New home next step for Philly Sports Hall

When the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class of 19 on Feb. 19, about the only thing missing was precisely that -- a hall.

In other words, things are pretty much on schedule, said Ken Avallon, president of the Philadelphia Hall of Fame Foundation.

Avallon, who launched the foundation in May 2002, foresees "a three- to five-year plan" to build an interactive, state-of-the-art sports museum in the South Philadelphia sports complex. He expects to roll out the fund-raising campaign next month with the announcement of a membership program in the wake of efforts to raise public awareness by taking a traveling museum of exhibits and memorabilia to such events as the Dad Vail Regatta and the Broad Street Run.

While the foundation is looking for a short-term location for its exhibits and collections, Avallon is sticking to the ultimate goal.

"We don't want to jump on the first piece of property someone comes up with," he said. "We want to be down by the sports complex. That's our ideal situation."

The foundation is still putting the finishing touches on the membership program, but Avallon mentioned possible contribution levels of $5,000, $1,000 and $500.

Such funding is especially important because "we wrote into our bylaws that we're not actually pursuing any taxpayer money," he said. "Any money that comes from the government ... has strings attached to it."

Author: Dan Bailey

The 42-year-old technology consultant stressed the importance of laying the proper base for the funding campaign, just as he has throughout the push to establish a hall of fame.

Avallon doesn't pause for an instant when asked about the inception of his idea for the hall of fame.

"May 17, 2002 -- a Friday," he responds immediately, almost as if reciting his name, rank and serial number.