sign in sign up
<<
Home , Bernie Parent, Comcast Spectacor, Delaware Stars, Ed Snider, Lincoln Financial Field, Maurice Cheeks

The – The Golden Age of Sports

May, 13th 2008 Group 1 Blase Szyszko Andrew Dowds Chris Cawley Rasheed Wilkins Chris Becker

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Table of Contents

I. before the Construction of the Spectrum Pg. 2

II. South Philadelphia after the Construction of the Spectrum Pg. 11

III. The Future of South Philadelphia and the Spectrum Pg. 24

IV. Our Journal Pg. 26

V. Works Citied Pg. 31

Page | 1

Group 1 – The Spectrum

South Philadelphia before the Construction of the Spectrum

Page | 2

Group 1 – The Spectrum

While standing at the corner of Broad Street and Pattison

Avenue fans see a vast expanse of land that is covered in asphalt, grass, and cement. Jutting out from this landscape appear giant steel structures that hold thousands of die‐hard fans waiting for their team’s next success, so they too can be a part of the next Philadelphia sports legacy. None of these steel structures has hosted more successes and failures than the Spectrum. Teams and players have achieved goals that have shaped modern day Philadelphia.

But what was on that land prior to the asphalt, cement, and steel? Well, that’s when most fans would lose interest. It is this place where five students, on a mission to discover the history of the land that surrounds the Spectrum, enter.

Go back about three‐hundred and fifty years to

about 1638. The Swedes have recently set up a colony, in

the Valley, to further in the area and grow

tobacco. When the Swedes arrived, they are met by the

Lenape Indians. The Indians called Philadelphia, below Cedar

Street, South Street, “Wicaco” ( Museum).

The allowed the Swedes to use the land because

they believed that the land was to be shared. Their colony

was started in Essington, PA and was settled as far North as

Bristol. With the Swedes new settlement, they began to dike

Page | 3

Group 1 – The Spectrum

and drain some of the swamps surrounding their colony. Around 1653, Queen Christina rewarded a man for his service and gave him the land surrounding and including FDR Park and the . His still stands in FDR Park, and is the home of the American Swedish

Historical Museum.

One area that they specifically drained was the

area around where the stadiums were going to be built.

The land around the Spectrum still remained a swampy

area. The surroundings were full of life, which

meant food for the colonists, especially migrating

birds. Still today the Mid‐Atlantic coastal plain, from

South Carolina to up the ,

sees migrating birds. The colony was never profitable

for Sweden and eventually failed, but was never forgotten.

The ’ first jersey was blue and gold representing the previous Swedish settlement of the area. In 1682 when arrived, there still was a heavily Swedish population in South Philadelphia region. The area around the Spectrum remained undeveloped for many years until the Navy Yard was established in 1868.

With the establishment of the Navy Yard came many jobs and opportunities for

Philadelphians. Though the area was now bringing in many workers, it remained swampy and difficult to build on. The land surrounding the Navy Yard remained unused. Christopher Morley

“to his surprise found Philadelphians living in almost rural existence amid the marshes, ash

Page | 4

Group 1 – The Spectrum

heaps and junk yards” (Phillyhistory.org). He

believed that the area held “great promise”. His

belief came true when in 1889

announced “The winning plan for the new League

Island Park” (phillyhistory.org) was drawn up by a

New Yorker, Samuel Parsons Jr. His plans failed

because of the difficulty of working with the

swampy land so, in 1912, the city hired the

preeminent landscape architecture firm, Olmsted

Brothers, to produce the designs for the park. It included the land where the stadiums are now standing. The land was so low lying that it required a complex draining system to allow the water in the park to drain and fill with the tides. The lagoons and ponds that were created, and still remain, are the remnants of the tidal marsh and channel systems. The area finally saw the end to the tidal marsh and channels when they Olmsted Brothers installed a flood gate. The gate permitted the drainage of the park and minimized the inflow of the Delaware River. The area is still part of the Atlantic Coastal plain.

The park is a refuge for many animals that are on the verge of distinction because of the massive development in the area.

With America’s entrance into World War One, the Naval Yard and the surrounding area saw an increase in the amount of work and naval operations.

Page | 5

Group 1 – The Spectrum

The next big change would come in 1926,

when Philadelphia hosted the Sesqui‐Centennial

Expedition. The Sesqui‐Centennial Celebration

commemorated the 150th anniversary signing the

Declaration of Independence. The New York Times released an article declaring “Bad Site Hampered Sesqui”. Mayor Moore, who was mayor of

Philadelphia at the time, thought “less favorably of the exposition.” He didn’t prepare much for the celebration. Though in 1924 he was succeeded by Freeland Krendrick, who was a business man and wanted to make “a big boy out of” the celebration.

