Surface Multi-surface Phone +1 215-204-2400 | Operator Global Spectrum Capacity 10,200 | |
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Former names The Apollo of Temple (1997–2000) Location 1776 North Broad StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19121 Similar The Palestra, Merriam Theater, McGonigle Hall, Kimmel Center for the Perfor, Tower Theater Profiles | ||
Liacouras center at temple university timelapse
The Liacouras Center is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose venue which opened in 1997. Its main purpose is hosting Temple Owls men's basketball home games, as well as select women's basketball games. The arena is located on Broad Street, less than two miles north of Philadelphia's City Hall, and is part of a $107 million, four-building complex along North Broad Street on the Temple University campus in North Philadelphia. As of the end of the 2016-17 season, the Owls have amassed a 206-69 record at the Liacouras Center. The Liacouras Center is the largest indoor, public assembly venue north of City Hall in Philadelphia.
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Liacouras center
History
During the 1980s, Hall of Fame Temple basketball coach John Chaney hoped to raise the profile of the men's basketball program through aggressively scheduling top-tier teams out of conference. Some programs, however, scoffed at the idea of playing at Temple's existing arena: the 3,900-seat McGonigle Hall. Temple's President at the time, Peter J. Liacouras, supported the idea of a larger basketball facility in hopes of building Temple's national presence. The university considered several locations for the area before purchasing the site where the Liacouras Center now stands for $7.3 million in 1988. The state of Pennsylvania awarded Temple $31.1 million in October 1992, after which there was some back-and-forth bickering between Chaney and then-City Council president John Street. The project was approved in 1995, with a January 25, 1996 groundbreaking. Two nationally recognized architectural firms designed the Liacouras Center: Vitetta Group of Philadelphia, and Thompson Ventulett Stainback & Associates of Atlanta. The 340,000 sq ft (32,000 m2) venue opened in the 1997-98 season. The first game played was a 76-61 Temple win over #18 Fresno State.
The venue was originally named "The Apollo of Temple" before being dedicated to Liacouras, who was on his way out due to retirement, on February 13, 2000. The Liacouras Center is Philadelphia's largest indoor venue north of City Hall. The venue is only one part of a four-building complex on the site: In addition to the large arena configuration, The Esther Boyer Theater at the Liacouras Center is a small theater setup of 1,000 to 5,000 seats for more intimate presentations. The complex also includes the Independence Blue Cross Recreation Center (IBC), which includes a gym, basketball court, racquetball courts, and more. The IBC opened in the spring semester of 1998. The last building is a 1,200-space parking garage.
Besides hosting Temple basketball games, the Liacouras Center is a full entertainment arena featuring concerts, family shows, Philadelphia KiXX games, Philly Roller Derby bouts, a full range of concerts, dramatic presentations, and family shows. Additionally, several high school graduations, as well as university graduations and convocation ceremonies, are held there. The Liacouras Center is managed by Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor.