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 Interactive map of Civic Arena | |
| Former names | Civic Auditorium (1961) Civic Arena (1961–1999; 2010–2011) Mellon Arena (December 1999 – June 2010) |
|---|---|
| Location | 66Mario Lemieux Place,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219-3504 |
| Coordinates | 40°26′30″N79°59′24″W / 40.44167°N 79.99000°W /40.44167; -79.99000 |
| Owner | Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | Ice hockey: 16,940 HockeySRO: 17,132 Basketball: 17,537 Concert:
|
| Field size | 250 ft × 120 ft (76 m × 37 m)[2] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 12, 1958 |
| Opened | September 17, 1961 |
| Renovated | 1986 ($19.5 million) Summer 1993[2] |
| Closed | June 26, 2010; 15 years ago (2010-06-26) |
| Demolished | September 26, 2011 – March 31, 2012 |
| Construction cost | US$22 million ($234 million in 2024 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | Mitchell & Ritchey Architects |
| Structural engineer | Ammann & Whitney |
| General contractor | Dick Corporation[4] |
| Tenants | |
| Pittsburgh Rens (ABL) 1961–1963 Pittsburgh Hornets (AHL) 1961–1967 Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera 1961-1973 Duquesne Dukes (NCAA) 1964–1988 Pittsburgh Pipers/Condors (ABA) 1967–1968, 1969–1972 Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) 1967–2010 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 (ABA) 2005–2006 | |
TheCivic Arena, formerly theCivic Auditorium and laterMellon Arena, was anarena located inDowntown Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to thePittsburgh Penguins, the city'sNational Hockey League (NHL) franchise, from 1967 to 2010.[5]
Constructed in 1961 for use by thePittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO), it was the brainchild of department store ownerEdgar J. Kaufmann. It was the firstretractable roof major-sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 square feet (16,000 m2), constructed with nearly 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel and supported solely by a massive 260-foot-long (79 m) cantilevered arm on the exterior.[2] Even though it was designed and engineered as a retractable-roof dome, the operating cost and repairs to the hydraulic jacks halted all full retractions after 1995, and the roof stayed permanently closed after 2001.[6] The first roof opening was during a July 4, 1962,Carol Burnett show to which she exclaimed "Ladies and Gentlemen ... I present the sky!"[7]
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, boxing, wrestling, lacrosse, football, ice skating championships, kennel shows, and soccer. The structure was used as the backdrop for several major Hollywood films, most prominentlySudden Death in 1995. Prior to its demise, it was known as Mellon Arena, named forMellon Financial, specifically American businessman and 49th Secretary of the TreasuryAndrew W. Mellon, which purchased the naming rights in 1999. Their naming rights expired on August 1, 2010, and the arena once again adopted the name of Civic Arena.[8]
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 newConsol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena). After various groups declined historic status for the venue, it was demolished between September 2011 and March 2012. In its place, existing public parking lots in the area were expanded over the entire site. Two of the many streets stricken from the city's street plan when the arena was originally built were subsequently re-extended back through the site: Wylie Avenue and Fullerton Street. On March 13, 2025, ground was broken for the upcoming construction of Citizens Live at the Wylie, a 4,500 capacity venue, which is expected to open in mid 2026.[9] The Penguins have the rights to redevelop the property and a preliminary plan exists for residential units, retail and office space.[10]
The $22 million ($234 million in 2024 dollars[3]) arena was completed for the CLO in 1961.[11] MayorDavid L. Lawrence had publicly announced plans for a "civic theater" as early as February 8, 1953[12] after years of public pressure had built after CLO president, civic leader and owner ofKaufmann's department storeEdgar J. Kaufmann announced his intention on December 1, 1948, to find a new home for the group. Funding was provided by a combination of public and private money, including grants from Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, and Kaufmann.[5] The arena's design incorporated 2,950 tons ofstainless steel from Pittsburgh.[11]
To make room for the arena, the city usedeminent domain to displace 8,000 residents and 400 businesses from the lowerHill District, the cultural center of black life in Pittsburgh.[13] Demolition began in 1955 and was finished by 1960.[14] The last structure to be demolished was Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, built in 1908. The city charter prohibited using eminent domain on churches, but theUrban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh was able to do so because it was not a city entity.[15] On July 21, 1959, a steel strike halted work on the arena and delayed its opening date.
