Ed Snider made official last night something we first told you back in January.
The Spectrum, the legendary sports and concert arena that has stood for 40 years as one of the cornerstones of the South Philly sports complex, is doomed.
The place where the Flyers were serenaded by Kate Smith on their way to winning the Stanley Cup, and where a generation of music fans were introduced to acts like Billy Joel and some skinny kid from New Jersey by the name of Bruce Springsteen, has a date with the wrecker’s ball.
Our Flyers beat reporter, Anthony SanFilippo, first reported that the old brick building will make way for a luxury hotel, one of the centerpieces of a huge sports-retail-nightlife development to be called “Philly Live.” It will be modeled after similar sites in other areas of the country, including the harbor development in Baltimore.
Snider confirmed the move on Comcast last night.
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Snider, who is the head honcho at Comcast-Spectacor. “The Spectrum is my baby. It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.”
In addition to being the place where the Flyers turned around a city’s fortune and made us winners – brawling their way to a Stanley Cup in 1974 – it’s also where we last title town moment. That would be when the Sixers won the NBA title in 1983.
It’s been Death Valley ever since.
Maybe knocking the old joint down will kick start a new era.
The Spectrum, the legendary sports and concert arena that has stood for 40 years as one of the cornerstones of the South Philly sports complex, is doomed.
The place where the Flyers were serenaded by Kate Smith on their way to winning the Stanley Cup, and where a generation of music fans were introduced to acts like Billy Joel and some skinny kid from New Jersey by the name of Bruce Springsteen, has a date with the wrecker’s ball.
Our Flyers beat reporter, Anthony SanFilippo, first reported that the old brick building will make way for a luxury hotel, one of the centerpieces of a huge sports-retail-nightlife development to be called “Philly Live.” It will be modeled after similar sites in other areas of the country, including the harbor development in Baltimore.
Snider confirmed the move on Comcast last night.
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” said Snider, who is the head honcho at Comcast-Spectacor. “The Spectrum is my baby. It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me.”
In addition to being the place where the Flyers turned around a city’s fortune and made us winners – brawling their way to a Stanley Cup in 1974 – it’s also where we last title town moment. That would be when the Sixers won the NBA title in 1983.
It’s been Death Valley ever since.
Maybe knocking the old joint down will kick start a new era.
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