Wells Fargo Center The Wells Fargo Center , formerly known as the CoreStates Center , First Union Center , and Wachovia Center , is an indoor arena located in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , in the United States . It is the home arena of the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL , Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association , Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League , and the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League . The arena was completed in 1996 on what was once the site of John F . Kennedy Stadium at a cost of $ 206 million , largely privately financed ( though the city and state helped to pay for the local infrastructure ) . The building lies at the southwest corner of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex , which includes Lincoln Financial Field , Citizens Bank Park , and the Wachovia Spectrum , its predecessor as home to the Flyers , 76ers , and Wings . Name . From CoreStates to First Union to Wachovia . Before its construction , the proposed arena was tentatively called " The Spectrum II " . The arena was originally named for CoreStates Bank , which agreed to pay $ 40 million over 21 years for the naming rights , with additional terms to be settled later for an additional eight year period at the end of the contract . The naming rights were taken by First Union Bank in a merger in 1998 and then by Wachovia Bank in a 2003 merger with First Union . While under the First Union name , it was affectionately referred to as the " F . U . Center " by Philadelphians . Due to this , a name alteration was considered , the " First Union National Center . " However , this was met with much derision from fans and athletes who played in the facility , such as former Philadelphia Flyers forward Brantt Myhres , who said the name change would make the building sound like a " circus venue . " Battle between Citi and Wells Fargo . On September 29 , 2008 , the FDIC made moves to have Citigroup purchase all Wachovia banking operations during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis , which more than likely included the naming rights being transferred in the deal . But four days later , Wells Fargo purchased all Wachovia banking operations ; Citigroup and federal regulators insisted that because Citigroup offered to buy Wachovia first and for much less ( Citi offered $ 2 . 1 billion compared to Wells Fargo $ 1 . 51 billion ) , that Citi should purchase Wachovia . On October 9 , Citigroup dropped the offer for Wachovia , and the Wells Fargo / Wachovia merger closed on December 31 , 2008 . The arena name will change once the integration between Wells Fargo and Wachovia takes place , and once the basketball and hockey seasons end . Wells Fargo currently has its name on two other arenas , on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe and in Des Moines , Iowa . The Des Moines venue is managed by Global Spectrum , which also manages the Wachovia Center . Facilities . The arena officially seats 21 , 600 for basketball and 19 , 519 for hockey and indoor ( " box " ) lacrosse , although with additional standing room admissions available in suites for purchase by their lease holders the total paid capacity is actually somewhat greater . The Wachovia Center has 126 luxury suites , 1 , 880 club seats , and a variety of restaurants and clubs ( both public and private ) available for use by patrons . In addition , the offices , studios , and production facilities of CSN Philadelphia are all located in the facility . On May 31 , 1997 , the building set the record for the highest attendance for a hockey game in the state of Pennsylvania ( 20 , 291 ) when the Flyers hosted the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals . The building also set a record for the highest attendance for a college basketball game in the state of Pennsylvania on February 13 , 2006 , when Villanova University played and defeated the # 1 ranked University of Connecticut before a crowd of 20 , 859 . On August 1 , 2006 , Comcast Spectacor announced it would be installing a new center - hung scoreboard to replace the original one made by Daktronics . The new scoreboard , manufactured by ANC Sports is similar to other scoreboards in new NHL & NBA arenas . An additional linear LED display lining the entire arena was also installed between the suite and mezzanine levels . Other renovations for the building ' s 10th year anniversary included upgrading the suites with more flat screen HDTV ' s , as well as changing ticket providers from Ticketmaster to New Era Tickets , which is owned by Comcast Spectator . The PA Announcer at the Wachovia Center for Philadelphia Flyers games is Lou Nolan , who moved with the team from the Spectrum where he had worked since 1972 .