Palestra

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For the Greek and Roman sports arenas, see Palaestra

The Palestra is a historic arena on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Franklin Field in West Philadelphia. It is home to the Quakers men's and women's basketball teams as well as the volleyball and wrestling teams at Penn. The building was completed in 1927 and named after the ancient Greek term palaestra, the word for gymnasium, and is distinguished as a site for instruction in wrestling. It was one of the first modern steel-and-concrete arenas in the United States and also one of the first to be constructed without interior pillars blocking the view. At the time of its construction, the Palestra was one of the largest arenas in the world.

For many years the building shared the same management as Madison Square Garden in New York City. Teams wishing to play there were often required also to schedule a game at the Palestra, which led to Philadelphia hosting a number of very high-level sporting events that it might not otherwise have. Many professional games were played at the Palestra prior to the completion of the Spectrum in 1968.

No arena has hosted more regular season or post-season NCAA men's basketball games than the Palestra. Today, the arena seats 8,722 for basketball, and is famed for its close-to-the-court seating. The Philadelphia Big 5 (Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple, La Salle, Villanova) still play many games there, as well as many Philadelphia high school championship games. In addition, parts or all of the 1989-95 Atlantic Ten Conference men's basketball tournaments were contested there.

Visitors to the Palestra should note that, due to the surrounding campus construction and other development, parking is extremely scarce near the arena, limited mostly to metered street parking. Public transportation and paid parking lots are within walking distance of the Palestra.