Inside The New Sixers, Historic, Controversial Move To Center City

PHILADELPHIA, PA — For the first time in more than half a century, the Philadelphia 76ers and the city have agreed on a deal to move the team from south Philadelphia, likely making the Sixers the first major sports franchise in the modern era to move into Center City.

Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the agreement Wednesday. All that remains is for City Council to approve the final details this fall, which Parker said they will.

For generations now, the south Philadelphia sports complex has been an iconic part of the fan experience and franchise identity, not just for the Sixers but also the Phillies, Flyers, and Eagles. An unlikely hub, at the very bottom of Broad Street, glowing from night along I-95 and cementing the connection between individual teams and the city.

See previous coverage: Philadelphia Officials, 76ers Reach Agreement For Center City Arena

While the south Philly complex will remain the host of the Phillies, Flyers, and Eagles, there will certainly be something that tastes different moving forward.

The Sixers and the city agreed to a $1.55 billion arena, called 76 Place, that will be located on 10th and 11th streets where they intersect with Market and Filbert streets. It will replace a section of the Fashion District of Philadelphia.

It is scheduled to open in time for the 2031 season.

By it's time for them to move into their new home, the Sixers will have been in the south Philadelphia sports complex for 62 years, having spent the last 27 years at the Wells Fargo Center, from 1997 to the present, and the 28 years before that in the old Spectrum.

The Flyers, who have shared an arena with the Sixers during all that time but whose relationship has soured as the Sixers explored an independent home, will remain at Wells Fargo.

When Parker announced the deal Wednesday, she presented it as a way to keep the Sixers in Philadelphia. The team had seriously considered a move to the waterfront in Camden if 76 Place fell through.

The project will also bring a new high rise to Market Street, adjacent to the arena, with office and living space.

"I wholeheartedly believe this is the right deal for the people of Philadelphia," Parker said in a statement. "To the people of Chinatown, please know that I hear you. We have the best Chinatown in the United States, and I am committed to working together to support it. I'll have a lot more to say in a formal presentation coming soon."

Detractors have argued from the beginning that bringing a major sports franchise into that part of Center City would irreparably harm the character of the city's historic Chinatown district. They say that it would represent a form of mass gentrification, with a billion dollar corporation effectively pushing out small businesses and residents.

They're also concerned about an increase in traffic.

Supporters have countered that the area the Sixers are moving to has been in decline, and that the new arena will revitalize the city while placing an iconic sports franchise just a few blocks from City Hall and the Liberty Bell in either direction.

While various proposals have existed over the years to bring other teams to Center City, or even just out of the south Philadelphia sports complex, none ever came close to materializing until this latest push by the Sixers. The closest came perhaps in the leadup to the Phillies transition from Veterans Stadium to Citizens Bank Park, which was completed in 2004, when the Phils considered a slew of sites downtown, including at Broad and Spring Garden streets and also in Chinatown.