“League Island adjoins the Philadelphia Nay Yard. It was then; much of it is now,

undeveloped marshland, low‐lying, bleak in winter time, windswept and, during the

summer, infested by a tribe of mosquitoes more ferocious than New Jersey ever

dreamed of.”

Colonel Collier told Kendrick that “You can’t do it. We won’t be ready until 1927.” Kendrick replied “I am going to do it” Before the construction could begin, “Some mammoth engineering problems had to be resolved and the marshy land on which the exposition building would sit drained and filled. Thousands of tons of dirt was dug from Broad Street subway and brought to the land and dumped into the Marshes. The men had to dam creeks, make lagoons, stop natural springs, and stop “subterranean creeks.” Streets were surveyed, graded, and paved, sewers and water and electrical lines installed, and mosquitoes controlled. Eventually these advances would help develop South Philadelphia to what it is today. The fair opened on May

Page | 6

Group 1 – The Spectrum

31st, 1926, and ran through November on grounds bounded by 10th Street, Packer Avenue,

23rd Street, and the U.S. Navy Yard (Terminal Avenue) in South Philadelphia. The area was originally known as League Island Park. These grounds are now occupied by FDR Park which is a

remnant of League Island Park, the four facilities of Philadelphia's massive Sports, the

Philadelphia Eagles training facilities, and private homes. After the Sesqui‐Centennial failure,

South Philadelphia was left with the land and the Municipal . The roads were already surveyed, graded, and paved roads, sewers and water and electrical line installed leaving the area well‐prepared for private homes and development of the area.

During the Great Depression, under Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the New Deal began to bring revitalization efforts and funds to the Naval Yard. Workers in the

Progress Administration improved grounds, roads, railroads tracks, steam and water pipe lines, and buildings. A new hospital was built on Pattison Avenue north of the Island. Ship construction and “FDR’s advancement of the U.S. Navy was helped by the Vinsom‐Trammell

Construction Act.” Eight ships were built in the Yard between 1934 and 1936. Every time a ship was to be launched, the Yard would announce a Navy Day, upon which thousands of people

would flock to the Yard and surrounding

area to watch the launching. In one

instance, in October 1938, 65,118 people

came to League Island to watch the keel

laying of the battleship Washington. It

was 35,000 tons and was the biggest ship

Page | 7

Group 1 – The Spectrum

the Naval Yard could build, until more improvements were made. At this time Municipal

Stadium provided entertainment for the sailors and Philadelphians, but the real attraction to the area was the Naval Yard.

World War Two brought an

incredible amount of development to

the Naval Yard and therefore it greatly

affected the surrounding area. The war

caused oil refineries, factories, and

housing to be built for the Yard and the

sailors. Two of the largest dry docks in the world were built at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. By the end of the war “48 new warships built, 41 converted, 574 repaired, and 650 ships completed and dry‐docked.” The Naval Aircraft

Factory and a propeller factory were built. The Naval Aircraft Factory produced 500 aircraft and the Propeller Shop made 5, 500 propellers.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited the Yard and promised $4,000,000 in expansion funds, construction of 1,000 low‐cost housing units, and 11,000 new jobs. The Navy Yard had a huge influence on the war. It produced the first aircraft carrier and helped develop a majority of the ships used. At the time, South Philadelphia was mostly known for the Navy Yard.

The last ship was launched in 1946. For the next decade, no new ship production would take place.

Page | 8

Group 1 – The Spectrum

After the war, the area continued to grow. It became very industrialized north of Broad

St. South of Broad St. became a residential area. It would remain this way until, about the

1960’s when talks about a new stadium and a new franchise surfaced. Philadelphia was awarded an expansion hockey franchise for 2 million dollars. There was a contest called Name‐

The‐Team. After the contest was over it

came down to two names, Flyers (the

winning entry spelled the name Fliers) or

Quakers. , the new owner of the

team, chose Flyers because the name

conveyed the excitement of hockey and also

the previous team, the Quakers, had the worst record in NHL history. The team needed a stadium for its games. The South Philadelphia area still had some undeveloped land, so it was the perfect place for the . It was to be built in the Municipal Stadium parking lot and some of the land next to Municipal stadium. They broke ground in June, 1966. During the construction they ran into many problems with the swampy land. It was low lying, muddy, and difficult to build on. Developers had to resort to the same methods used to build of Island Park and Municipal stadium. They had to bring in tons and tons of dirt and cement to fortify the ground. Even with these problems the arena was finished in 16 months, costing around 7 million dollars. The developers would regret building the Spectrum so fast and so small.

