View source for Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center

{{Short description|Indoor arena in Pennsylvania}}
{{For|the convention center in downtown Philadelphia|Pennsylvania Convention Center}}
{{more citations needed|date = September 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name      = Philadelphia Civic Center
| nickname          = "The Nation's Most Historic Arena"
| image             = Municipal Auditorium and Convention Hall, 34th Street, below Spruce, Philadelphia, Pa (61770).jpg
| address           = 3400 Civic Center Boulevard
| location          = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| coordinates       = {{coord|39.947368|-75.195043|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground      = 
| opened            = 1931
| closed            = 1996
| demolished        = 2005
| owner             = 
| operator          = 
| surface           = 
| architect         = Philip H. Johnson
| tenants           = [[Temple Owls]] ([[NCAA]]) (1938&ndash;1955)<br/>[[Philadelphia Warriors]] ([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]) (1952–1962)<br/>[[Philadelphia Tapers]] ([[American Basketball League (1961&ndash;63)|ABL]]) (1962)<br />[[Philadelphia 76ers]] (NBA) (1963–1967)<br/>[[Philadelphia Blazers]] ([[World Hockey Association|WHA]]) (1972–1973)<br/>[[Philadelphia Firebirds (ice hockey)|Philadelphia Firebirds]] ([[North American Hockey League (1973–77)|NAHL]]/[[American Hockey League|AHL]]) (1974–1979)<br/> [[La Salle Explorers men's basketball|La Salle Explorers]] (NCAA) (1989–1996)
| seating_capacity  = Basketball: 9,600<br/>Concerts: 12,037 (The Beatles 1964)<br/>Convention: 15,000
| construction_cost = $5.3 million<br>(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|5300000|1931}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| former_names      = Municipal Auditorium<br/>Philadelphia Convention Hall
|}}

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 [[seating capacity|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.<ref>{{cite news | first=John T.| last=Woolley|author2=Gerhard Peters | title=Remarks in Convention Hall, Philadelphia. August 29, 1964| publisher=The American Presidency Project|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=26690| access-date = 2008-12-30 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jonathan |last=Valania |title=A Hard Night's Day: Forty years ago the Beatles came to Philadelphia. And nothing would ever be the same. |date=2004-04-28 |publisher=[[Philadelphia Weekly]] |url=http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=7189 |access-date=2008-12-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025044333/http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=7189 |archive-date=October 25, 2007 }}</ref> The [[Rolling Stones]] played Convention Hall on May 1, 1965, during their [[The Rolling Stones 1st American Tour 1965|third American tour]].<ref>{{cite news | title=American Spring Tour, 1965| publisher=frayed.org|url=http://www.frayed.org/stones/1965.html#3| access-date = 2008-12-30 }}</ref>

===1967–2005===
After the [[Spectrum (arena)|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 [[Grateful Dead]] played there for 3 consecutive nights in April 1984; the whole concert from the 20th, and about half of the show from the 19th, were officially released on [[Dave's Picks Volume 35]]. The building was later used for [[Atlantic 10 Conference]] and [[Philadelphia Big Five|Big Five]] basketball games. [[Jim Crockett Promotions]], under the [[National Wrestling Alliance|NWA]] banner, and later the [[Ted Turner]]-owned [[World Championship Wrestling|WCW]], also staged professional wrestling there, which included three [[pay-per-view]] events: [[Halloween Havoc]] in [[Halloween Havoc (1989)|1989]] and [[Halloween Havoc (1992)|1992]] and the 1994 [[Slamboree (1994)|Slamboree]] event. The Civic Center also hosted the [[World Hockey Association]]'s [[Philadelphia Blazers]] and the minor-league [[Philadelphia Firebirds (ice hockey)|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.

[[File:Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine (construction).jpg|thumb|right|248px|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 Conference|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 (TV series)|Hack]]'' starring [[David Morse (actor)|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<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brinkman |first1=Bennett |title='Unique in the nation': American Organ Institute students, alumni reflect on program ahead of closure |url=https://www.oudaily.com/news/unique-in-the-nation-american-organ-institute-students-alumni-reflect-on-program-ahead-of-closure/article_d9a1bc90-0ef6-11ea-ae9c-ff1db51f288b.html |website=OUdaily.com |publisher=University of Oklahoma |access-date=6 July 2023 |location=Norman, Oklahoma |date=24 November 2019}}</ref> and the uninstalled pipework sold.<ref>{{cite web |title=American Organ Institute Originally M. P. Möller (Opus 5819, 1931) |url=https://pipeorgandatabase.org/organ/25773 |website=Pipe Organ Database |publisher=Organ Historical Society |access-date=6 July 2023}}</ref>

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, {{convert|5|ft}} tall and {{convert|48|ft}} 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ogtstore.com/blog/architectural-find-of-the-week-historic-limestone-friezes-from-philadelphia-civic-center/ |title=Historic Limestone Friezes from Philadelphia Civic Center |date=January 29, 2019 |first=Lucianna |last=Hargis |website=Olde Good Things |access-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref> 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 [[New Jersey Route 440|Route 440]] in [[Bayonne, New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2017/11/new_frieze_installed_at_new_bayonnne_shopping_cent.html#incart_river_home |last=Keller |first=Kristen |title=Nearly century-old work of art perfect fit for working-class Bayonne |publisher=The Jersey Journal |date=November 25, 2017 |access-date = November 25, 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book
  | last = Hunter 
  | first = Ruth 
  | title = The Trade and Convention Center of Philadelphia: Its Birth and Renascence
  | publisher = The City of Philadelphia
  | year = 1962
  | location = Philadelphia
  }}

==External links==
*[http://aoi.ou.edu/instruments/5819/5819vision.html Dedication booklet] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720024538/http://aoi.ou.edu/instruments/5819/5819vision.html |date=2011-07-20 }}
*[http://aoi.ou.edu/instruments/5819.html Information on Moller Opus 5819 now at the University of Oklahoma's School of Music, American Organ Institute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720024407/http://aoi.ou.edu/instruments/5819.html |date=2011-07-20 }}
*[https://archive.today/20060321210221/http://www.oldegoodthings.com/newsletter7.htm Photos of the Civic Center prior to destruction including details of the preservation efforts]
*[https://gamingterm.com/james-harden-basketball-player-philadelphia-76ers-team/ Philadelphia Player Article]
*[http://www.phillyboxinghistory.com/venues/venue_convention.htm Philadelphia Boxing History at Convention Hall]

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[[Category:College basketball venues in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Boxing venues in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Convention centers in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Defunct basketball venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct college basketball venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Former NBA venues]]
[[Category:Defunct sports venues in Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Demolished sports venues in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:La Salle Explorers men's basketball]]
[[Category:Philadelphia 76ers]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Firebirds (ice hockey)]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Warriors]]
[[Category:Temple Owls basketball]]
[[Category:University City, Philadelphia]]
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[[Category:Defunct indoor arenas in Pennsylvania]]