Civic Arena was made primarily from (what else?) They forgot about old Pittsburgh Civic Arena, the former home of the Penguins, which opened more than 50 years ago with a retractable roof.. One of the Arena's feature attractions was the retractable roof, which was supported by a 260-foot arch. Opening acts were the Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, and Jackie DeShannon.
Pittsburgh's Civic Arena was a technological marvel when it opened in 1961. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.But controversy came about quickly. It was an integral part of so many people’s lives and its memory will never fade to black.From Oct. 11, 1967, when the team lost 2-1 to the Montreal Canadiens, until May 12, 2010, when the Canadiens again defeated the Penguins in a 5-2 playoff loss, the Civic Arena served as a monument to the perseverance of the team and the town. The original main purpose of Civic Arena was not hockey; it was another activity that also featured drama, excitement and occasional violent clashes — opera.In the 1950s, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) was playing outdoors at the University of Pittsburgh football stadium. Pittsburgh's Civic Arena was a technological marvel when it opened in 1961. Images of the Civic Arena with the retractable roof open in 1964 (left) and 1974. The unique, retractable roof was the largest dome in the world at that time. Compromises in the interior design to accommodate seating and surfaces for sporting events made the setup less than ideal for concert acoustics and staging.
Among the 14 regular season NBA games played there was one in which Wilt Chamberlain set the all-time record for consecutive field goals and single game field goal percentage. On September 14, 1964, the Beatles played the arena during their first United States tour.
The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, from 1967 to 2010. The roof could be opened in two-and-a-half minutes. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. (Tony McCune/Wikimedia) The Pittsburgh Hornets had been playing in the American Hockey League since 1936 and had been a staple of the Civic Arena since its opening in 1961. The roof, which is supported by a 260 foot arch, is free of internal support leaving no obstruction for the seats within. The Jacksons performed at Pittsburgh Civic Arena on August 13, 1981, during their Triumph Tour. Before it manifested itself in physical form, the Civic Arena originated as the brainchild of Edgar J. Kaufmann. With architectural features that were unique at the time, Civic Arena afforded hockey fans an excellent view of the action wherever they were sitting. Like Seattle's Space Needle and St. Louis's Gateway Arch the Civic Arena was a signature landmark.
For 42 and a half years (or 15,544 days, if one were to count exactly), the arena was an iconic component to the Steel City.It would not be until 1984, when the team drafted the highly touted Mario Lemieux with the first overall selection, that the franchise’s prospects truly looked up. Civic Arena (Pittsburgh) - The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the first retractable roof major-sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. Both records still stand. The arena was also home to the Pittsburgh Pipers and the Pittsburgh Condors, both members of the then-struggling and soon-to-disband American Basketball Association.The final event at the Civic Arena came on June 26, 2010, when James Taylor and Carole King made Pittsburgh a stop on their Troubadour Reunion Tour.The story of Mario Lemieux’s unimpeachable history as an elite hockey player is principally set at the Civic Arena. Maybe the Totems, the Seals, the Sockeyes or … The Civic Arena was an iconic structure of the Pittsburgh skyline that hosted the iconic bands of arena rock. The team struggled for several more years, before they broke through into the playoffs in 1989. The arena debuted in September 1961, primarily to accommodate the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and its …