The Spectrum was the first modern indoor sports arena in Philadelphia. It was built to hold all types of events. It could be configured to house an indoor track, ice rink,

Page | 9

Group 1 – The Spectrum

court, and even courts. It could also host matches, concerts, and circuses. The

Spectrum was purposely built to be multifunctional.

After the construction many people began to ask, how did the Spectrum get its name.

Flyer executive Lou Scheinfeld is responsible for its creation. He was walking through the building and the name just popped into his head and it stuck.

Page | 10

Group 1 – The Spectrum

South Philadelphia after the Construction of the Spectrum

Page | 11

Group 1 – The Spectrum

The Spectrum started out slowly in 1967 when it was called the “big tuna fish can.” Even with this bad start, the first event held at the Spectrum on September 30, 1967 was a jazz festival and it sold‐out on the second day. People remarked on the Stadium saying the “seats were not only comfortable, but there was leg room.” October 17th, 18th, and 19th was the first string of unforgettable sporting events at the Spectrum. The first three sporting events started off with victories. On October 17, 1967, in a boxing match between Philadelphia’s own Joe

Frazier and Tony Doyle, Frazier won by a knockout. The Next day the 76ers had their first game and won 103 – 87 against the L.A. Lakers. The following day the Flyers were victorious with a 1

– 0 victory over . The first year had it ups and downs. Concerts were being held, and the 76ers and Flyers had moved into their new state of the art facility in 1967. The Flyers were

not very good and didn’t sell out a game. Owner

Ed Snider thought that maybe the last seven

games were going to sell‐out because people

finally began to show some interest, but then

tragedy struck.

On February 17, 1968 a piece of the roof

blew off the Spectrum leaving a gigantic hole. No

one got hurt, but a lot of politicians got involved.

Mayor Tate closed the building and the Inquirer

was saying that it had to stay closed. It really

wasn’t bad, but politicians as usual blew things out

Page | 12

Group 1 – The Spectrum

of proportion. The event was a giant set back for the Spectrum because it had only been open for a few months, and it was already in financial trouble. The Flyers and the spectrum had already been struggling through the first season. Snider said “it was strange because, until then everybody seemed to have supported the Spectrum.” Now the city shut it down. So for the rest of the season the Flyers played their “home” games at , New York and in , both of which were rival cities. The Sixers were able to move back to their old home, Convention Hall and for their home games, but there was no quality sports arena in the Philadelphia area. The estimated cost to fix the roof was $75,000. The Spectrum’s financial position was so bad that a bank had to step in and loan money so it could stay alive.

While the Spectrum was being repaired, it had become a national laughingstock. The roof had blown off, and it was bankrupt. Believe or not, the Spectrum was technically bankrupt until

1971.

In 1971, South Philadelphia saw, yet another change. Veteran’s stadium was finally finished. Talks about construction had started in 1964, but this stadium was going to be paid for by the citizens. It didn’t get approval until the Eagles franchise threatened to move to another city. The stadium couldn’t be started until the necessary funds were obtained. Philadelphia voters approved a $25 million bond issue for a new stadium in 1964 to replace the rundown

Connie Mack Stadium and . The voters had to go to the polls yet again in 1967 and approve another $13 million due to cost overruns. At a total cost of $50 million, it was one of the most expensive ballparks to date. With its new neighbor, the area around the stadium in

South Philadelphia began to be known as the Philadelphia Sports Complex.

Page | 13

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Finally on January 1st, 1972, the Flyers board chairmen, Ed Snider, and his brother‐in‐law

Earl Foreman came up with $11 million dollars to take the Spectrum out of debt. The Spectrum, unlike most stadiums, in which taxpayers pay for the cost of the stadium, the “depended on making a profit.”

In 1972, a third level was added to the Spectrum to accommodate more fans, especially for Flyers games. The new addition added 2,249 seats to accommodate the increasing desire to go the sporting events and concerts at the Spectrum. This drastically changed the exterior look of the Spectrum and also allowed more VIP box seats and companies to get involved.

