Mellon Arena
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The Mellon Arena (known as Civic Arena from 1961-1999, also informally known as "The Igloo") is an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League and was formerly home to the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL, Pittsburgh Pipers and Pittsburgh Condors of the ABA and Pittsburgh Spirit of the MISL, among others. The arena currently seats 16,958 for ice hockey SRO of 17,138, with 56 luxury suites and 1,696 club seats.
The arena is currently the oldest one in use in the NHL, completed in 1961 at a cost of $22 million. Oddly enough, the stadium was not originally intended for sports, but primarily to host the city's Civic Light Opera, which had previously performed at Pitt Stadium, but had tired of having performances rained out. The building was - and remains - unique, and well ahead of its time. It was built with a retractable dome made of six stainless steel panels, five of which would shift under the sixth in two and a half minutes when the weather was sufficiently pleasant.
The CLO did not stay in the building long, however, as it became clear that the acoustics were too poor for its use, and it left by 1968. The AHL's Pittsburgh Hornets had already moved in 1961, and were replaced by the expansion Penguins in 1967. The stadium was gradually expanded, with renovations in 1975 and 1993 adding balconies at each end and building luxury suites and club seating, increasing the overall seating from 12,000 to over 17,000. The 1995 addition of a new scoreboard, though, robbed the stadium of its signature element - the roof can no longer be opened and closed completely.
On an unrelated note, that same year the facility hosted WWE Summerslam. Three years later it hosted the King of the Ring tournament. It was the site of WWE Unforgiven in 2001. Most recently Mellon Arena hosted WWE No Way Out 2005.
In recent years, the age of the arena has been a problem. For the Penguins, the primary tenant, the old arena is too costly and does not produce enough revenue to keep the team profitable. For fans, it is quite uncomfortable and lacks the amenities of modern venues. The team has stated that a new arena is required to keep the team in Pittsburgh. The arena has also been unable to attract other events, such as music concerts, to Pittsburgh. Any visitor to the arena soon realizes that the old building has seen its better years long ago.
The arena has previously hosted NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament games, six Atlantic Ten Conference men's basketball tournaments (1978-83), and until the construction of the Petersen Events Center, was the alternate home court of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball teams. From its inception it has been an alternate home court for the Duquesne University men's basketball team, and was used as their primary home from 1965 to 1988. Beginning in November 2005, the Pittsburgh Xplosion basketball team will play at both arenas. On March 19, 2006 during a hockey game between the Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the arena suffered consecutive blackouts, forcing the game to be delayed.
External links
Template:NHL Arenasde:Mellon Arena
Categories: Buildings and structures in Pennsylvania | College basketball venues | Indoor arenas in the United States | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | National Hockey League venues | Pittsburgh Hornets | Pittsburgh Penguins | Sports in Pittsburgh | Basketball in the United States | Wrestling Pay-Per-View Venues | Atlantic Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Venues