Xfinity Live!

XFINITY Live! Philadelphia

A fan in front of the complex.
Location	South Philadelphia
Coordinates	N39° 54.8513', W075° 9.6919'
Type	Restaurant Sports Bar and Entertainment
Built	2012
Opened	First tenants opened March 2012;
Owner	Comcast-Spectator & The Cordish Companies
Construction cost	$50 million est
Former name(s)	Philly Live!
Seating type	Restaurant Seating
Website	http://xfinitylive.com/

XFINITY Live! Philadelphia (formerly known as Philly Live!)^[1] is a dining and entertainment complex located on the former site of the Spectrum arena in South Philadelphia.

The redevelopment of this publicly owned land is consistent with a cluster of entertainment and sports venues. The "Xfinity Live" complex is constructed at the corner of 11th and Pattison Avenue, on a parking lot of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex; the parking lot is the former site of demolished structures of the 1967-2010 Spectrum arena and the Municipal Stadium Arena (renamed JFK Stadium), built for the Sesquicentennial Exposition of 1926. The new structure in the sports complex is considered by the developer to be a fourth stadium experience,^[2] but is not included in the non-profit organization of the Sports Complex Special Services District, which includes the surrounding residential neighborhood with the three major stadium venues built for centralizing professional sports of baseball, football, ice hockey, basketball, and a variety of sports and entertainment events.

History

Starting in 2008, Comcast Spectacor and Cordish Company developers partnered for the proposed Art Nouveau design, applying neon- and LED-lighting-accented structures and walkways to create a virtual futuristic architectural experience. The original concept included an assortment of restaurants with outdoor seating, a hotel along Pattison Avenue, and a spa or health club.^[3] The December 2011 announcement by Cordish Cos., the developer, and Comcast-Spectacor, the operator, of renaming/reinventing the project as Xfinity Live! considering it to be a "fourth stadium experience" of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex complementing the immediate area of the Wells Fargo Center, Citizens Bank Park, and Lincoln Financial Field.^[4]

The "Philly Live!" construction began in the summer of 2011, and the first phase opened in late March 2012 as "XFINITY Live!" The development concept was redrawn as a "Dining & Entertainment District." The initial phase of construction created 500 jobs, and the complex will eventually lead to an estimated 400 permanent jobs. In addition, the project is projected to add $59.1 million to the city's economy.^[5][6] The announcement of "XFINITY Live!" is a less ambitious project concept centered on restaurants and bars. Main attractions of the complex include the NBC Sports Arena and its 32-foot HDTV.

Phase 1 building has a 60,000-square-foot cluster of businesses, enclosed with a 40,000-square-foot outdoor event space, and access to 20,000 parking spaces. The cost for the initial phase is an estimated $50 million.^[7]

References

External links

• Xfinity Live! Official Site
• Construction Webcam