Civic Arena (Pittsburgh)

Pittsburgh Civic Arena
The Igloo The House That Lemieux Built
Former names	Civic Auditorium, Mellon Arena
Location	66 Mario Lemieux Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219-3504
Coordinates	40°26′30″N 79°59′24″W
Broke ground	March 12, 1958
Built	1958-1961
Opened	September 17, 1961
Renovated	Summer 1986 ($19.5 million) Summer 1993
Closed	June 26, 2010
Demolished	September 26, 2011–ongoing
Owner	Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
Operator	SMG
Surface	Ice
Construction cost	US$ 22 million ($171 million in 2012 dollars)
Architect	Mitchell and Ritchey
Capacity	Ice hockey: 16,940 Hockey SRO: 17,132 Basketball: 17,537 Concert: End Stage 12,800 Center Stage 18,039
Field dimensions	250 x 120 ft
Tenants
Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) (1967–2010) Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (1961–1969) Roundball Classic (1965–1992) Duquesne University Men's Basketball (1961-1988) Pittsburgh Rens (ABL) (1961–1963) Pittsburgh Hornets (AHL) (1961–1967) Pittsburgh Pipers/Condors (ABA) (1967–1973) Pittsburgh Triangles (WTT) (1974–1976) Pittsburgh Spirit (MISL) (1978–1986) Pittsburgh Gladiators (AFL) (1987–1990) Pittsburgh Bulls (MILL) (1990–1993) Pittsburgh Phantoms (RHI) (1994) Pittsburgh Stingers (CISL) (1994–1995) Pittsburgh CrosseFire (NLL) (2000) Pittsburgh Xplosion (CBA) (2005–2008)

Civic Arena (formerly the Civic Auditorium and Mellon Arena, nicknamed The Igloo) once served as an arena adjacent to Interstate 579 in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is currently undergoing demolition.

The Civic Arena was the first retractable roof major-sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. feet and constructed with nearly 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel, and supported solely by a massive 260-foot-long cantilevered arm on the exterior.

Even though it was desiged and engineered as a retractable-roof dome, the hydraulic jacks never functioned consistently, thus keeping the roof permanently closed in 1994.

The Civic Arena primarily served as the home site to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) franchise.

Although the Penguins have hosted a NHL regular season, outdoor-hockey contest on New Year's Day 2011 at nearby Heinz Field, the Civic Arena's retractable roof was never opened for any hockey games.

Constructed in 1961, for use by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO), under the brainchild of an area department-store magnate, the Civic Arena hosted numerous concerts, the circus, political and religious rallies, roller derbies as well as contests in hockey, basketball, fish tournament weigh-ins, pro tennis (Pittsburgh Triangles of the WTT) in the mid-1970s, boxing, wrestling, lacrosse, football, ice skating championships, kennel shows, and soccer. The structure has been used as the backdrop for several major Hollywood films, including the last film for which the venue had appeared: She's Out of My League.

Prior to its demise, it was known as Mellon Arena, formerly named for Mellon Financial, which purchased the naming rights in 1999. Naming rights expired on August 1, 2010 and the arena once again is known as the Civic Arena.

The Civic Arena closed on June 26, 2010. The former Mellon naming rights expired soon after, and the Penguins and all other events moved across the street to the new Consol Energy Center.

The arena's owner, the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, initially voted in September 2010 to demolish the building in 2011. However, in November 2010, the arena was nominated for Pittsburgh historic status at the last minute, and demolition was delayed.

A final vote by the Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission on the nomination was held on March 2, 2011. The result was the HRC declining the arena for historic status. After votes from City Planning and Pittsburgh City Council also declined historic status, a federal lawsuit was filed by those who wish to save the arena in order to prevent its demolition. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals denied the lawsuit and demolition began on September 26, 2011.

