The Arena (Philadelphia)
| "The World's Most Famous Bingo Hall" | |
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The venue's former entrance at the corner of South Swanson Street and West Ritner Street in 2010.
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| Former names | Viking Hall (1986–1993) ECW Arena (1993–2001) XPW Arena (2002–2003) Alhambra Arena (2004–2009) The Arena (2009–2010) Asylum Arena (2010–2012) |
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| Location | 2300 South Swanson Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19148 |
| Coordinates | 39°55′3.51″N 75°8′50.01″W / 39.9176417°N 75.1472250°WCoordinates: 39°55′3.51″N 75°8′50.01″W / 39.9176417°N 75.1472250°W |
| Owner | Stein & Silverman Family Partnership, Inc. |
| Operator | Roger Artigiani |
| Capacity | 1,300 |
| Field size | 58,408 square feet (5,426.3 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 12, 1974 |
| Opened | May 14, 1993 |
| Renovated | 2004–2005, 2013–2014 |
| Tenants | |
| South Philadelphia Viking Club (1986–1993) Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–2001) Xtreme Pro Wrestling (2002–2003) Arena Operating, LLC (2012–2013) |
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| Website | |
| 2300Arena.com | |
2300 Arena, formerly known as Viking Hall, XPW Arena, New Alhambra Arena, The Arena, Asylum Arena and best known as the ECW Arena, is a multipurpose indoor arena used primarily for professional wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and concert events.
Located in South Philadelphia under an elevated stretch of Interstate 95, it is named after its address at 2300 South Swanson Street.
The facility was originally a freight warehouse that was built in 1974.Rail tracks next to the building allowed trains to drop off freight for storage and then continue on to their destinations. The tracks were eventually paved over to become an extension of West Ritner Street, allowing West Ritner Street to intersect with South Swanson Street.
Elias Stein and Leon Silverman of the law firm Stein & Silverman Family Partnership, Inc. purchased the warehouse in 1986. The southern part of the facility was given the name Viking Hall when the South Philadelphia Viking Club, a local chapter of mummers, began utilizing it. They used the building for storage and to rehearse for the annual Mummers Parade. The Viking Club would also stage midnight bingo games at the venue to raise funds for their organization. The northern part of the building was occupied by retail space, most notably a Forman Mills clothing store.
The southern part of the building gained worldwide recognition when it served as ECW Arena, home of professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from May 1993 until the promotion's closure in April 2001.
An NWA World Title Tournament at the venue in August 1994 ended with Shane Douglas throwing down the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and declaring himself ECW World Heavyweight Champion, effectively launching ECW as a national promotion.
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