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For the skyscraper in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, see Wachovia Center (Winston-Salem).

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Wachovia Center
Location	3601 S Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19148
Broke ground	September 14, 1994
Opened	August 31, 1996
Owner	Comcast-Spectator L.P.
Operator	Global Spectrum
Construction cost	$210 million
Architect	Ellerbe Becket
Former names	CoreStates Center (1996–1998) First Union Center (1998–2003)
Tenants
Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) (1996-present) Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) (1996-present) Philadelphia Wings (NLL) (1997-present) Philadelphia Soul (AFL) (2004-present)
Capacity
21,600 (basketball) 19,519 (hockey) 17,486 (arena football)

The Wachovia Center, formerly known as the CoreStates Center and the First Union Center, is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the home arena of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL and the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. The arena was completed in 1996 on what was once the site of John F. Kennedy Stadium at a cost of $206 million, largely privately financed (though the city and state helped to pay for the local infrastructure). The building lies at the southeast corner of the South Philadelphia sports complex, which includes Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and the arena's predecessor, the Wachovia Spectrum.

The arena officially seats 21,600 for basketball and 19,519 for hockey, although with additional standing room admissions available in suites for purchase by their lease holders the total paid capaciy is actually somewhat greater. It has 126 luxury suites and 1,880 club seats. The arena was originally named for CoreStates Bank, which agreed to pay $40 million over 21 years for the naming rights, with additional terms to be settled later for an additional eight year period at the end of the contract. The naming rights were taken by First Union Bank in a merger in 1998 and then by Wachovia Bank in a 2003 merger with First Union. While under the First Union name, it was affectionately referred to as the "F.U. Center" by Philadelphians. Due to this, a name alteration was considered, the "First Union National Center." However, this was met with much derision from fans and athletes who played in the facility, such as former Philadelphia Flyers forward Brantt Myhres, who said the name change would make the building sound like a "circus venue."

Because of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, and later in the season, the unavailability of ice at the Wachovia Spectrum caused by other events at that venue, the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, played selected games in the arena, including the entire 2004-05 Phantoms playoff schedule, including a record 20,103 in the Calder Cup clinching Game 4. This was repeated for the first two games of the 2005-06 season.

The building also set a record in February 2006 for the highest attendance for a college basketball game in the state of Pennsylvania when 4th-ranked Villanova hosted and defeated top-ranked UConn.

The Wachovia Center has held numerous concerts of big-name stars such as Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Van Halen, KISS, Aerosmith, Metallica, Britney Spears, U2, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Gwen Stefani, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John, The Eagles, Green Day,Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Dave Matthews Band, Garth Brooks, Spice Girls, Prince, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Justin Timberlake, Barry Manilow, Stevie Nicks, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, The Police, Coldplay, Roger Waters, Genesis, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, Mariah Carey, and David Bowie among others.

On December 6, 2002 popular rock band Guns N' Roses were scheduled to perform there on their Chinese Democracy Tour. The opening bands (CKY, Mixmaster Mike) went on to perform as usual, but the main act, Guns n' Roses, never showed up fusing a riot in the arena and causing thousands of dollars in damage. No reason was ever given for the no-show of Guns n' Roses, other than the public announcer of the building citing that one of the band members was sick.

In 2006, Billy Joel set a complex record for most sellouts at the Wachovia/First Union/CoreStates Center - 17, for a Philadelphia total of 46. Only the Grateful Dead have sold out more shows at the complex - 53, all at the Spectrum.

On August 1, 2006, Comcast-Spectacor announced it would be installing a new center-hung scoreboard to replace the original one made by Daktronics. The new scoreboard, manufactured by ANC Sports will be similar to other scoreboards in new NBA arenas such as FedExForum. An additional linear LED display lining the entire arena will also be installed between the suite and mezzanine levels. Other renovations for the building's 10th year anniversary include upgrading the suites with more flat screen HDTV's, as well as changing ticket providers from Ticketmaster to New Era Tickets which is owned by Comcast-Spectator.

Nicknames given to the Wachovia Center over the years by Philadelphia sports fans include The Big House, The Big Joint, The Big Bank Building, The Wack, The F.U. Center, and The Loud House.

The Wachovia Center is home to the:

• Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL
• Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA
• Philadelphia Wings of the NLL
• Philadelphia Soul of the AFL
• The men's basketball team of Villanova University plays some of its high-profile home games here instead of at its much smaller on-campus arena, The Pavilion.