Up until 1974, the Spectrum had few historical events. The 76ers were mediocre ever since they had traded Wilt Chamberlin and had difficulty getting to the post season. The Flyers were getting better, but still were far from being the best.

In 1974, Philadelphia would get a glimpse

of what was going to be the future of Philadelphia

sports held in the Spectrum. In 1973 the Flyers

were given the intimidating nickname “Broad

Street Bullies.” They were known for their

aggressive play and players. They had Dave

Schultz who led the league in minutes. In the draft they had acquired Bobby Clark, who was a young and rising , and , who allowed the fewest of goals in the NHL had, returned to the Flyers. With these players the Flyers had a strong team, but not as good as

Bobby Orr and the Bruins. The Flyers made the finals where they faced the

Page | 14

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Bruins. The Flyers went in as the underdogs and came out as champions. The series came down to game six at the Spectrum, and the Flyers came away with a one to nothing victory. The fans went wild; flipping cars, running around, just going crazy. A parade was held and tens of thousands of people came out to support their team. The next year the Flyers went on to defeat the Islanders to capture the 2nd Stanley Cup title. Many people thought it was impossible for Philadelphia to put together a Stanley Cup team in just a few years, but that is exactly what they done.

Another famous event held at the Spectrum was when Russia and America were in a

Cold War. In 1976, the Flyers played the Soviet Union’s dominant Central Red Army team. The

Flyers rugged play caused the Soviets to leave the rink. They weren’t going to play, until the

Flyers told them they weren’t going to get any money for playing if they left the ice. They came back out and the Flyers dominated the best team in the world, 4 ‐1. This was not only a battle

against two teams, but a battle between two countries.

With this win, the Flyers gained even more respect

around the World.

In 1976 after years of 76’s they finally got out of its

slump of missing the playoffs. They acquired

from the New York Nets, and that year they made the

finals, but lost to their former coach Jack Ramsey and the

Portland Trailblazers. The next year the 76ers lost in the

championship and but in 1983 they defeated the L.A.

Page | 15

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Lakers to take their first championship as

tenants of the Spectrum.

Concerts were big at the Spectrum.

Billboard magazine said “it was the leading

concert facility in the .” Just in

1977, 720,000 fans went to 50 concerts. The most memorable of these concerts was ’s last show at the Spectrum. Many famous singers, like , Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra, performed for sold‐out crowds.

The mid seventies to the late seventies was the Spectrum’s prime. It held two NBA All‐ star games, three , one NHL All‐star game, one NBA Final, one NCAA tournament, and hundreds of concerts and other events. The years from 1973 – 1979 made the

Spectrum, a legend among stadiums.

Philadelphia sports team had reached the pinnacle of their success in the late 1970’s into the early 80’s. The Flyers had won the Stanley cup twice in the , in 1974 and 1975 and were in 6 Stanley Cup Finals 1970s and 80s. They had quickly become a dynasty. The 76ers had also established a name for themselves that was conducive to success. The 76ers competed in 4 NBA Finals in the 1970s and 80s, and they won the NBA Finals in 1983. During those days The Spectrum was the home court for the two teams. The Spectrum became a place of brotherly love where Philadelphia sports fans alike could watch the game and share the memories together. To most Philadelphians, the Spectrum is holy ground.

Page | 16

Group 1 – The Spectrum

In 1980 the had an

outstanding season. In that year the Flyers made a

controversial move, moving Dick Clarke to

player/coach. The Flyers started off the season

25‐0‐10, standing undefeated in the first 35

games. The Flyers breezed into the playoffs and

defeated young ’s Edmonton

Oiler’s and then went on to defeat the Rangers

and Minnesota to advance to The Stanley Cup

Finals yet again. The Flyers would face the , and lost in 6 games due to Bob

Nystrom's Cup‐winning . The next season didn’t turn out as well for the Flyers.

The season came to and end when the Flyers lost to in the quarterfinals. The flyer sthen went on to lose to the two years in a row and then were swept by the

Washington Capitals in 1984. In 1984 after a few heartbreaking seasons in a row retired and was named Vice President and of the Flyers. In 1984 the Flyers hired a new coach. . That year the Flyers won a franchise record, 53 games. They went on to sweep through the playoffs and face the defending champion, Edmonton Oiler’s, to whom they lost to. The 1986 season marked the Flyers third straight Patrick win, and there last of the decade.

The Flyers were arguably one of the best teams in the NHL throughout the .

However, they were definitely the most consistent. The Flyer had a winning record in all but one season in the 1980s.

