Peter Luukko, president of Comcast-Spectacor, which owns the building, tells the Delaware County Daily Times that the lengthy process of taking down the South Philadelphia arena will start in the first week of November with workers gutting it from the inside.
Demolition of the Spectrum's former neighbor, Veteran's Stadium, took just over a minute back in 2004. But because of the way the Spectrum is built, Luukko said, the Spectrum won't be imploded.
"The Vet had all those columns, so all you had to do for that was strap some dynamite to each column and watch it collapse on itself," Luukko told the newspaper. "The Spectrum would have to be blown up in pieces, and that doesn't make any sense, so we're going to just take a wrecking ball to it."
The Spectrum, which was also the site of college basketball games, concerts and other events, has sat dormant since being closed out with a Pearl Jam concert a year ago. The Flyers and 76ers now play in the Wells Fargo Center next door.
The building is being razed to make way for a new hotel and entertainment complex. Construction on that project is set to begin shortly after the demolition is complete, Luukko said.
