Civic Arena Dome: Open During Demolition

Civic Arena open dome during demolition

This is the last time we will ever have the chance to see beyond the retractable roof of the Civic Arena. Since the onset of this situation, many have questioned why the arena sat there many years without having the dome opened. There is an entire generation (or two) of Pittsburghers that probably didn’t even believe it was possible. It doesn’t really matter at this point, just enjoy it while it lasts.

This photo was taken from the top of the Steel Building.

Picture submitted by @MostlyMinutiae (Burgh Verified)

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=506647300 Dean Jackson

The arena hadn’t been opened for years because they had added extra seating that blocked it from doing so.
Chris

Total waste.
http://twitter.com/slarocko Steve LaRocca

Seeing the roof opened was always something I had hoped to see. What I’ve heard over the years is that the additional weight of the video scoreboard prevented the roof from being opened more then half way. Also, ever notice how many cables were hanging from the roof? There were probably hundreds for the banners, speakers, lights, microphones and the net. Those would of all had to of been removed since the roof panels folded over each other. They left the cables there to fall with each panel.

I believe its a misconception that the upper balcony was a reason the roof didn’t opened anymore. I’ve heard that during the construction of the upper deck that the roof was opened a lot to make access easier. Looking at all the demo pictures that are out there, there’s nothing that was attached to the roof.

It basically came down to time and money. There was so much to remove that it wasn’t worth the time to open it again. A real shame it was never celebrated in the way it was designed to be before it goes away.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1041361991 Rob Pfaffmann

Not only a waste, but a corrupt, ignorant, selfish act of architectural vandalism…See the story that could have been here: http://www.reusetheigloo.org
Jill

This is a shame!
pghnewb

Looks like I got here too late. I would have loved to had the chance to go to an event in that building. What was it like inside? Was it that old and outdated that it really needed removal or was it as amazing as I would like to imagine?
http://twitter.com/slarocko Steve LaRocca

pghnewb -It felt massive on the inside. Looking up at the roof was an awesome site. Ya, it was old, built in the 50s, only limited on expansion possibilities because of the roof. I don’t think that makes it outdated. It only made it less profitable because they couldn’t add more luxury boxes. The arena was unique in every way. Its downfall was it was built for a completely different purpose other then hockey and with a inflexible design that couldn’t meet modern demands.
http://BoringPittsburgh.com Boring Pittsburgh

More images from the Igloo deconstruction.