Page | 17

Group 1 – The Spectrum

The were lead by an all star squad in the 1980s. Julius Erving, Moses

Malone, and paved the way for 76ers. In 1981 the 76ers made it to the Eastern

Conference Finals verse the . The Celtic rallied abck and won the next three games forcing it to game 7, which was played in Boston. The sixers triumphed over the Celtics and won the game. As the game was nearing the end and it was evident the Sixers had won the

Boston Celtic fans begun chanting “Beat LA! Beat LA!” which was an incredible moment in basketball history. The Sixers ultimately lost to the Lakers but it wouldn’t be the last time the two teams faced off in the finals. The

Sixers were bought in 1983 by Harold Katz. The first thing Katz did was pick up Moses

Malone from the Rockets. In 1983 the Sixers won five games and when Malone was asked his prediction for playoffs he responded simply with “fo fo fo.” This meant the Sixers would sweep through all three series. The Sixers however did not go “fo fo fo” but rather “fo fi fo.” The Sixers won the first series in four games and the second series verus the Bucks went to five games. The Sixers did however beat the La Lakers in four games to win the NBA Finals. In

1984 the Sixers drafted . For the next 8 years Charles Barkley would delight the fans of Philadelphia with his humor and sometime controversial ways. The Sixers made it to the playoffs the next to years but lost. In 1986 Harold Katz traded and for , , and Cliff Robinson, none of whom stayed with the Sixers very long.

For the next few years the Sixers did not do very well. In 1989 the Sixers faced and the Bulls in the playoffs and lost in five games.

Page | 18

Group 1 – The Spectrum

The Sixers in the 1980s went from the best teams in basketball to one of the laughing stocks of the league. During the 1980s the Sixers lost legendary players like Moses Malone,

Julius Erring, and Maurice Cheeks due to retirement and trading.

The Spectrum was a great concert venue in the 1980s. Queen played at the Spectrum in

1980 and 1982. The Spectrum theatre came to be for artists who were not big enough to fill the whole spectrum. played there in 1982 and 1986.

After the many championships in the 70s and 80s, the spectrum became a quieter place.

There was still the Flyers, Sixers, and Phantoms games, but none of the teams got to a championship or finals. Needless to say, besides the plethora of sporting events there was also an immense amount of concerts, and local events. The Spectrum was truly an active place, even when there were not Stanley Cup games going on.

The Philadelphia Flyers, the first to inhabit the Spectrums saw mediocre years up until

1995 – 1996 season. In that time, the Flyers got to the playoffs. In the first round, they played the . The first two games were lost horribly. However, the Flyers rallied back and won the next three. Game 4 was won in overtime, and Game 5 was won in double overtime. These two games made up for the lack of excitement that Philadelphia fans had for the past few years. Then, to the dissatisfaction of the fans, the Flyers ruined the next set of games and lost the second series. This was a goodbye to the Stanley Cup, and also a goodbye to

The Spectrum. After this season, the Flyers moved over to the CoreStates , which is now known as the Center.

Page | 19

Group 1 – The Spectrum

The Philadelphia 76ers were in the

spotlight with the famous Charles Barkley on the

team. It was a bittersweet time, as it was Charles

Barkley’s last year as a ‘Sixer. Charles wore

32 instead of his 34 to honor , who

announced prior to the start of the season that he

was HIV‐positive. Although the 76ers retired the

number 32 in honor of , it was

unretired for Barkley to wear. Barkley was

probably most famous for his “spitting incident.” In

March 1991, during an overtime game in New

Jersey, a courtside had been yelling racial slurs throughout the game at Barkley. Upset by the heckler's remarks, Barkley turned to spit at him, but, as he later described, did not "get enough foam," missed and mistakenly spat on a young girl. , the then‐NBA's president of operations, suspended Barkley without pay and fined him $10,000 for spitting and using abusive language at the fan. After many losses, Barkley demanded to be traded and was, for three other players. This began the “Dark Ages” of the Philadelphia 76ers. Starting with the

1990‐91 season, and ending with the 1995‐96 season, the 76ers had the “pleasure” of seeing their win total decrease each year. The worst was the 1995‐96 season, when they finished with an 18–64 record. That was the second‐worst in franchise history. It was also the second‐worst record in the league that year, ahead of only the expansion but behind the

Toronto Raptors, who were also in their first season. The ‘Sixer’s Coach, unpopular among fans

Page | 20

Group 1 – The Spectrum

since the 1986 trades, sold the team to ‐Spectacor at the end of the 1995‐96 season.