The Arena was designed for the CLO, which previously held productions atPitt Stadium. The roof, which was supported by a 260-foot (79 m) arch, was free of internal support leaving no obstruction for the seats within. The roof, which had a diameter of 415 feet (126 m), was 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.[16] A total of 42 trucks mounted on 78 wheels, 30 of which were individually driven, supported and moved the six moveable sections. The trucks, gear motors and 480-volt AC motor drive that moved the roof sections were designed and manufactured byHeyl & Patterson Inc., a local specialist engineering firm.[17]
The arena's capacity fluctuated depending on the event being hosted, but was increased due to additions between 1972 and 1991.[16] 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.[18]
The original center scoreboard was an electromechanical Nissen scoreboard with digital clock display, which appears in the 1979 movieThe Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. That board was replaced during the 1986 renovations by an American Sign and Indicator scoreboard with a black-and-white three-line matrix animation/messageboard on each side, which appears inSudden Death. White Way Sign created the arena's final center scoreboard, this one with a SonyJumboTron videoboard on each side, which remained for the arena's final sixteen years of use.
On September 17, 1961, theIce Capades hosted the arena's first event. Globally televised figure skating was hosted by the arena three times: The1983 United States Figure Skating Championships,1994 and2004 editions ofSkate America all having nearly week-long competitions.
Major political rallies were part of the early history of the arena. Former PresidentDwight Eisenhower appeared at a Republican rally on October 12, 1962. PresidentLyndon B. Johnson delivered a campaign address on October 27, 1964, andSen. Barry Goldwater on October 29, 1964.[19] On April 26, 1964, the 2-week long International Conference and Debate of the Methodist Church opened at the Arena.[20]Vice President Nixon visited for a campaign rally at the arena on October 28, 1968.Henry Kissinger,Frank Borman, andLi Choh-ming visited for theUniversity of Pittsburgh commencement on April 27, 1969.
Cassius Clay vs. Charlie Powell on January 24, 1963, to a global television audience from the Civic Arena.Sugar Ray Robinson,Sonny Liston andFloyd Patterson also participated in boxing matches at the arena. On November 6, 1981, the globally televisedWorld Heavyweight Title was fought at the arena betweenLarry Holmes andRenaldo Snipes with an undercard bout betweenBuster Douglas andDavid Bey.
King of the Ring in 1998 is remembered for theHell in a Cell match betweenMick Foley andthe Undertaker, where Foley would fall from the top of the cell, suffering multiple injuries. JournalistMichael Landsberg called it "maybe the most famous match ever."[21] In 2011, this incident was named as the number one "OMG!" incident in the WWE history.[22] The final WWE event was aMonday Night Raw episode on May 10, 2010. The future events would now be taking place atPPG Paints Arena.
America's first high school basketball All-Star game, The Dapper DanRoundball Classic was held at the arena annually between 1965 and 1992.[23] The men's basketball programs of both of the city'sNCAA Division I institutions, theUniversity of Pittsburgh andDuquesne University, frequently used it either as a primary or secondary home court, and the last basketball game played at the arena was the two schools'annual rivalry game in 2009.[24] Among the two schools, Duquesne made the most extensive use of the arena, using it as their home from 1964 until 1988.[25] From 1984 to 2002, Pittsburgh used the arena for select games against popular opponents.
ThePhiladelphia 76ers,Pittsburgh Pipers,Pittsburgh Condors,Pittsburgh Rens,Pittsburgh Piranhas, and theHarlem Globetrotters hosted regular-season basketball games at the Arena. The Pipers won the 1968 ABA Finals in the venue, doing so in Game 7 over theNew Orleans Buccaneers on May 4 by a score of 122–113. The first and second-round games of both the1997 and2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournaments were held at the Arena.[18]
ThePittsburgh Triangles ofWorld 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.[26]
ThePittsburgh SpiritMajor Indoor Soccer League team also hosted matches at the Arena.[5][27]
Roller Derby featuring the hosting New York Chiefs took place at the Arena as well.
Olympic Gold Medal winnerMary Lou Retton performed at the Arena as part of the "Tour of Champions" event on November 2, 1990.[28]
The first rock concert at the arena was emceed byPorky Chedwick on May 11, 1962, as aDiCesare Engler production and featuredJackie Wilson,The Drifters,The Coasters,The Castelles,Jerry Butler,The Flamingos,The Angels,The Blue-Belles, andThe Skyliners.[29]
On September 14, 1964, the Beatles played the arena during their first United States tour. Opening acts were the Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, and Jackie DeShannon. A sell-out crowd of over 12,000 paid $5.90 to attend.
Motown came to the arena on March 6, 1969, with a Temptations concert.
On July 11, 1971, the world's first "authorized" production ofJesus Christ Superstar opened at the Civic Arena.
Black Sabbath played at the arena on February 1, 1974.[30]Circus reported, "They broke the existing box office record by grossing $76,000."[31]
On August 14, 1974, Canadian rock bandRush played the first show on their debut US tour with new drummerNeil Peart at the Civic Arena.[32] They were opening forUriah Heep at this show.
