Flyers, Sixers Unveil Arena Design on Old Spectrum Site
The privately funded South Philadelphia building is targeted to open before the 2030 WNBA season, with a design that nods to the Spectrum.
The Flyers and 76ers showed the first renderings of their new arena on September 8. It is going up where the Spectrum used to stand in South Philadelphia, and the teams describe it as the biggest fully privately funded project the city has seen.
The arena is targeted to open before the 2030 WNBA season, when Philadelphia's expansion team begins play. After more than a decade as tenants, the Sixers, whose owner is Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, are now equal partners with Comcast Spectacor.
For the Flyers, it is a return to the ground where the franchise started. Philadelphia began play in 1967 at the Spectrum and won its only two Stanley Cups there.
"To build our future where Ed Snider and the Spectrum made history makes this project truly special," Comcast chairman Brian Roberts said. "Working with HBSE, we are creating a world-class experience worthy of Philadelphia's incredible fans."
The design leans on that history and on the city itself. The renderings include more than half an acre of outdoor space with fan plazas and food and drink, and a broad staircase at the entrance inspired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.
"Philly fans deserve the best arena in the world, and we are excited to partner with Comcast to deliver just that," Sixers managing partner Josh Harris said.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called it "a state-of-the-art home worthy of the Flyers, their fans, and the entire city," and said the two ownership groups' commitment reflects "a lasting investment in the city's economic vitality." NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the renderings promise "an extraordinary home for NBA and WNBA basketball as well as many other world-class events."
By the teams' estimates, the project will create close to 15,000 jobs and nearly $6 billion in economic activity over 10 years, plus new tax revenue in the hundreds of millions for both the city and Philadelphia's school district.
Dan Hilferty, who became Flyers governor in 2023, has overseen a front office restructuring while pushing the team back toward consistent contention. The building is the longer-term piece of that.