The next draft, the 76ers got a mane by the name of , who would change the team forever.

While the sports scene was going on, there were many concerts at the Spectrum. In

January of 1990, came to

Philadelphia. He played his “Six‐Night

Engagement” Tour. This was the top of Joel’s career, and thousands of fans attended. That

March, Philadelphia hosted the Wilt

Chamberlain Night. This was an event at the

Spectrum that celebrated the major accomplishments that Wilt had while playing for the

‘Sixers. This event was especially popular because he was one of the best players to have ever graced the 76ers. In January of 1992, played three shows at the Spectrum. So many people attended, all three of his shows were sold out. Probably the most popular show to hit the Spectrum was The in 1992.

For the last eight years, the Spectrum hasn’t settled down. With the Spectrum’s loss of the 76ers and Flyers it opened up more room for other activities like the Kixx, Wings, Phantoms,

Soul, concerts, and events.

In 2000 the women’s NCAA tournament finished in front of a sold out crowd in which thousands of people in the nations watched the basketball finals. Only one year later the

Page | 21

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Spectrum held attendance to the Men’s basketball bracket in a historic game. The Stadium held two school record crowds for attendance. The stadium itself is a modern day record holder which can not be said for most stadiums of the present. In between seasons of college basketball, in 2000, the Spectrum held witness to the republican national conference. The conference was a four day event in which many political issues of the day were discussed in full.

In 2001, the Sixers made it to the playoff after several years coming up short. Again they faced the L.A. Lakers in the NBA finals. This was the first time since there championship run in the 1980’s. Although they lost, it was still a good marker in the City history. Two weeks after the

Sixers lost in the championship, started her Drowned tour in Philadelphia at the

Spectrum. The concert sold both of its show days within the first 70 minutes of selling time. The money brought in helped fund the renovation of the Spectrum. Finally in that year the long awaited X‐games took place.

Beginning on May 7, 2001, a new stadium was being erected for a price of $512 million dollars. It was going to be called . It was built to replace .

The “Linc” opened on August 3, 2003, for a soccer match between two European soccer powers

Manchester United and FC Barcelona.

A year after the construction of Lincoln Financial Field started; construction of Citizens

Bank Park began. It also was built to replace Veterans stadium. It opened on April 3, 2004 costing the city $346 million dollars to construction. On March 21, 2004 less than a month from the opening of Citizen Bank Park, Veterans Stadium was demolished. The Spectrum is the only stadium that remains from the 60’s and 70’s.

Page | 22

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Not long after a piece of the Spectrum was taken. The Statue was moved permanently in September 2006, to the Philadelphia Art Museum, where it remains today.

The Spectrum continues to host many non‐traditional events. It hides it true past of one of the most successful stadiums in the Country, with the smaller events of today.

Page | 23

Group 1 – The Spectrum

The Future of South Philadelphia and the Spectrum

Page | 24

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Recently plans have been surfacing about the destruction of the Wachovia Spectrum.

There are plans for shops, restaurants, bars, hotel, and even a casino on the plot of land. While plans for a hotel on the site of the Wachovia Spectrum are far from becoming reality, Comcast is moving ahead with talks to develop a multimillion dollar entertainment complex in South

Philadelphia. Peter Luukko the artist designing the new facility has said that “there is no definite plan yet, we just wanted to share what we’re thinking about for the area.” The main purpose for developments would be to add more depth to the area. With the addition of a hotel, trips to the stadiums wouldn’t just be a game, but an overnight affair. With talks about turning a part of the Philadelphia Naval base into a casino, South Philadelphia would not just be stadiums, but a casino and hotel. It would become a hub of entertainment for adults, teens, and kids. For adults they could go to a game, then to the casinos and stay over for the night. Teens could go to a game and eat in a restaurant after. With these new renovations South Philadelphia would become an attractive place for people of all ages and it will cause a huge economic boost for

Philadelphia.

Though if these plans go through, Philadelphia will lose a piece of what Philly is known.

When people see the Spectrum; they picture Bobby Clark missing teeth, Crazy fans, and just a good time without the advertisement. If the giant structure comes down, the die‐hard fans will never forget those concerts, games, and events. They will continue to tell the stories of their generation when the Spectrum was the place to be. And those five students will never forget the two and a half months of discovering the history of the land that just wasn’t a stadium, but a marshland full of life and activity that was roamed by Native Americans.

