| Opened: | Aug. 12, 1996 | Home Team: | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Owner: | Philadelphia Flyers Comcast Spectacor | Capacity: | 20,306 |
| Location: | 3601 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA | Former Names: | CoreStates Center (1996–1998) First Union Center (1998–2003) Wachovia Center (2003–2010) |
The Wells Fargo Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The arena lies at the southwest corner of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, which includes Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and Xfinity Live!.
The Wells Fargo Center, called Spectrum II initially, was completed in 1996 to replace the Spectrum as the home arena of the 76ers and Flyers on the former site of John F. Kennedy Stadium for $210 million, largely privately financed (though the city and state helped to pay for the local infrastructure). It is owned by Comcast Spectacor, which also owns the Flyers, and is operated by its arena-management subsidiary, Global Spectrum.
Since its opening, it has been known by several names through naming rights deals and bank mergers, including CoreStates Center from 1996 to 1998, First Union Center from 1998 to 2003, and Wachovia Center from 2003 to 2010. Since 2010, naming rights have been held by financial services company Wells Fargo after they acquired Wachovia. CoreStates Financial Corporation was acquired by First Union, which later also purchased Wachovia National Bank to rename itself Wachovia Corporation; the combined company was acquired by Wells Fargo in 2008.
In addition to hosting home games for its main tenants, the arena has been the site of many other notable athletic events, including games of the 1997 and 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, three games of the 2001 NBA Finals, and various collegiate events for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Wells Fargo Center has hosted two political conventions: the 2000 Republican National Convention and the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The arena is a regular venue for concerts and WWE events. The arena has a concert seating capacity of 21,000 seated and at least 21,500 standing.
First Games
- Oct. 5, 1996 – Flyers vs. Florida Panthers (3-1 loss)
- Nov. 1, 1996 – 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks (111-103 loss)
Notable Events
- Stanley Cup Final – 1997, 2010
- NHL Entry Draft – 2014
- Calder Cup Final – 2005
- World Cup of Hockey – 1996
- AHL All-Star Classic – 1999
- NBA Final – 2001
- NBA All-Star Game 2002
- U.S. Figure Skating Championships – 1998
- NLL Championship (lacrosse) – 1998
- NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four – 2000
- NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championships – 2014
- NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (round one and two) – 2006, 2009
- NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (rounds two and three) – 2013
- Wrestlemania XV – 1999
- WWE Royal Rumble – 2004, 2015
- Republican National Convention – 2000
- Democratic National Convention – 2016