Construction and design

The Civic Arena during a Penguins game in 2008

The US$ 22 million ($171 million in 2012 dollars) arena was built for the CLO in 1961. Funding was provided by a combination of public and private money, including grants from Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh, and Edgar J. Kaufmann owner of Kaufmann's department store. The arena's design incorporated 2,950 tons of stainless steel from Pittsburgh. The Arena was designed for the CLO, which previously held productions at Pitt Stadium. The roof, which is supported by a 260-foot (79 m) arch, is free of internal support leaving no obstruction for the seats within. The roof, which has a diameter of 415 feet (126 m), is divided into eight sections. Six of the sections could fold underneath two—in 2½ minutes—making the Civic Arena the world's first major indoor sports stadium with a retractable roof. A total of 42 trucks mounted on 78 wheels, 30 of which are individually driven, support and move the six moveable sections. The trucks, gear motors and 480-volt AC motor drive that moves the roof sections were designed and manufactured by Heyl & Patterson Inc., a local specialist engineering firm. The stadium's capacity fluctuates depending on the event being hosted, but has increased due to additions between 1972 and 1991. The arena originally consisted only of lower bowl seating, but over time, upper decks were installed in the arena's "end zones" to increase capacity. In December 1999, Mellon Financial purchased the Arena's naming rights in a 10 year, $18 million agreement, which renamed the arena Mellon Arena.

History and events

On September 17, 1961 the Ice Capades hosted the arena's first event. Globally televised figure skating was hosted by the arena three times: The 1983 United States Figure Skating Championships, 1994 Skate America and 2004 Skate America all having nearly week long competitions.

Major political rallies were part of the early history of the arena with the most attended being the campaign address by Lyndon B. Johnson on October 27, 1964.

Sporting events including roller hockey, boxing matches including Muhammad Ali (Knockout on January 24, 1963), Sugar Ray Robinson, Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson. On November 6, 1981 the globally televised World Heavyweight Title was fought at the arena between Larry Holmes and Renaldo Snipes.

America's first high school basketball All-Star game, The Dapper Dan Roundball Classic was held at the arena annually between 1965 and 1992. The University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University, With the Dukes using it as a secondary home court from 1961 until 1965 and their full time home court from 1966 until 1988. [1] The Philadelphia 76ers, Pittsburgh Pipers, Pittsburgh Condors, Pittsburgh Rens, Pittsburgh Piranhas, and the Harlem Globetrotters hosted regular-season basketball games at the Arena. The first and second round games of both the 1997 and 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments were held at the Arena.

The Pittsburgh Triangles of World TeamTennis hosted three Eastern Division Championships at the arena from 1974 through 1976 and the Bancroft Cup finals in 1975, winning the title on August 25, 1975 with paid attendance of 6,882. [2]

The Pittsburgh Spirit Major Indoor Soccer League team also hosted matches at the Arena. Roller Derby featuring the hosting New York Chiefs took place at the Arena as well.

World Wrestling Entertainment has frequently been to the Arena over the years. WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown have taken place there. Six pay-per-views have also taken place at the Mellon Arena: SummerSlam (1995), King of the Ring (1998), Unforgiven (2001), No Way Out (2005), Armageddon (2007), and the final pay-per-view; WWE Bragging Rights in 2009. The final WWE event was Raw on May 10, 2010. The weigh-in of the 2005 Bassmaster Classic was held at the arena being globally televised by both ESPN and ESPN2.

Elvis Presley played his final New Year's Eve show at the Civic Arena on December 31, 1976, and played to a sellout on June 25, 1973. The Beatles had their lone Pittsburgh concert to a sellout crowd at the arena on September 14, 1964. The arena has hosted other major concerts by every act from Frank Sinatra to Garth Brooks to Jimmy Page/Robert Plant.

Pop singer Britney Spears has performed at the arena many times and selling it out on March 27, 2009 as apart of her highly successful Circus Tour

The Doors recorded their May 2, 1970 concert at the Civic Arena. This would be released 38 years later as "Live in Pittsburgh 1970" aka "Pittsburgh Civic Arena (The Doors album)". It is considered by most music critics to be The Doors very best live recording.

The Grateful Dead's performances, on April 2–3, 1989, were recorded and later released as a live album, entitled, Download Series Volume 9, as well as sparking a riot by "Dead Heads" on the final day of the concert, an event that was national news and featured by Kurt Loder on MTV News following the arrest of 500 by the Pittsburgh Police.

