Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center
| "The Nation's Most Historic Arena" | |
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| Former names | Municipal Auditorium Philadelphia Convention Hall |
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| Location | 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Coordinates | 39°56′51″N 75°11′42″W / 39.947368°N 75.195043°WCoordinates: 39°56′51″N 75°11′42″W / 39.947368°N 75.195043°W |
| Capacity | Basketball: 9,600 Concerts: 12,037 (The Beatles 1964) Convention: 15,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1931 |
| Closed | 1996 |
| Demolished | 2005 |
| Construction cost | $5,300,000 ($83.5 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | Philip H. Johnson |
| Tenants | |
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Penn Quakers (NCAA) (1944) Philadelphia Warriors (NBA) (1952–1962) Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) (1963–1967) Philadelphia Blazers (WHA) (1972–1973) Philadelphia Firebirds (NAHL/AHL) (1974–1979) La Salle Explorers (NCAA) (1989–1996) |
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The Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center—more commonly known as the Philadelphia Civic Center and the Philadelphia Convention Center, and formerly known as Municipal Auditorium and the Philadelphia Convention Hall—located in Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, was a complex of five or more buildings developed out of a series of buildings dedicated to expanding trade which began with the National Export Exhibition in 1899. There were two important buildings on the site. The Commercial Museum, built in 1899, was one of the original exposition buildings. The Municipal Auditorium (Convention Hall) was built in 1931; Philip H. Johnson was the architect. The site was host to national political conventions in 1900, 1936, 1940 and 1948.
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 capacity was approximately 12,000. The building was an Art Deco landmark, notable for its many friezes and other decorative aspects.
Originally known as the Municipal Auditorium, the Convention Hall 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. Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela all spoke there, and The Beatles and the Philadelphia Mummers both 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.
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