The area in South Philadelphia now used to house multiple
stadiums and arenas first began in 1926 with the Sesquicentennial Exposition in
Philadelphia. The Sesquicentennial International Exposition was a World’s Fair
to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration
of Independence. In conjunction with the fair a large stadium was built. After
the exposition all that remained was the stadium, now renamed Municipal
Stadium. In 1964 the stadium was renamed again to honor President John F.
Kennedy. During its run JFK Stadium hosted the Philadelphia Quakers who
were part of the first American Football League, the Philadelphia Eagles, and
numerous Army-Navy games. The stadium was demolished in 1992.1,2In 1967 The Spectrum arena was opened and hosted teams such
as the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). The
Spectrum hosted numerous Stanley Cup Finals, NBA finals, and a&nbsp;few All-Star
games for both the NHL and NBA. There were dozens of concerts held at the
arena including; Aerosmith, Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Doors, and many
more. Before its closing in October 2009 rock group Pearl Jam performed The
Spectrums last concert. By April 2011 demolition of The Spectrum was complete
and the area now consists of a parking lot. Plans to open a 300-room hotel on this site&nbsp;are underway.3&nbsp;Veterans Stadium started construction in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania on October 2, 1967 at a cost of $60 million dollars, making it one
of the most expensive stadiums of its time. Veterans Stadium was home to&nbsp;both the
Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) and the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) from 1971 to
2003. The first game played at the new stadium was on April 10, 1971 with the
Philadelphia Phillies beating the Montreal Expos 4 – 1. The first game for the
Philadelphia Eagles was played on September 26, 1971 against the Dallas Cowboys
who beat the Eagles 42 – 7.4,5&nbsp;Fans would go on to name Veterans Stadium “The Vet” and no
one particularly liked the stadium. From the nosebleed seats in the 700 level
to the cold mushy hot dogs, fans and visitors alike were hardly impressed. The
players also held a deep dislike for “The Vet” because of the hard surface
under the artificial turf. Visiting players not only had to deal with the hard
turf but also notoriously rowdy Phillies and Eagles fans.&nbsp;Visiting players referred to “The Vet”
as a “hellhole”. “In a 1989 game against the Dallas Cowboys, rowdy fans tossed
snowballs at visiting players, coaches and officials; even then Mayor Ed
Rendell got into the act–to his later embarrassment and chagrin–betting a fan
that one of his missiles couldn't reach the field. Eight years later, the
Eagles became the first team in sports to set up an on-site courtroom to handle
the gamut of game-day infractions from public drunkenness, to fist-fights, to
harassing visiting rooters. To help maintain decorum, the police department
even dispatched officers dressed in opposition jerseys to sit in the Vet's
upper 700-level (Explore PA History).” Unfortunately "The Vet" was becoming too costly to maintain so the decision was made to demolish it and build two new stadiums.&nbsp;The Eagles would play their final game at "The Vet"&nbsp;in 2002
while the Phillies played their last game a year later. Before demolition began&nbsp;rock group Bon Jovi performed the very last concert at Veterans Stadium&nbsp;to a sold out crowd.&nbsp;On March 21, 2004 Veterans
Stadium was imploded in only 62 seconds and replaced by a parking lot for two new stadiums, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank
Park.6The South Philadelphia Sports Complex is now home to three
stadiums and arenas. The Wells Fargo Center arena opened in 1996 and hosts
games for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Philadelphia Flyers. The arena also
plays host to numerous concerts throughout the year, including a holiday
production of The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Lincoln Financial Field, also known
as “The Linc”, opened in 2003 and hosts the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2015 “The
Linc” will also host the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is a championship soccer game
to determine the regional champion between North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Citizens Bank Park, also known as “The Bank”, opened in 2004 and hosts games
for the Philadelphia Phillies.7,8

John F. Kennedy Stadium in 1971 with The Spectrum and Veterans Stadium in the background. 

Further information about the Sports Complex. 

More Info

Direct link to The Wells Fargo Center for more information or tickets. 

Direct link to Lincoln Financial Field for more information or tickets. 

Video

Short video with pictures of the Sesquicentennial Exposition in 1926.

The South Philadelphia Sports Complex is a multi-acre complex located in South Philadelphia, PA. The complex first housed Sesquicentennial Stadium (also known as Municipal Stadium) in 1926 for the Sesquicentennial Exposition. In 1964 the stadiums name was changed to John F. Kennedy Stadium to honor the fallen President. Past stadiums in this complex include; JFK Stadium, Veterans Stadium, and The Spectrum. Current stadiums in this complex include Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and The Wells Fargo Center. 