The final event was to be a Maxwell concert on July 10, 2010. However, the show was canceled. On June 8, 2010, the arena's management group, SMG, announced that James Taylor and Carole King's Troubadour Reunion Tour concert stop would be the final event at Mellon Arena on June 26, 2010.

Hockey

"It was beautiful, I can remember because the roof was round and white and pristine. It was like playing in a cloud. Imagine, it's almost like you're playing in the Vatican. It was very unique."

—Gene Ubriaco, former Forward with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Hornets, recalling his playing days at the Arena

AHL Hornets

The Pittsburgh Hornets, members of the American Hockey League (AHL) played home games at the Duquesne Gardens, located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The team played 20 seasons in the Gardens prior to its demolition, which made room for an apartment building. The Arena opened on September 17, 1961. With the Arena available, the Hornets resumed play in the 1961–62 season and went on to win the Calder Cup in the 1966–67 season.

Penguins

As part of the 1967 NHL expansion, the city of Pittsburgh was selected to host one of six new franchises. With a hockey seating capacity of 12,508, Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena was eight seats over the NHL's minimum seating benchmark. Due to its outward appearance, the Arena was nicknamed "The Igloo" which led to the naming of the Penguins. The Penguins debuted at the Civic Arena on October 11, 1967 in a 2–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Andy Bathgate scored the Penguins's first goal in the arena. It was the first NHL game played between an expansion team and an "Original Six" team. The Penguins won their first game at the Arena on October 21, when they became the first expansion team to beat an original NHL franchise—besting the Chicago Blackhawks 4–2. On January 21, 1990, the Civic Arena hosted the 41st National Hockey League All-Star Game. Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux scored three goals on his first three shots—the first coming 21 seconds into the game. He later scored a fourth goal and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. The arena also hosted the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, as well as games of the 1991, 1992, 2008, and 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. The 2008 Finals marked the only occasion that the Stanley Cup was presented on Mellon Arena ice, after the Penguins were defeated by the Detroit Red Wings in six games.

The Penguins originally planned to wear a jersey patch to commemorate their final season in the Igloo, but it was later scrapped.

The Pittsburgh Penguins played their final regular season game at the Mellon Arena on April 8, 2010 when they defeated the New York Islanders 7-3. More than 50 former Penguins were in attendance for a pre-game ceremony and "team picture."

Pittsburgh Penguins past and present were honored during a pregame ceremony prior to the final regular season game at Mellon Arena, April 8, 2010.

The Pittsburgh Penguins played their last game in Mellon Arena on May 12, 2010; a 5–2 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens to eliminate them from the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This means the Canadiens both opened and closed the Penguins' career at the arena, handing out defeats at both events.

Panoramic view of the Civic Arena from D-Level in October 2007. The balconies on either end of this photo were not part of the original structure. The lower E-level balcony was added in 1975 and the upper F-level balcony was added in 1993 season to extend seating capacity.

Basketball

NCAA Tournaments

The Civic Arena hosted the first and second round regional games of both the 1997 and 2002 NCAA Men's Tournament. The arena's successor Consol Energy Center is scheduled to host them in 2012. It also hosted the women's first and second round games in 2001.

Eastern Eight Championships

For five seasons the arena hosted the Eastern 8 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament every March. From 1978 to 1982 many of the current Big East Conference powers Atlantic 10 powers fought for their conference crown at the center. For the final season, the Mellon Arena hosted a record crowd of 16,056, the third-largest conference basketball championship crowd in the nation that year.

NBA Regular Season Games

Between 1964 and 1973 the arena hosted 14 regular season NBA games, primarily as a satellite city for the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 24, 1967 at the arena, Wilt Chamberlain set the all-time record for consecutive NBA field goals as well as single NBA game field goal percentage, a record that still stands. The Arena also hosted dozens of pre-season NBA contests from the 1960s until 2009.

ABA Pipers and Condors

The arena was the home court for the ABA Pittsburgh Pipers from 1967 to 1968 and the Pittsburgh Condors from 1970 to 1972.

