditorium (New Orleans) Nassau Coliseum North Side High School Gym Oakland Arena Omaha Civic Auditorium Omni Coliseum Oncenter War Memorial Arena The Palace of Auburn Hills Pechanga Arena Philadelphia Arena Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center Pontiac Silverdome Prudential Center Reunion Arena Rogers Arena Rogers Centre Rutgers Athletic Center St. Louis Arena Salt Palace (arena) SAP Center Sheboygan Municipal Auditorium and Armory The Sobrato Center Spectrum (arena) Tacoma Dome TCF Center Toyota Coliseum Uline Arena UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Portland, Oregon) Wharton Field House XL Center

Former arenas in the National Basketball Association

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