Pink Floyd was at the Civic Arena forThe Dark Side of the Moon Tour on June 19, 1973.[33]
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 and 26, 1973. The arena has hosted other major concerts by every act fromFrank Sinatra[34] toGarth Brooks toJimmy Page andRobert Plant.
By the mid-1970s the arena was among the premier venues in the nation, with Billboard magazine naming it the 9th best in the U.S. on December 30, 1976.[35] Sly and the Family Stone, The Steve Miller Band, Grand Funk Railroad, Boz Scaggs, and The Beach Boys all played the arena in 1974.[36]
TheBee Gees performed two concerts here on September 4–5, 1979 during theirSpirits Having Flown Tour.
The Jacksons performed at Pittsburgh Civic Arena on August 13, 1981, during theirTriumph Tour.[citation needed]
GuitaristRandy Rhoads played one of his final shows here withOzzy Osbourne on February 2, 1982, until his passing 45 days later.
Duran Duran performed February 28, 1984, during a snowstorm and their Grammy win was announced onstage.[citation needed]
Pop superstarMichael Jackson performed three concerts at Pittsburgh Civic Arena on September 26, 27 and 28, 1988 during hisBad World Tour.[citation needed]
Pop singerBritney Spears performed at the arena once in 2001 on herDream Within a Dream Tour and in 2009 to a sell-out crowd as a part of herCircus Tour.[citation needed]
Destiny's Child performed here on July 20, 2005, as part of their last tour 'Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It'.
Josh Groban performed here in August 2007 as part of his 'Awake' tour.
Then country singerTaylor Swift played a show in the arena during herFearless Tour on October 1, 2009.
The Doors recorded their May 2, 1970, concert at the Civic Arena. This would be released 38 years later asLive in Pittsburgh 1970 akaPittsburgh Civic Arena. It is considered by most music critics to be The Doors very best live recording.
TheGrateful Dead's performances, on April 2–3, 1989, were recorded and later released as a live album, entitledDownload 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 byKurt Loder onMTV News following the arrest of 500 by thePittsburgh Police.
The Rolling Stones performed three times in the arena: July 22, 1972; March 11, 1999; and January 10, 2003.
The final event was to be aMaxwell concert on July 10, 2010. However, the show was canceled.[citation needed] On June 8, 2010, the arena's management group,SMG, announced thatJames Taylor andCarole King'sTroubadour Reunion Tour concert stop would be the final event at Mellon Arena on June 26, 2010.[37]
"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 theVatican. It was very unique."
ThePittsburgh Hornets, members of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) played home games at theDuquesne Gardens, located in theOakland section of Pittsburgh. The team played 20 seasons in the Gardens prior to its demolition, which made room for an apartment building.[39] The Arena opened on September 17, 1961.[39] With the Arena available, the Hornets resumed play in the1961–62 season and went on to win theCalder Cup in the1966–67 season.[39]
As part of the1967 NHL expansion, the city of Pittsburgh was selected to host one of six new franchises. With a hockeyseating capacity of 12,508, Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena was eight seats over the NHL's minimum seating benchmark.[16] Due to its outward appearance, the arena was nicknamed "TheIgloo" which led to the naming of the Penguins.[40] The Penguins debuted at the Civic Arena on October 11, 1967, in a 2–1 loss to theMontreal 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 Six" franchise by beating theChicago Black Hawks 4–2.[41] On January 21, 1990, the Civic Arena hosted the41st National Hockey League All-Star Game. Pittsburgh'sMario 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.[42] The arena also hosted the1997 NHL entry draft,[43] as well as games of the1991,1992,2008, and2009 Stanley Cup Finals.[5] The 2008 Finals marked the only occasion that the Stanley Cup was presented on Mellon Arena ice, after the Penguins were defeated by theDetroit 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.[44]
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 apre-game ceremony and "team picture".[45]
The Pittsburgh Penguins played their last game in Mellon Arena on May 12, 2010; a 5–2 defeat at the hands of theMontreal Canadiens to eliminate them from the2010 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.
The seating capacity of Civic Arena over time went as follows:[46]
The Civic Arena hosted the first and second round regional games of both the1997 and2002 NCAA men's tournament. The arena's successorConsol Energy Center also hosted them in 2012. It also hosted the women's first and second-round games in 2001.
For five seasons the arena hosted theEastern 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.[47]
Between 1964 and 1973, the arena hosted 14 regular seasonNBA games, primarily as a satellite city for thePhiladelphia 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.[48] On October 10, 1971, the world championMilwaukee Bucks led byKareem Abdul-Jabbar played the Condors at the arena.[49] The Arena also hosted dozens of pre-season NBA contests from the 1960s until 2009, many of them hosted by the nearbyCleveland Cavaliers, the closest NBA team to Pittsburgh.[50]
The arena was the home of theAmerican Basketball Association (ABA)Pittsburgh Pipers in 1967–68 and 1969–70 and thePittsburgh Condors from 1970 to 1972. The team moved to Minneapolis for the 1968–69 season before returning. The team was disbanded following the 1971–72 season as the ABA struggled.
