Wells Fargo Center removes hundreds of commemorative bricks amid renovations
PHILADELPHIA - As the Wells Fargo Center undergoes huge renovations, many fans are devastated to learn that the center is removing hundreds of their commemorative bricks.
FOX 29’s Jennifer Joyce spoke to Wells Fargo Center fans and Philadelphia locals who say they were blindsided to know their personal stamps of history at the stadium will be gone.
Many people have purchased the bricks in front of the center to commemorate loved ones.
Northeast Philadelphian, Ryan Raiker’s parents bought him a brick when he was just two years old. Unfortunately, Ryan revealed his father passed away in 2018 due to a sudden heart attack. He then made a point to visit the brick each time he went to the Wells Fargo Center since he said he and his father were forever bonded through their love of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Now, the bricks attached to decades worth of family memories will be ripped up and replaced with new concrete.
"It’s certainly something that hurts especially with losing my dad," said Raiker. "The brick says love xo mom and dad that’s a lot of feelings and emotions about that…there’s nothing like going there and seeing your name on a stone outside a building that has such great memories. You build these traditions, and this was one of ours that was just right now feels like it was stolen from us."
Raiker shared the uneasy news to his mom who he says is equally upset.
"She was devastated and what happened to the promises they made that it would be there as long as the building was there," said Raiker.
A Wells Fargo Center spokesperson says that some of the bricks needed to be replaced due to wear and tear while others were removed as part of renovations.
"We have kept detailed records of everyone who has purchased a brick, and we're already in the process of re-imagining the program with a new display so that everyone who purchased a brick will continue to be a special part of the arena."
Ryan and many other locals are wondering just how that plan will look.
"I don’t want to go over to a computer screen and see my virtual brick," said Raiker.