Man Says He Lived in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium for Years


There was AstroTurf carpet, a mattress, some seating, a espresso desk and lamps. Devices included a toaster oven, espresso maker, area heaters and a stereo.

“You walked in, it was very dark and there was equipment and boxes and crap sitting around,” mentioned Mr. McNally, a former normal supervisor of the Electric Factory, a Philadelphia live performance venue. “He had constructed, in the back, a couple walls, a refrigerator, a couch, some chairs, a hot plate. It’s not like it was a luxury apartment.”

Mr. Garvey referred to as it “cozy,” with “everything a guy would want.” Bathrooms have been throughout the corridor, worker showers downstairs.

Terry Nilon, Mr. Garvey’s cousin and one other former stadium worker, mentioned he noticed the condominium however didn’t suppose a lot of it on the time. “I thought it was funny,” he mentioned.

In his guide, Mr. Garvey describes “an off-the-wall South Philly version of ‘The Phantom of the Opera,’” together with encounters with the Eagles coach Dick Vermeil, the Sixers legend Julius Erving and the Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw. He additionally recounts parts of every day life, together with the friendships that helped him regulate after the army, and the time alone, curler skating across the empty stadium at evening with the town’s skyline, rivers, bridges and flights as a backdrop.

“It was euphoric,” he mentioned in the interview. “It was like a form of meditation for me. It just — it helped me a lot.”

He hid in plain sight: Everyone knew him, he mentioned, and his job gave him a purpose to be round at any hour, day by day of the week.



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