The Pittsburgh Pipers were part of the inaugural season of the American Basketball Association in 1967-68, which quickly became equals and rivals to the older National Basketball Association. The Pipers, led by future Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins, would win the ABA's first ever championship over the New Orleans Buccaneers before a sold out crowd for Game 7 in the Civic Arena on May 4, 1968.

Naming

In 1957, before the arena was opened, the under-construction building was officially known as the Civic Auditorium Amphitheater. By 1961, when it opened, Pittsburgh sign makers had decided that Civic Arena fit better on street signs, and the new, shorter name stuck. Still though, for the few years after it opened, it was sometimes referred to as the Civic Auditorium.

In the early days, The Pittsburgh Dome was also popular name choice, but nothing came of it.

In April 1988, city Councilman Mark Pollock proposed renaming it the Richard S. Caliguiri Arena, after the city's popular mayor who was diagnosed with amyloidosis. Caliguiri died a month later, and nothing came of this name, either.

Allegheny County Commissioner Pete Flaherty believed that officially renaming the arena The Igloo would bring marketing potential in 1992. Again, the Civic Arena name stayed.

In 1997, the Penguins sold naming rights to Allegheny Energy for $5 million, which would've renamed the arena Allegheny Energy Dome. However, the Penguins did not own the building nor its naming rights - the Sports Commission of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County did, and the deal fell through.

But, by 1999, this had changed. When Mario Lemieux bought the Penguins out of bankruptcy, the naming rights were also rewarded to him. They then sold the rights to Mellon Financial for $18 million, and the arena was finally renamed Mellon Arena.

The Mellon Arena name was let to expire on August 1, 2010, with the building now vacant and the Penguins moving to the new Consol Energy Center across the street. The closed building officially became the Civic Arena again.

Replacement, debate, and demolition

At its closing in 2010, the Civic Arena was the oldest and third smallest arena in the NHL by official capacity (the Islanders and Oilers arenas seat fewer). In later years, the arena's staff was forced to use space for multiple purposes never intended in the building's original design. The Penguins franchise agreed to a deal with city and state officials to fund a new home arena for the franchise in March 2007. The Consol Energy Center is located across the street from the site of Mellon Arena and has a higher seating capacity. The Penguins played their first game at Consol Energy Center October 7, 2010.

The Penguins 3 Stanley Cup Championship Banners displayed at the Arena in 2009-10

On September 16, 2010 The Sports & Exhibition Authority (SEA) voted to demolish the Civic Arena, with no discussion. The vote by the seven-member board was unanimous. Board chairman Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, said the board's decision doesn't have to be final — if someone comes forward with a better idea. During the first of seven meetings intended to collect and evaluate ideas for developing the 28-acre (110,000 m²) site, the demolition of the arena was stated as just being "one option", according to a SEA spokesman. Historic preservationists wanted to reuse the building as a possible park and retail center. However, the Penguins wanted to demolish it and find a developer to create a residential and retail district on the site. Penguins executives have said removing the arena would free up land near the Downtown business district. On January 20, 2010, SEA, the Arena's owner, declined to speculate whether the Penguins could challenge it in court if it decided to reuse the arena instead of demolishing it. SEA stated that if the structure was to be reused, it would be set up in a way that would benefit the redevelopment of the area.

A March 2007 agreement between the SEA and the Penguins states that Civic Arena would be demolished after completion of Consol Energy Center in July 2010. During this time, SEA conducted a historic assessment of the arena. It was currently eligible to appear on the National Register of Historic Places, mainly because of its unique, retractable dome. A private consultant to SEA was hired to conduct the survey. The consultant followed the state Historic and Museum Commission guidelines to determine whether demolishing the arena, or reusing it, would adversely affect historic structures or artifacts in the area. The recommendations of the consultant to SEA were scheduled to be delivered in June 2010.

The arena undergoing demolition in January 2012. At that time, all of the dome's stainless steel had been removed.

