Civic Arena (Pittsburgh) Stadium

Address: Former site of Civic Arena (Mellon Arena), Lower Hill District, Pittsburgh, PA - demolished 2012

The Civic Arena, later known as Mellon Arena, was an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that opened in 1961 and served as a major sports and events venue for the city.

The building was best known for its circular, domed profile and a retractable roof, a notable engineering feature for arenas of its era. While it no longer exists, the site was long associated with professional hockey and large concerts and was a visible element of Pittsburgh’s skyline while standing.

The arena opened in 1961 and was the home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins from the team’s arrival in 1967 until the franchise moved to a new downtown arena in 2010. The building was closed and demolished in 2011-2012 after decades of use and changing ownership and naming rights.

The arena sat in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District immediately north of the city’s downtown core, on the rising ground above the Allegheny River. The site is within the urban core of Pittsburgh and was directly adjacent to other sports and civic facilities.

• Nickname and roof: The arena’s distinctive domed structure had a retractable roof and was commonly nicknamed the “Igloo” during its use as a sports venue.
• Capacity: Seating capacity for hockey and similar events was about 16,000 spectators.

The Civic Arena site is in central Pittsburgh (the downtown/Lower Hill area) and is within walking distance of downtown transit hubs. Pittsburgh Regional Transit light rail (“the T”) and numerous Port Authority buses serve downtown; the arena site is a short walk from central downtown stations.

From Pittsburgh International Airport the site is roughly 20 miles by road (typically about 30-40 minutes by car or taxi, depending on traffic).

• The Civic Arena (the Mellon Arena or 'Igloo') was demolished in 2012; there is no arena to tour-visit the North Shore site to see where it stood and combine that with nearby attractions such as PNC Park and the riverside walk.
• If you're researching its history, plan to visit local museums (e.g., Heinz History Center) or the Carnegie Library archives in Pittsburgh for photographs and exhibits rather than expecting an on-site visitor experience.