Philadelphia, PA ~ February 6, 2009
The Spectrum
Philadelphia, PA ~
February 6, 2009
Slated to be torn down later in 2009, the
Philadelphia Spectrum has already given way for a new hockey and basketball
arena that opened in 1996. Having hosted minor league hockey and continued to
host concerts since the new rink opened, the Spectrum site is planned to yield to a commercial
and entertainment complex that can generate revenue every night of the year, as
opposed to just on nights when the home team is in action. The minor league
hockey team will relocate to another city.
The Spectrum is an example of the extreme neo-classical modern
architecture typical of office buildings and entertainment centers of the 1960s
and 1970s. Especially when illuminated at night it can resemble an updated
version of some ancient Greek or Roman building, in form if not in fancy.
Inside (having only attended one hockey game and one concert) it was a cozy and
pleasing enough place to watch an event. Admittedly, the one concourse
serving the entire building (typical of arenas constructed in that time period), with bathrooms in the basement level, led to some claustrophobic
moments. Ultimately it was better suited to minor league rather than
professional sports, at least in terms of the size of crowds that it could
reasonably accommodate.
I have been to the replacement arena, currently known as the Wachovia Center,
which is near identical to every other hockey rink built in
the 1990s. Oversized and not much interesting to remark about. These photographs
were taken at a hockey game won by the Hershey Bears 5 to 2 vs. the Philadelphia
Phantoms.
More
Philadelphia Spectrum photos - page 2
This page copyright © 2009 by Robert J. Yasinsac.
Reproduction of text and/or photographs without the permission of Robert J. Yasinsac is
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