Xfinity Live! Philadelphia

File:XfinityLive.jpg

Xfinity Live!

XFINITY Live! Philadelphia

Former names	Philly Live!
Location	South Philadelphia
Coordinates	N39° 54.8513', W075° 9.6919'
Owner	Comcast-Spectator & The Cordish Companies
Type	Restaurant Sports Bar and Entertainment
Seating type	Restaurant Seating
Construction
Broke ground	2011
Built	2012
Opened	First tenants opened March 2012;
Construction cost	$50 million est
Architect	?
General contractor	?
Website
http://xfinitylive.com/

XFINITY Live! Philadelphia (formerly Philly Live!) is a high end destination dining, entertainment complex located on the former site of the Spectrum arena in the vibrant community culture of South Philadelphia. The popular culture behavior of sports and concert fans gathering for tailgating parties, and old world beer gardens is the concept of the first structure that includes five bar/restaurants surrounding an internal open market space and the adjacent large outdoor patio concert venue. Future plans discussed include retail and hotel.

The development and redeveloment of this City of Philadelphia public owned land is consistent with a cluster of entertainment and sports venues. "Xfinity Live" complex is constructed at the corner of the 11th and Pattison Avenue on a former parking lot of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The public land area has previously served as the former site of the 1967-2010 Spectrum arena and prior as the Municipal Stadium Arena (renamed JFK Stadium) site for the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition both were demolished. This newer addition to the sports complex is currently considered by the developer as a fourth stadium experience but is not included in the non-profit organization of the Sports Complex Special Services District that 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.

Venues

Venues include: The Philly MarketPlace, Spectrum Grill, Broad Street Bullies Pub, PBR Bar and Grill, Victory Beer Hall,, and the NBC Sports Arena.

The heart of XFINITY Live! Philadelphia that will serve as a central gathering place for groups and grant guests access to each of the venues. The Philly MarketPlace at XFINITY Live! Philadelphia will showcase many local institutions including Chickie's & Pete's, Comcast SportsNet Interactive Zone, Goodnoe's Ice Cream, Old Original Nick's Roast Beef and Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Company. The largest open area inside XFINITY Live! Philadelphia, the Philly MarketPlace will feature a VIP lounge, custom draft tables, a raw bar, and world-class sports viewing.

Created in the essence of the Spectrum itself, this sleek venue will provide a sophisticated, intimate atmosphere and an extraordinary dining experience. The Spectrum Grill, the crown jewel of XFINITY Live! Philadelphia, will feature prime steaks, chops, and seafood, and will host one of Philadelphia’s finest cocktail parties nightly.

A timeless neighborhood pub featuring authentic memorabilia from the legendary Broad Street Bullies team of the 1970’s. Classic tavern meets gastro pub, Broad Street Bullies Pub specializes in gourmet burgers and classic pub fare as well as an expansive variety of beer including 48 drafts on tap. Bullies Pub will serve lunch and dinner and often feature live acoustic entertainment at night. The atmosphere is a well-balanced mix of classic meets comfortable – the ideal place to meet or celebrate a special occasion.

Country cool meets urban chic in the Professional Bull Riders restaurant, which will duplicate this powerhouse concept that has proven successful in other markets, including Las Vegas, Houston, Baltimore, and Kansas City. With authentic Tex-Mex cuisine served during the day and a country & southern rock party at night (featuring a mechanical bull), PBR Philly will bring the party to XFINITY Live! Philadelphia.

In partnership with Philadelphia’s Victory Brewing Company, the Victory Beer Hall will be an unrivaled social experience, featuring elongated, beer hall style tables, a stage for live indoor entertainment, and a 2,000 square-foot patio complete with a fire pit and a unique panoramic view of the Philadelphia skyline. The Victory Beer Hall's signature will be its celebration of craft beer, featuring an eclectic selection of regional Philadelphia brews.

Additionally, Philadelphia has been chosen to host the first NBC Sports Arena, at XFINITY Live! Philadelphia. The NBC Sports Arena will offer fans a 32-foot diagonal, 6mm, LED HD television, high impact LED Rings displaying the NBC Sports Ticker, and in-game promotions, making for a true fourth stadium experience at the Philadelphia Sports Complex. With a full service menu, the NBC Sports Arena will be the best place to catch the game or host an unforgettable event.

The outdoor area of XFINITY Live! Philadelphia is centered around the XFINITY™ On Demand Theater, a 24-foot wide, Sony LED video board, which shows both sports game and family friendly movies. Take a trip down memory lane as you walk up the “Road to Victory” and pass historical statues of great Philly sports moments. The outdoor plaza features a full-service bar and patio area where you can take in the entertainment performing on the Live! stage or watch your favorite Philly sports team on the video board or TV’s below the Spectrum Grill bar. Join us for our FREE summer concert series outside on the Live! stage every Saturday for Philly’s Big Night Out! Adjacent to the XFINITY™ On Demand Theater, the NBC Sports Field, an outdoor miniature artificial turf field, which hosts numerous activities and free concerts.

Through a partnership with Sony, XFINITY Live! Philadelphia opened with state-of-the-art audio and video systems, including Sony flat panel televisions, to ensure everyone in the venue has a high definition view of the game.

History

City of Philadelphia -
South Philadelphia District

The attributes previously developed in the area were the key factor in adding this new venue at this location.

• Stadium Event Patrons (estimated 11 million annually)
• Existing Regional Roadway Connections
• Stable Surrounding Residential Neighoborhoods
• Adjacent Entrepreneur Campus
• Surrounding Green Space Parklands
• Economic Culture of South Philadelphia

The connection to regional roadways, entrances along Southern Boulevard Parkway and previous placement locations of three major stadium venues, Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and Wells Fargo Center were the primary factors. Second was the strong residential communities to the north of Marconi Plaza and Packer Park. Third, to the south, the rapid growth of an Entrepreneur development business campus at the former Philadelphia Navy Yard. Fourth, the green spaces consisting mainly of the 348 acres of environmental natural land reserves of FDR Park, a historic officially designated historic district that includes lakes, unique tree inventory and migrating wildlife, a golf course, tennis courts, skate park, ball fields and picnic areas. Fifth, the nearby South Philadelphia unique shopping areas of the curbside Italian Market, Passyunk Square Avenue shopping, and a variety of mostly traditional Little Italy neighborhood influenced festivals, restaurants, taverns and delis serving hot and cold sandwiches that highlight the iconic brand as a siginifcant aspect of the Cuisine of Philadelphia.

Starting in 2008 Comcast-Spectacor and Cordish Company developers partnered for the proposed Art Nouveau design applying neon and LED lighting technology accented structures and walkways to create a virtual futuristic archectural experience. The original concept included an assortment of restaurants with outdoor seating, a hotel along Pattison Avenue as well as a spa or health club. 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.

The "Philly Live!" construction began in the summer of 2011 and the first initial phase opened in late March 2012 as "XFINITY Live!". Concept development was modified to be focused 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 bring a financial impact of $59.1 million to the city's economy. 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.

See Also

• South Philadelphia Sports Complex
• Citizens Bank Park
• Lincoln Financial Field
• Wells Fargo Center
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Philadelphia Flyers
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Philadelphia 76ers
• South Philadelphia
• Pennsylvania section Recreation

External links

• Xfinity Live! Official Site
• Construction Webcam