The South Philadelphia Sports Complex

The area in South Philadelphia now used to house multiple
stadiums and arenas first began in 1926 with the Sesquicentennial Exposition in
Philadelphia. The Sesquicentennial International Exposition was a World’s Fair
to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration
of Independence. In conjunction with the fair a large stadium was built. After
the exposition, all that remained was the stadium now renamed Municipal
Stadium. In 1964 the stadium was renamed again to honor President John F.
Kennedy. During its run JFK Stadium hosted the first Philadelphia Quakers who
were part of the first American Football League, the Philadelphia Eagles, and
numerous Army-Navy games. The stadium was demolished in 1992.1,2In 1967 The Spectrum arena was opened and hosted teams such
as the Philadelphia 76’ers (NBA) and the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). The
Spectrum hosted numerous Stanley Cup Finals and NBA finals and a few All-Star
games for both the NHL and NBA. There were also dozens of concerts held at the
arena including; Aerosmith, Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Doors and many
more. Before its closing in October 2009 rock group Pearl Jam performed The
Spectrums last concert. By April 2011 demolition of The Spectrum was complete
and the area now consists of a parking lot. Plans to open a 300-room hotel here
are now underway.3&nbsp;

The South Philadelphia Sports Complex is a multi-acre complex located in South Philadelphia, PA. The complex first housed Sesquicentennial Stadium (also known as Municipal Stadium) in 1926 for the Sesquicentennial Exposition. Later in 1964 the stadiums name was changed to John F. Kennedy Stadium to honor the fallen President. Past stadiums in this complex include; JFK Stadium, Veterans Stadium, and The Spectrum. Current stadiums in this complex include Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and The Wells Fargo Center. 

With stops at over twenty landmarks, monuments, and historical markers, this trail includes past and present Philadelphia sports venues and other landmarks related to the history of sport. 

The area in South Philadelphia now used to house multiple
stadiums and arenas first began in 1926 with the Sesquicentennial Exposition in
Philadelphia. The Sesquicentennial International Exposition was a World’s Fair
to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration
of Independence. In conjunction with the fair a large stadium was built. After
the exposition all that remained was the stadium, now renamed Municipal
Stadium. In 1964 the stadium was renamed again to honor President John F.
Kennedy. During its run JFK Stadium hosted the Philadelphia Quakers who
were part of the first American Football League, the Philadelphia Eagles, and
numerous Army-Navy games. The stadium was demolished in 1992.1,2In 1967 The Spectrum arena was opened and hosted teams such
as the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). The
Spectrum hosted numerous Stanley Cup Finals, NBA finals, and a&nbsp;few All-Star
games for both the NHL and NBA. There were dozens of concerts held at the
arena including; Aerosmith, Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Doors, and many
more. Before its closing in October 2009 rock group Pearl Jam performed The
Spectrums last concert. By April 2011 demolition of The Spectrum was complete
and the area now consists of a parking lot. Plans to open a 300-room hotel on this site&nbsp;are underway.3&nbsp;Veterans Stadium started construction in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania on October 2, 1967 at a cost of $60 million dollars, making it one
of the most expensive stadiums of its time. Veterans Stadium was home to&nbsp;both the
Philadelphia Phillies (MLB) and the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) from 1971 to
2003. The first game played at the new stadium was on April 10, 1971 with the
Philadelphia Phillies beating the Montreal Expos 4 – 1. The first game for the
Philadelphia Eagles was played on September 26, 1971 against the Dallas Cowboys
who beat the Eagles 42 – 7.4,5&nbsp;Fans would go on to name Veterans Stadium “The Vet” and no
one particularly liked the stadium. From the nosebleed seats in the 700 level
to the cold mushy hot dogs, fans and visitors alike were hardly impressed. The
players also held a deep dislike for “The Vet” because of the hard surface
under the artificial turf. Visiting players not only had to deal with the hard
turf but also notoriously rowdy Phillies and Eagles fans.&nbsp;Visiting players referred to “The Vet”
as a “hellhole”. “In a 1989 game against the Dallas Cowboys, rowdy fans tossed
snowballs at visiting players, coaches and officials; even then Mayor Ed
Rendell got into the act–to his later embarrassment and chagrin–betting a fan
that one of his missiles couldn't reach the field. Eight years later, the
Eagles became the first team in sports to set up an on-site courtroom to handle
the gamut of game-day infractions from public drunkenness, to fist-fights, to
harassing visiting rooters. To help maintain decorum, the police department
even dispatched officers dressed in opposition jerseys to sit in the Vet's
upper 700-level (Explore PA History).” Unfortunately "The Vet" was becoming too costly to maintain so the decision was made to demolish it and build two new stadiums.&nbsp;The Eagles would play their final game at "The Vet"&nbsp;in 2002
while the Phillies played their last game a year later. Before demolition began&nbsp;rock group Bon Jovi performed the very last concert at Veterans Stadium&nbsp;to a sold out crowd.&nbsp;On March 21, 2004 Veterans
Stadium was imploded in only 62 seconds and replaced by a parking lot for two new stadiums, Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank
Park.6The South Philadelphia Sports Complex is now home to three
stadiums and arenas. The Wells Fargo Center arena opened in 1996 and hosts
games for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Philadelphia Flyers. The arena also
plays host to numerous concerts throughout the year, including a holiday
production of The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Lincoln Financial Field, also known
as “The Linc”, opened in 2003 and hosts the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2015 “The
Linc” will also host the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is a championship soccer game
to determine the regional champion between North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Citizens Bank Park, also known as “The Bank”, opened in 2004 and hosts games
for the Philadelphia Phillies.7,8