Philadelphia Arena

Coordinates: 39°57′29″N 75°12′42″W / 39.957959°N 75.211726°W / 39.957959; -75.211726
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Philadelphia Arena
Map
Location4530 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates39°57′29″N 75°12′42″W / 39.957959°N 75.211726°W / 39.957959; -75.211726
Capacity5,526
6,500 (76ers 1966)
Construction
OpenedFebruary 14, 1920
ClosedAugust 24, 1983 (fire)
DemolishedAugust 24, 1983
Tenants

The Philadelphia Arena was an auditorium used mainly for sporting events located at 46th and Market Streets in West Philadelphia.

The address of the building, originally named the Philadelphia Ice Palace and Auditorium, was 4530 Market Street. The building stood next to what would become the

George F. Pawling, of George F. Pawling & Co., Engineers and Contractors, and opened on Saturday, February 14, 1920, with a college hockey game between Yale and Princeton Tigers; the Bulldogs won, 4–0, before a crowd of over 4,000[1]
despite the fact that the arena had only one small entrance at the time.

One of the first teams to make the Arena home was the Yale University men's ice hockey team. Yale did not have a suitable on-campus venue in 1920 and played home games in Philadelphia.[2] During the 1920–1921 season, Yale, Princeton, and Penn made the Arena their home ice.[3]

The Tyrrell era

Jules Mastbaum, owner of a movie theater chain (The Stanley Company of America), acquired the building in 1925 and renamed it the Arena. In 1927 the Arena was purchased by Rudy Fried and Maurice Fishman who operated the facility until 1934, when their partnership was placed in receivership. In 1929, Peter A. Tyrrell (1896–1973) joined the Arena as boxing matchmaker and subsequently became the facility's publicist. In 1934 Tyrrell was named a friendly receiver-in-equity by George Welsh, a federal judge. Tyrrell became general manager of the Arena and served in that capacity until 1958, returning the corporation to profitability and enriching the variety of public entertainment.[4]

Historic events and professional sports

Philadelphia Warriors and part-time home of the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA
when the Philadelphia Convention Center was unavailable.

The arena was also a major venue for

Los Angeles Thunderbirds and Roller Games
.

"Didja Get Any Onya?" on the album

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
was recorded at this venue on March 2, 1969.

Political and other events

The Arena was not used as much for political and other events, as those events tended to be held at

Charles A. Lindbergh gave a speech before an America First Committee
Meeting.

Triangle publications

In 1947 the Arena was sold to Triangle Publications, along with the NBA franchise and the Philadelphia Warriors Basketball team. This transaction made TV station WFIL-TV (Channel 6), owned by Triangle Publications, the first joint ownership of a major professional sports team and TV station. In 1958, a group headed by Tyrrell purchased the Arena from the Walter Annenberg Foundation, to which ownership had been transferred by Triangle Publications. At the time of Tyrrell's retirement in 1965, the Arena building was sold at auction to James Toppi Enterprises, a sports promotion concern.

Final years

The building fell out of popular use in the 1970s, due to the building of the Spectrum in 1967. From 1967 to 1974, the arena was home to the Eastern Warriors, a Roller Derby team, skating every Friday and Sunday, usually to capacity. In 1977, the deteriorating building was auctioned off. It was renovated and renamed in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1980, the Continental Basketball Association's Lancaster Red Roses relocated to the newly named Martin Luther King Jr. Arena and became the Philadelphia Kings. The Kings were coached by longtime 76er and Basketball Hall of Famer Hal Greer and led on the court by former NBA superstar Cazzie Russell. The franchise lasted just one season at the legendary arena before returning to Lancaster.

The arena was finally destroyed by arson on August 24, 1983.[5] As of 2007, the former site of the arena now contains a housing complex, adjacent to the former TV studio which has become the Ron Brown Commerce Center.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "YALE BEATS TIGERS AT HOCKEY, 4 TO 0; Blanks Princeton in Philadelphia Game--Ingalls and Maxwell in Star Roles" (PDF). The New York Times. 1920-02-15. p. 19. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
  2. ^ "DEVELOPING YALE'S ATHLETIC POLICY; Problems of Completing the Bowl and Housing the Hockey Team Engage Officials" (PDF). The New York Times. 1920-03-07. p. 20. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
  3. ^ "COLLEGE HOCKEY PLANS DISCUSSED; Delegates to Meeting Here Arrange Tentative Schedules Favor Six-Man Teams" (PDF). The New York Times. 1920-11-20. p. 21. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
  4. ^ National Cyclopedia of American Biography vol 57 pp 297-298. "Peter A. Tyrrell". footnote.com. Retrieved 2009-03-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Four fires 'suspicious'". Reading Eagle. 1983-08-25. p. 35. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
Preceded by
first arena
 Home of the
Philadelphia Warriors

1946–1962 		Succeeded by
Cow Palace
as San Francisco Warriors
Preceded by
Onondaga War Memorial
as Syracuse
Nationals
 Home of the
Philadelphia 76ers
1963–1966 		Succeeded by
Philadelphia Civic Center
Preceded by Home of the
Philadelphia Quakers
1930–1931 		Succeeded by
last arena
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Philadelphia_Arena&oldid=1215251748"