The end of an era is near in Pennsylvania as the city prepares to say goodbye to the legendary Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia in the fall of 2009–the place is getting demolished to make room for a new hotel and shopping plaza. The final basketball game took place on March 13, 2009 and the basketball game final score gave everyone in Philly a smile. As the modernization of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex has progressed, the Spectrum was the final relic from an era before malls and sports arenas combined.
The Wachovia Spectrum, then known just as the Spectrum, was opened in in 1967 as a a venue for the Flyers, the NHL professional hockey team, and the Sixers, the NBA basketball franchise that was about to enter its heyday. After a turbulent start (literally) when the roof blew off in the first season, the Spectrum settled in as a world-class host of NHL and NBA games to hard-core Philly sports fans during the 1970s and early 1980s. The Sixers, with their star Julius “Dr. J” Erving, went to the NBA Finals four times during that period and the NBA All-Star game was hosted there in 1976. NHL All Star games and their finals, several legendary rock concerts and plenty of college hoops kept the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia buzzing with fans. Perhaps the highlight for many was the Sylvester Stallone statue erected in front of the arena after his emblematic “Rocky” picture about a boxer from Philadelphia captivated the nation.
During the 1980s, the Spectrum began to show the wear and tear from years of frequent use. As the standards of arenas around the NBA league were raised city by city with new arenas, the Spectrum’s value began to shrink. The Sixers were able to secure funding and support from the mayor and officially moved to their new arena, the Wachovia Center, across the parking lot in 1996 in the newly created Philadelphia Sports Complex, which includes a new baseball field and football stadium.
It was a homecoming and a farewell party all in one when for its final game basketball legends like Dr. J and others filled the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia one last time to watch the Sixers play on March 13, 2009. The Sixers crossed the parking lot from their normal arena to send out the Spectrum in style when they hosted the Chicago Bulls. The basketball game final score was 104-101 in favor of the Sixers. Two of the Sixers young stars, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young, both had big nights and Young sealed the game with a last minute dunk. Local college Villanova won their last contest there in January defeating collegiate rivals the Pittsburgh Panthers. Before the official demolition in September 2009, several rock concerts will make their way to the Spectrum, including neighbor Bruce Springsteen and frequent visitors the remaining members of the Grateful Dead. Even the Rocky statue has relocated, now it stands in front the of the Philadelphia Art Museum.
For more information on the latest in basketball and other sports news, keep it locked here at Electro-Mech. We’re more than just an electronic basketball scoreboards manufacturer. We have a passion for sports news and we aren’t going to stop bringing it to the courts, fields and rinks near you.
This is truly an era of watching the greats pass on, whether it’s a great arena like the Spectrum or great people. By the way, I still call it the Spectrum, because I am disgusted by the corporate naming of sports venues. Companies have a right, I guess, since they put up the dough. But considering the fact that their logos and icons are everywhere you look already, it would show a touch of class to simply fund a stadium or what have you as a contribution to the community, not as an advertising billboard. They’ll still make their money, don’t worry about them.