MUSIC - Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band

Convention Hall - demolished (2005) site is now The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine Philadelphia Arena - demolished (1983) site is a vacant lot

Location - Convention Hall, 3400 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia Pennsylvania -- Bounded by South St., Convention Ave.

Location - Philadelphia Arena, Market St., 46th St., 45th St.

Convention hall was home to two versions of the NBA in Philadelphia. First it was the home floor for the Philadelphia Warriors from 1952 thru the 1962 season. After that season, the Warriors headed west and relocated to San Francisco. The second NBA team to call the hall home was the 76ers. They used Convention hall from 1963 thru 1967 before moving down Broad Street to the new Spectrum.

Convention hall was built in 1931 and started out being known as the Municipal Auditorium. It was located at 3400 Civic Center Blvd., on the edge of the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. It was also 2 blocks west of Franklin Field. The building was also part of the Philadelphia Civic Center complex, a series of buildings dating back to the National Export Exhibition in 1899. The only two buildings to survive till the new millennium were the Convention hall and the Commercial museum.

Convention hall did see it's share of political conventions. Starting in 1936 and again in 1948, it hosted the Democratic National Conventions, and as the Republican Conventions in 1940 and 1948. That's how it earned it's name "Convention Hall".

The hall saw Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King speak there, as well as the fab 4 play under the roof. It's most famous tenants were the Warriors and 76ers of the NBA. The Warriors also played some home games at the nearby Philadelphia Arena. Once the Spectrum opened in 1967, Convention Hall became somewhat obsolete. The building did house the nearby La Salle University Explorers men's basketball team from 1981 thru 1996. The Explorers then moved into an on campus arena in 1998.

Hockey also came to Convention hall in the form of the WHA. The upstart league had placed the Miami Screaming Eagles in Philadelphia after money problems forced the team to move before they played a game. Their fortunes weren't much better in Philadelphia. Despite signing Derek Sanderson away from the Boston Bruins, the Blazers lasted only one season in Philadelphia and Convention hall. The team moved to Vancouver for the 1973 season. Minor league hockey used the hall for 6 years between 1974 and 1979. The Philadelphia Firebirds of the NAHL and AHL skated inside the art deco building.

All three nearby Universities (Pennsylvania, La Salle, and Drexel) used Convention hall for commencements during its tenure. It was much larger than the Palestra on the campus of Penn.

The end of an era came in 1996 when the Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball tournament was the last event to be held at Convention Hall. It served as a soundstage for movies and a TV show called Hack at the end of the century.

The building was finally demolished during the spring of 2005. The last piece of the Civic Center was imploded on March 5, 2007. The site was not vacant for long. The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine was built on the site and opened in 2008.

The Philadelphia Ice Palace and Auditorium was located at 4530 Market Street, just west of downtown Philadelphia. Most people called it the Philadelphia Arena. It was located next to what would become the WFIL television studios. You would know it better as the place where Dick Clark hosted American Bandstand.

The arena opened on February 14, 1920, and two nights later, the first ever event was held. It was a college hockey game between the Yale Bulldogs and the Princeton Tigers. For the record, Yale won 4-0, with a crowd of over 4,000 in attendance.

The arena saw a few historic sporting events during it's life. It saw the professional ice debut of Sonja Heine, and Roy Rogers performed in his first rodeo there in 1943. Rogers played the arena every season for more than 20 years after that.

Pro sports was also played under the roof. The Philadelphia Quakers of the NHL played there in 1930-1931. It was their only season in the NHL. The Philadelphia Warriors used the arena as their main court from 1946 thru 1952, the on and off again thru 1962. It also served as a part time home for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1963 thru 1967.

The arena was also known as a major venue for boxing and wrestling before the Spectrum opened. Boxing greats such as Gene Tunney, Sugar Ray Robinson and heavyweight champion Joe Frazier fought under the arena roof.

Once the Spectrum opened in 1967, the Arena became a relic from a bygone era. Along with Convention Hall, the Arena saw less and less events. In 1977, the arena was auctioned off and renamed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.

On the night of August 24, 1983, the old arena was gutted by arson. After the fire cooled, what was left was demolished. The lot has remained vacant for years. When I was there in 2005, it was used as a storage lot for vans and trucks for the city of Philadelphia.

If you drive down Market Street now, you probably wouldn't even know an arena was there at one time. No marker has been placed at the site letting people know what once stood there.