Page | 25

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Our Journal

2/19‐ First Class meeting

Rasheed and Andrew were not in school at this date, nothing was really talked about basic ideas were shared.

2/20‐ Second Class meeting

Everyone was in attendance, still only basic ideas were discussed, no plans for any big actions were talked about such as going into Philadelphia for any reason. It was determined that Blase would be our designated driver for the course of project.

2/21‐ Third Class meeting

Rasheed was absent; the meeting was dedicated to making plans to travel into Philadelphia to visit various places such as City hall, The Wachovia Spectrum, The free Library of Philadelphia and the Temple Urban Archives. Blase is still driving everyone. There were no solid dates at this time to when we were leaving except that it would happen during Spring break.

2/25‐ Fourth Class meeting

Everyone was in attendance, No real work was done at this , and Plans to begin independent research were put into action as people were given time areas to research. The dates of going into the city were kept in mind but were not discussed in detail.

2/27‐ Fifth Class meeting

Page | 26

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Chris Cawley and Rasheed were absent, Preliminary research was shared and a format of how the paper will turn out is shared between the group members. The research was not finished but it had a good start. Plans to leave for Philadelphia were continued to be kept in mind.

3/2‐ Sixth Class meeting

Everyone was in attendance; with spring break closing in, the biggest discussion was what we would be doing with the time off. The decision was that the group would travel into the city and go to the free library first and then to the Archive to get some primary sources

3/10‐ Seventh Class meeting

Everyone was in attendance, this day marked the one week mark before spring break, the idea of getting out to the city finally became a reality as schedules and free days were shared and a day was made out to go to various places in the city

3/14‐ Eighth Class meeting

The last Friday before spring break, The outline of the Philadelphia day was planned out. Chris

Cawley was not in school due to a trip to Europe with several other LaSalle students. He would also miss the Philadelphia day in the following week

3/25‐ Trip into Philadelphia

Everyone with the exception of Chris Cawley and Rasheed met at LaSalle early morning.

Rasheed was picked up at his house later that day. The first stop was the Free Library of

Philadelphia, were after asking for help we were sent to the Newspaper section of the Library.

Page | 27

Group 1 – The Spectrum

The initial goal was to find newspaper articles about the Spectrum dating back to the construction and pre‐construction periods of the Spectrum. At the newspaper sections we met a man named Mark who gave us a great brainstorm on what we should do. He told us about topics such as Bird migratory patterns, the Philadelphia Navy yard, and FDR Park. He also mentioned that there might have been houses there beforehand which they might have had to get rid of. After checking out books at the library in which each group member brought one home, we had lunch at Geno’s, and got Mr. Miller a bumper sticker, then went back home.

3/26‐Second Trip into Philadelphia

Today was the day in which we traveled to the Urban Archives at Temple. Blase, Chris Becker and Andrew were in attendance, we arrived at the campus and found out that almost no one knew about the Archives. It was difficult for us to find but after looking we found it. At the archives they brought out many resources that helped us greatly. Although we were not allowed to bring them out of the archives themselves they copied and digitalized all of the articles onto a disk that Blase picked up a couple days later. We had lunch and went home.

4/12 Philadelphia Trip

Blasé went down to the Spectrum and FDR Park to take pictures. He then went to the Temple

Urban Archives and the Philadelphia Free Library to get more information for his part of the project.

4/25 Philadelphia Trip

Page | 28

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Blasé went down to Philadelphia to visit the New Sweden Museum in FDR Park. He then was going to go to the Free Library, but he got stuck in traffic in Center City because of a parade so he went home instead.

5/2 Ninth Class meeting

Rasheed was not in attendance. The paper was taking shape as everyone was giving a time period to which they had to write there paper. Writing began and plans were made that the paper is to be given back to Blase who would have it revised and then finalized, Plans were made to meet at Andrew’s house that weekend.

5/4 Group meeting at Andrews house

Due to various reasons dealing with the prom the night before along with other things,

Rasheed, Blase and Chris Becker did not attend. Andrew and Chris worked on and almost completed their sections of the paper. Everyone else worked on it independently at home and we finished our rough draft.

5/9‐Interview day

Blase ran around school sacrificing his free periods and was able to get taped interviews with

Mr. Lynch, Mr. Rad, and Mr. Miller two days earlier.

