February 25, 1931: The Philadelphia Civic Center Opens

February 25, 1931: The Philadelphia Civic Center opens its Convention Hall, 2 blocks west of the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field and Palestra. It is eventually billed as "The Nation's Most Historic Arena."

The Hall seated 12,000 people, in a horseshoe shape, with a stage at one end. It was home to the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors from 1952 to 1962; the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers from 1963 to 1967; the American Basketball League's Philadelphia Tapers in 1962; the World Hockey Association's Philadelphia Blazers in the 1972-73 season; and the basketball teams of Temple University from 1938 to 1955 and La Salle University from 1989 to 1996. The University of Pennsylvania used it for their graduation ceremony, as shown here in 1985.

The Democratic National Convention was held there in 1936, nominating President Franklin D. Roosevelt for a 2nd term. The Republican National Convention was held there in 1940, nominating Wendell Willkie, and was the 1st major party Convention to be televised. An adjacent building had hosted the Republican Convention in 1900.

In 1948, there were 4 candidates running, and 3 of them held their Conventions at the Civic Center: The Democrats, nominating President Harry S Truman for a full term; the Republicans, nominating Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York; and the Progressive Party, nominating former Vice President Henry Wallace. The States' Rights Party, which nominated Governor Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, held their Convention in Birmingham, Alabama.

Civil rights-themed speeches were delivered there by Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. On August 29, 1964, having been nominated at nearby Convention Hall (now Boardwalk Hall) in Atlantic City, New Jersey, President Lyndon B. Johnson held a campaign rally at the Civic Center. On September 2, 3 days after playing Atlantic City, The Beatles played the Civic Center, starting an era of rock concerts there.

Before that, entertainment events included Big Band shows, and shows by the Mummers, with their brightly colored costumes and string bands. They parade up Broad Street every New Year's Day, and have other shows, which used to include an annual show at the Civic Center. In 1989, I got to see the Mummers' show there.

The last event there was the 1996 Atlantic-10 Conference basketball tournament. The building was torn down in 2005, and the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman Center for Advance Medicine was built on the site.

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February 25, 1931 was a Wednesday. Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA hadn't been founded yet. And the NHL had no games scheduled. So there were no scores on this historic day.