PITTSBURGH -- Officials with both the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and Preservation Pittsburgh say they will nominate Mellon Arena for historic landmark status.
If the request is approved, the city's
Historic Review Commission would have jurisdiction over construction, demolition, and exterior work at the 42-year-old Igloo.
That would make it difficult to tear down the facility and replace it with a new one, which Penguins owner Mario Lemieux has said is vital for the team's future in Pittsburgh.
A development group led by Lemieux bought the former St. Francis Central Hospital, located across from the arena on Centre Avenue. The Penguins have proposed putting a new arena at that site and developing the current site with apartments, town houses, offices, parks, shopping, parking, and a hotel.
Last year, architectural activist Gary English said the arena was an integral part of the city's renaissance. Its retractable dome, which English cited as Pittsburgh's technological contribution to the world, is the only structure of its kind in North America.
English filed an application with the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to preserve the arena.
"If Mr. Lemieux gets his new arena, he'll not only take the team, but all other events to this new hockey venue," English said at the time. "This will seal the fate of the (Mellon) arena."
The 17,148-seat arena was built in 1961, and it is the oldest building used by any National Hockey League team. It was renamed from "Civic Arena" after Mellon Financial Corp. bought naming rights in 1999.
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