5/10‐ Third trip into Philadelphia

Rasheed was not in attendance, everyone else went to City hall and waiting for the city worker to find the deed. It was not easy as it took many different people to find one. Eventually one

Page | 29

Group 1 – The Spectrum

was found and the group moved to the Free library and found overhead aerial photos which marked the development of the Spectrum and the land around it. Afterwards the interview with Mr. Sweeny took place, which was followed with lunch and home

5/11 Group meeting at Chris Becker’s house

Rasheed was not in attendance due to family matters, everyone else brought there papers to the Chris Becker’s house and they were put together. Pictures were added and video tapes were put together, With time running down people discussed what had to been done and when it had to be done by.

Page | 30

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Work Cited

Primary Sources

"A 'fun' empire strikes back with real force." Philadelphia Inquirer 8 11 1981: 2.

Bilovsky, Frank. "Move To Spectrum Won't Prevent Local Fan Advantage at Tourney." Philadelphia Inquirer 27 March 1967: 1.

Cambell, Lawerence M. "Spectrum Case Goes Over to Grand Jury." Philadelphia Inquirer 11 March 1968: 1968.

Deistefano, Joseph N. "Big Plans in works for site of Spectrum." Philadelphia Inquirer 15 01 2008: 1.

Hayes, Marcus. "Nothing definite. but they're working on it." 23 01 2008: 2.

Hoffman, Rich. "Snider recalls birth of Spectrum and complex." Philadelphia Daily News 23 01 2008: 2.

Ingram, George. "Spectrum Closed After NewDamage." Philadelphia Inquirer 2 May 1968: 1.

Logan, Joe. "Questions surround S. Phila. complex plan." Philadelphia Inquirer 23 01 2008: 1.

Moran, Ed. "Flyers ‐ Luukko to unveil early plans for complex." Philadelphia Daily News 22 01 2008: 1.

Morrison, John F. "Spectrum Taken Over By Bank Pending Action of U.S. Trustee." Philadelphia Inquirer 2 May 1968: 1.

Ronberg, Gary. "So who named the Spectrum?" Philadelphia Inquirer 31 March 1980: 1.

Singer, Samuel L. "Spectrum Opens With Quaker City Jazz Festival." Philadelphia Inquirer 1 10 1967: 1.

Snider, Ed. "The Day The Roof Blew Off the Spectrum." Philadelphia Inquirer 30 March 1989: 2.

Trachtman, Joseph H. "Specter Assails City's Role in Spectrum Work." Philadelphia Inquirer 28 June 1968: 1.

Unknown. "Declares Bad Site Hampered Sesqui." New York Times 30 11 1926: 1.

—. "Sesqui History to Appear in May." New York Times 16 04 1929: 1.

—. "Wind Rips Hole in Spectrum Roof, 10,000 File Out; Shows Canceled." Philadelphia Inquirer 18 02 1968: 1.

Whitaker, Tim. "It's a Gym... It's a Rink... It's a Big Top." Philadelphia Inquirer 12 03 1978: 7.

Page | 31

Group 1 – The Spectrum

15 Photos by Paul Szyszko

80 Photos by Blasé Szyszko

15 Photos from Urban Archives

4 Photos from Philadelphia Free Library

Secondary Sources

Dorwart, Jeffery M. The Philadelphia Navy Yard. Philadelphia: University of Pennslyvania Press, 2001.

Dougherty, Christopher. Philly History. 19 November 2007. 4 May 2008 .

Lynch, Mr. The Spectrum Blase Szyszko and Chris Becker. 8 May 2008.

Mr.Miller. The Spectrum Blase Szyszko and Chris Becker. 6 May 2008.

Mr.Radvansky. The Spectrum Blase Szyszko. 8 May 2008.

Sweeney, Mr. The Spectrum Andrew Dowds, Chris Cawley, and Chris Becker Blase Szyszko. 9 May 2008.

Unknown. . 27 April 2008 .

—. Fairmount Park. 27 April 2008 . unknown. The American Swedish Museum. 27 April 2008 .

—. The Navy Yard. 27 April 2008 .

Dublin, Murray. South Philadelphia Mummers, Memories, and The Melrose Diner. Philadelphia: Press, 1996.

Gargano, Glen Macnow and Anthony L. The Great Philadelphia Fan Book. Moorestown: Middle Atlantic Press, 2003.

Page | 32

Group 1 – The Spectrum

Miller, Tamara. Philadelphia, a 300 year History after 25 years. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1982.

Westcott, Rich. A Century of Philadelphia Sports. Philadelphia: , 2001.

Page | 33