Hard Hats On For Final Phase Of Construction At The Wells Fargo Center

Pancake & I went to a press conference at the "Big Joint"  for an update on the final phase of construction.  Wells Fargo Center President Phil Laws addressed the media giving us an update on the final phase of the over $400-million-dollar renovation to the home of our Philadelphia Flyers & 76'ers and much more. The transformation project supports hundreds of jobs in South Philadelphia. It ensures the New Wells Fargo Center will remain a world-class venue for hockey, basketball, and more for decades to come.

The Club Level is a new and improved place to watch sports and concerts in Philadelphia. It has a lot of great stuff, like a new store with clothes you can't get anywhere else, a big open area, and a special entrance just for people with Club Level tickets.

The upper level of the "Big Joint" is a great place to watch games. It has a lot of cool stuff, like a big room with games, a bar with food and drinks, and a special section for people who want to stand up and cheer. Tickets are only $25, so it's a great deal.

The new Shift4 Club is in the Wells Fargo Center, close to the action. It has a modern feel with a mix of city culture and luxury. The club has a big kitchen with two 50-foot bars. They make custom food and drinks. The club is a great place to entertain clients or friends. It is a special place to watch a game or concert.

ANC and the venue worked together to make the arena more high-tech. They added 10,000 square feet of LED screens, 103 displays, 68 servers, and more. Now, the arena can change for each event, so every game, concert, or show feels different.

[Source: WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com]

When we arrived at the Wells Fargo Center, we were greeted by staff that supplied us with a hard hat and goggles before entering the construction zone. Not sure who the guy is behind us, he looked thrilled to be there. Great photobomb though!

Right as we were making our way into the construction zone, we came across a few of the remaining memories still visible in this otherwise torn up room inside the Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia Flyers Captains and the years they wore the "C" painted up on the wall. The history, the legends.

Right next to the Philadelphia Flyers Captains was another legend in Ron Hextall. One of the toughest to ever play the game. He scored two goals as Flyers' goalie that will forever go down in team  history.

After a quick trip down Flyer's memory lane, it was on to the massive construction zone on the event level of the Wells Fargo Center. The event level is the floor level, but behind the scenes, a.k.a. the backstage area which is seeing the majority of the final phase of this transformation project.

I've only been around these parts of the Big Joint a handful of times, but never seen it look like this. The crews are building new locker rooms for both the Philadelphia Flyers and 76'ers, plus state-of-the-art friends and family spaces for the players to relax before and after the game.

All that was left of what used to be inside that part of the Wells Fargo Center is some orange and black paint from the Flyers and a couple of NBA locker room signs. Other than that, it was huge mounds of dirt and rocks and holes in the ground. It was quite astonishing to see how well gutted the place was.

A number of media outlets were on hand to hear the latest updates on the "Big Joint's" transformation project from Wells Fargo Center President Phil Laws. Part of the project includes state of the art trauma rooms for their players to receive world-class treatment for injuries and rehabilitation. There will also be dental surgery rooms for players to get their mouth patched up after catching a puck to the face.

Wells Fargo Center President Phil Laws told us the project was supposed to begin in 2020, but due to the pandemic there were several delays. Along with the Flyers and the Sixers, the Philadelphia Wings, Villanova Basketball and more call the Wells Fargo Center home.

No photobomber this time! It really was cool to see what the event level of the Wells Fargo Center had become. The great folks at Comcast-Spectacor said they hope to have us back when the transition is complete which is slated for the end of September. Just in time for Flyers preseason action.

All the men and women were hard at work the entire time were there. The over $400 million dollar transformation project supports hundreds of jobs in South Philadelphia. Even the sidewalks outside of the Wells Fargo Center were getting an upgrade while we were there.

Very rarely do you get to see the Wells Fargo Center in this form. No hockey ice, no basketball court, and no concert floor. The "Big Joint" has remained open and operating during the project, with the next big show being Alicia Keys and her "Keys To The Summer" tour which hits South Philadelphia on July 10th.