The Pipers were part of the inaugural season of the ABA in 1967–68, which quickly established a rivalry to the olderNational Basketball Association. On May 4, 1968, the Pipers, led by future Hall of FamerConnie Hawkins, claimed the ABA's first ever championship, defeating theNew Orleans Buccaneers before a Game 7 sold-out crowd of 11,457 in the Civic Arena.[51]
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In 1957, before the arena was opened, the under-construction building was officially known as theCivic 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 theCivic 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 theRichard S. Caliguiri Arena, after the city's popular mayor who was diagnosed withamyloidosis. Caliguiri died a month later, and nothing came of this name, either.
Allegheny County Commissioner Pete Flaherty believed that officially renaming the arenaThe Igloo would bring marketing potential in 1992. Again, the Civic Arena name stayed.
In 1997, the Penguins sold naming rights toAllegheny Energy for $5 million, which would've renamed the arenaAllegheny 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.[52]
But, by 1999, this had changed. When Mario Lemieux bought the Penguins out of bankruptcy, the naming rights were also awarded to him. They then sold the rights toMellon Financial for $18 million, and the arena was finally renamedMellon Arena. The arena kept the name after Mellon merged withThe Bank of New York to formThe Bank of New York Mellon in 2007 and didn't go through with the "BNY Mellon" rebranding like other buildings bearing the Bank of New York or Mellon name such asOne Mellon Center.
The Mellon Arena name was allowed to expire on August 1, 2010, with the building now vacant and the Penguins moving to the newConsol Energy Center (later renamed PPG Paints Arena) across the street. The closed building officially became the Civic Arena again.[53]
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 seated fewer). In later years, the arena's staff was forced to use space for multiple purposes never intended in the building's original design.[54] The Penguins franchise agreed to a deal with city and state officials to fund a new home arena for the franchise in March 2007. ThePPG Paints Arena is located across the street from the site of Civic Arena and has a higherseating capacity and a standard seating layout.[5] The Penguins played their first game at PPG Paints Arena October 7, 2010.[55]
A March 2007 agreement between the SEA and the Penguins states that Civic Arena would be demolished after completion of PPG Paints Arena in July 2010. During this time, SEA conducted a historic assessment of the arena. It was eligible to be considered for theNational 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 stateHistoric 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.[56]
On September 16, 2010, the Allegheny County Sports and Exhibition Authority voted unanimously to demolish the Civic Arena. SEA Board chairman,State SenatorWayne 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 removedasbestos 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.[57] Proponents for retaining the building opposed the demolition decision in court, and attempted to seek landmark status.
On November 24, 2010, the building's demolition was delayed due to a last-minute nomination as aNational Historic Landmark.[58] 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.[59] 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 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 was not a traditional type of demolition for sports arenas. In November 2011, the Penguins started selling Christmas ornaments crafted from the Civic Arena's steel roof. The team used the promotion to raise money for its charitable foundation.Grove City-basedWendell August Forge, the oldest and largestforge 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.[60] The Penguins had originally planned to sell 6,000 ornaments, but due to demand, the team ended selling over 40,000 pieces.[61] The arena was being disassembled over time, and originally expected to be complete in May 2012. However, demolition was finished early as the last panel of the retractable roof fell down on March 31, 2012.[62] The site's footprint now serves as a surface lot for its successor arena, with the pre-1955 street grid re-established across the site as much as possible to allow future redevelopment.
Civic Arena has served as a filming location for several major Hollywood productions including:
Also, the Russian movieBrother 2 was filmed at the arena. According to the script, the protagonist, Danila Borgov, arrived in the United States to help his friend's brother, Penguins player Dmitry Gromov (though events of the film take place in Chicago). Notable hockey playersAleksei Morozov,Jaromír Jágr andDarius Kasparaitis appeared in the movie.
The arena also served as the recording location forThe Doors albumLive in Pittsburgh 1970, and was a constant background representing the city and its sports franchises for its television stations, most prominently in theproduction card for national productions fromPBS member stationWQED.
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Franchise created | Home of the Pittsburgh Penguins 1967–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the Pittsburgh Hornets 1961–1967 | Succeeded by Franchise disbanded |
| Preceded by | Home of Duquesne University Men's Basketball 1964–1988 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first arena | Home of the Pittsburgh Gladiators 1987–1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Inaugural Event | Host ofArenaBowl 1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofNHL All-Star Game 1990 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofNHL Entry Draft 1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofBassmaster Classic 2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofForrest Wood Cup 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first | Host ofWWE Bragging Rights 2009 | Succeeded by |
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