• Host to Philadelphia's annual Wing Bowl
• 1996 World Cup of Hockey, 1996 (three games)
• WWF In Your House 10: Mind Games, 1996
• NHL Stanley Cup Finals, 1997
• U.S. Figure Skating Championships (Olympic Trials), 1998
• NLL Championship, 1998
• AHL All-Star Classic, 1999
• WrestleMania XV, 1999
• NCAA Tournament, Women's Final Four, 2000 (won by University of Connecticut)
• Republican National Convention, 2000
• WWF Unforgiven 2000
• NCAA Tournament, East Regional, 2001 (won by Duke University)
• NBA Finals, 2001
• X Games, 2001
• NBA All-Star Game, 2002
• X Games, 2002
• WWE Royal Rumble 2004
• The West Wing site for fictional Republican Convention, 2004-05 season
• AHL Calder Cup Finals, 2005
• NCAA Tournament, first and second rounds, 2006 and scheduled for 2009.
• WWE Survivor Series 2006
• American Idol auditions, 2007
• NCAA Wrestling Championships, scheduled for 2011

• Official Website

Preceded by The Spectrum 1967–1996	Home of the Philadelphia Flyers 1996–present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by The Spectrum 1967–1996	Home of the Philadelphia 76ers 1996–present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by Fleet Center	Host of WrestleMania XV 1999	Succeeded by Arrowhead Pond

Coordinates: 39°54′4.38″N, 75°10′19.36″W

v • d • e Current arenas in the National Hockey League
Eastern Conference	Air Canada Centre · BankAtlantic Center · Bell Centre · HSBC Arena · Madison Square Garden · Mellon Arena · Nassau Coliseum · Philips Arena · Prudential Center · RBC Center · St. Pete Times Forum · Scotiabank Place · TD Banknorth Garden · Verizon Center · Wachovia Center
Western Conference	American Airlines Center · General Motors Place · HP Pavilion · Honda Center · Jobing.com Arena · Joe Louis Arena · Nationwide Arena · Pengrowth Saddledome · Pepsi Center · Rexall Place · Scottrade Center · Sommet Center · Staples Center · United Center · Xcel Energy Center

v • d • e Current arenas in the National Basketball Association
Eastern Conference	Air Canada Centre · American Airlines Arena · Amway Arena · Bradley Center · Charlotte Bobcats Arena  · Conseco Fieldhouse · Izod Center · Madison Square Garden · The Palace of Auburn Hills · Philips Arena · Quicken Loans Arena · TD Banknorth Garden · United Center · Verizon Center · Wachovia Center
Western Conference	American Airlines Center · ARCO Arena · AT&T Center · EnergySolutions Arena · FedExForum · KeyArena · New Orleans Arena · Oracle Arena · Pepsi Center · Rose Garden · Staples Center · Target Center · Toyota Center · US Airways Center

v • d • e Current arenas in the Arena Football League
American Conference	Allstate Arena | EnergySolutions Arena | HP Pavilion | Sprint Center | Pepsi Center | Staples Center | US Airways Center | Van Andel Arena
National Conference	American Airlines Center | Amway Arena | Nassau Coliseum | Nationwide Arena | New Orleans Arena | Arena at Gwinnett Center | Quicken Loans Arena | St. Pete Times Forum | Wachovia Center1 | Wachovia Spectrum2
1The Philadelphia Soul play Sunday home games at the Wachovia Center. 2The Philadelphia Soul play Saturday home games at the Wachovia Spectrum.

v • d • e Current arenas in the National Lacrosse League
Eastern Division	Air Canada Centre · Blue Cross Arena · HSBC Arena · Madison Square Garden · Sears Centre · Wachovia Center · Xcel Energy Center
Western Division	HP Pavilion · Pengrowth Saddledome · Pepsi Center · Rexall Place · Rose Garden

v • d • e Current Basketball Arenas in the Big East

Alumni Hall (Providence women) •Allstate Arena (DePaul men) • Bradley Center (Marquette men) • Carnesecca Arena (St. John's) • Carrier Dome (Syracuse) • Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence men) • Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati) • Freedom Hall (Louisville) • Gampel Pavilion (Connecticut) • Hartford Civic Center (Connecticut) • Joyce Center (Notre Dame) • Louis Brown Athletic Center (Rutgers) • Madison Square Garden (St. John's men) • McDonough Gymnasium (Georgetown women) • McGuire Center (Marquette women) • The Pavilion (Villanova) • Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh) • Prudential Center (Seton Hall men) • Sullivan Athletic Center (DePaul women) • USF Sun Dome (South Florida) • Verizon Center (Georgetown men) • Wachovia Center (Villanova) • Walsh Gymnasium (Seton Hall women) • WVU Coliseum (West Virginia)

v • d • e WrestleMania venues
Allstate Arena • Caesars Palace • Citrus Bowl • Ford Field • Hartford Civic Center • Honda Center • Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena • Madison Square Garden • Nassau Coliseum • Pontiac Silverdome • RCA Dome • Reliant Astrodome • Rogers Centre • Safeco Field • Staples Center • TD Banknorth Garden • Trump Plaza • Wachovia Center