On September 16, 2010, the Allegheny County Sports and Exhibition Authority voted unanimously to demolish the Civic Arena. SEA Board chairman, State Senator Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, said the board's decision will not be final unless someone comes forward with a better idea on the use of the Arena. During the summer of 2010, workers remove asbestos from the building while a demolition plan was designed. The Board also decided to sell assets (handled by the auction company Asset Auctions) from inside and would later award a demolition contract in February 2011. Proponents for retaining the building have vowed to fight the demolition decision in court, and continue to seek landmark status. On November 24, 2010, the building's demolition was delayed due to a last-minute nomination as a National Historic Landmark. Also, on January 5, 2011, the Pittsburgh Historic Review Commission voted 5-1 in favor for preliminary approval of the arena's historic nomination status. The vote paved the way for a formal hearing on the proposed designation on March 2. The HRC ultimately voted against landmark status on March 2. After also failing to get historic status approval from City Planning and City Council, Preservation Pittsburgh filed a federal lawsuit in an another attempt to save the arena. The 3rd appeals court denied the lawsuit saying it had no jurisdiction in the matter, and demolition began Monday, September 26, 2011. The demolition is not a traditional type of demolition for sports arenas. The arena is being disassembled over time, and is expected to be complete in May 2012.

In November 2011, the Penguins started selling Christmas ornaments crafted from the arena's steel roof. The team used the promotion to raise money for its charitable foundation. Grove City-based Wendell August Forge, the oldest and largest forge in the United States, created two types of ornaments: one with the arena and the Pittsburgh skyline and another with the arena with the Penguins' logo. The Penguins had originally planned to sell 6,000 ornaments, but due to demand, the team ended selling over 40,000 pieces.

Use as a filming location

Civic Arena has served as a filming location for several major Hollywood productions including:

• The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh, a 1979 basketball film starring Flip Wilson, Stockard Channing, and Julius Erving as members of the fictional Pittsburgh Pisces NBA team.
• Sudden Death, a 1995 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a retired Pittsburgh firefighter who tries to save the Vice President from terrorists during the pivotal Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.
• Rock Star, a 2001 film starring Mark Wahlberg as a musician heading to the Pittsburgh arena for a concert in 1987.
• Zach and Miri Make a Porno, a 2008 Kevin Smith film; one of the final scenes is shot outside the arena.
• She's Out of My League, a 2010 romantic comedy; the arena and the Pittsburgh Penguins are featured as the backdrop to a date night.

Further reading

• Cooper, Bruce C. (1994). Michael L. LaBlanc. ed. Professional Sports Team Histories: Hockey. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Inc.. ISBN 978-0810388628. 
• O'Brien, Jim (1994). Penguin Profiles. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: James P. O'Brien – Publishing. ISBN 0916114163. 

External links

• Official site
• Reuse the Igloo
• Pittsburgh Penguins: Mellon Arena
• Pittsburgh Sports & Exhibition Authority: Mellon Arena
• YouTube - Inside the Abandoned Pittsburgh Civic (Mellon) Arena
• Mellon Arena memories from a long-time usher/manager
• Civic Arena view from above

Events and tenants
Preceded by Franchise created	Home of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1967–2010	Succeeded by Consol Energy Center
Preceded by Duquesne Gardens	Home of the Pittsburgh Hornets 1961–1967	Succeeded by Franchise disbanded
Preceded by Fitzgerald Field House	Home of Duquesne University Men's Basketball 1965-1987	Succeeded by Palumbo Center
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Pittsburgh Gladiators 1987–1990	Succeeded by ThunderDome (Tampa Bay Storm)
Preceded by Inaugural Event	Host of ArenaBowl 1987	Succeeded by Allstate Arena
Preceded by Northlands Coliseum	Host of NHL All-Star Game 1990	Succeeded by Chicago Stadium
Preceded by Charlotte Coliseum	Host of Bassmaster Classic 2005	Succeeded by Silver Spurs Arena
Preceded by Colonial Life Arena	Host of Forrest Wood Cup 2009	Succeeded by Arena at Gwinnett Center
Preceded by first	Host of WWE Bragging Rights 2009	Succeeded by Target Center