Ask a longtime Pittsburgher about “the Igloo” and they won’t picture an ice hut. They’ll picture a silver, dome-roofed arena that towered over the Lower Hill District just north of Downtown. The Civic Arena opened on September 17, 1961, and it was billed as the world’s first major sports venue with a retractable roof. It was designed by Mitchell & Ritchey Architects, cost about $22 million, and held its dome up with a single 260-foot cantilevered arm, so no interior columns blocked a sightline.
For almost five decades it hosted the Penguins, Stanley Cup Finals, the Beatles, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones. Then it closed in 2010 and was demolished between September 2011 and early 2012. The story didn’t end there. The ground it stood on was cleared through one of Pittsburgh’s most controversial urban renewal projects, and as of late September 2026 a new concert venue is opening on part of that footprint.
Quick Answer
“The Igloo” is the nickname for Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena, a domed sports and concert venue in the Lower Hill District that operated from 1961 until 2010 and was demolished in 2011-2012. It was home to the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1967 to 2010 and was named Mellon Arena from 1999 to 2010. The site now holds the FNB Financial Center office tower, land set aside for Bethel AME Church, and Citizens Live at the Wylie, a Live Nation concert venue that opens this fall.
Why Is It Called “The Igloo”?
The name comes from the building’s silhouette. The stainless-steel dome was roughly 415 feet across and used nearly 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh-made steel. From across the rivers it looked like a giant igloo sitting on the hillside above Downtown. Locals were using the nickname almost as soon as the arena opened, and it outlasted every official name the building ever carried.
The nickname also shaped hockey history. When Pittsburgh landed an NHL expansion team in 1966-67, the Penguins name was inspired in part by the arena’s igloo shape, which tied the building to the franchise for more than four decades.
How the Retractable Roof Worked (and Why It Stopped Opening)
The dome was split into eight sections of roughly 300 tons each. Six were motorized and could slide beneath the two fixed sections in about two and a half minutes, which opened the arena to the sky. Overhead lighting had to be winched up out of the way first. Crews would not open the roof in poor weather or high wind.
The roof’s first public opening for a show came on July 4, 1962, during a Carol Burnett performance, when she reportedly told the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, I present the sky!” One widely cited milestone came on August 25, 1994, when the roof opened for a Pittsburgh Phantoms roller hockey game, the first time it had opened for a professional hockey game.
The hydraulic system was costly to maintain, and a heavier center-hung scoreboard installed in the mid-1990s made further openings impractical. Sources differ on the exact date of the final opening, but by the early 2000s the roof stayed shut for good, even though the arena kept hosting hockey and concerts every week.
How Big Was the Igloo? Seating Capacity Over Time
Capacity grew in stages, and sources disagree on the exact opening figure, with numbers around 10,700 to 12,600 cited. The arena was expanded to about 12,500 to meet the NHL’s minimum for the Penguins’ first season in 1967. Balconies added in 1975 pushed it past 16,000, and further balconies and boxes in the early 1990s added about 1,000 more seats.
In its final hockey configuration, the arena held roughly 16,940 seats. Basketball configurations went as high as 17,537.
Famous Events at the Civic Arena
The Igloo was much more than a hockey rink. Highlights from its history include:
The Beatles played their only Pittsburgh concert here on September 14, 1964. Elvis Presley performed in June 1973 and on New Year’s Eve 1976. The Rolling Stones came in 1972, 1999 and 2003.
It hosted the 1990 NHL All-Star Game and four Stanley Cup Finals (1991, 1992, 2008 and 2009). The Penguins won the Cup in 1991 and 1992 as the arena’s home team. Duquesne University basketball played here from 1964 to 1988. Boxing, wrestling, tennis, ice shows and the circus filled out the calendar.
The last paid event was a James Taylor and Carole King concert in summer 2010, after the Penguins had played their final regular-season game there on April 8, 2010.
From Civic Arena to Mellon Arena and Back
The building was the Civic Arena for its first 38 years. In December 1999, Mellon Financial paid roughly $18 million for a 10-year naming-rights deal, and it became Mellon Arena, though most fans kept saying “the Igloo.” The Civic Arena name returned in 2010 when the naming deal ended. The Penguins moved to the new arena next door, now called PPG Paints Arena, for the 2010-11 season.
The Lower Hill District Story Behind the Arena
The Igloo’s site was not empty land. Beginning in 1955, urban renewal cleared about 95 acres of the Lower Hill, displacing more than 8,000 mostly Black residents and hundreds of businesses. That included much of a jazz-era district often called “Little Harlem.” The arena was the centerpiece of the plan, but much of the surrounding cleared land was never developed as promised, leaving the neighborhood cut off from Downtown.
That history is why the building was controversial even as it was loved. Preservationists tried to protect the dome as a landmark, but their nomination effort failed. Demolition began on September 26, 2011, and finished in early 2012. The last piece of the roof came down in the spring.
What Is on the Igloo Site Today?
For years the footprint was mostly surface parking. That is changing:
The 26-story FNB Financial Center opened in early 2025 as the first new office tower on the site. Bethel AME Church, whose original building was taken for the arena project, is set to receive about 1.5 acres in the Lower Hill for a planned day care and apartments. The Penguins’ exclusive option to develop the rest of the site expired in October 2025, so the remaining acreage is back in the hands of local public agencies.
Citizens Live at the Wylie, a Live Nation venue of roughly 4,000 to 4,500 capacity next to PPG Paints Arena, opens with a community “Soundcheck on Wylie Avenue” event on September 28, 2026. Its opening week of ticketed concerts begins with ROLE MODEL on October 1, 2026, followed by Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa on October 2 and Styx on October 3.
Visiting the Site Today
There is no Igloo to tour anymore, but you can see the area on foot. The Lower Hill sits between Downtown and the Hill District, next to PPG Paints Arena. Interpretive and heritage projects in the neighborhood cover its jazz and civil rights past. For Wylie shows, expect a mix of general admission floor and balcony seating, with prices that vary by artist and demand. Ticket prices, event schedules, parking options and bag rules change often, so check the official Citizens Live at the Wylie visitor page before you go. The venue recommends using public transit or pre-buying parking.
For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
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For late-season football, outdoor hockey and October park nights. Shake, pocket, and stay warm for hours.
Pittsburgh Civic Arena (The Igloo) FAQs
Why is the Pittsburgh Civic Arena called the Igloo?
Its rounded stainless-steel dome looked like a giant igloo on the hillside above Downtown. Locals adopted the nickname soon after the 1961 opening, and it stuck for the arena’s entire life.
When was the Civic Arena built and demolished?
It opened on September 17, 1961, and closed in 2010 after the Penguins moved to a new arena. Demolition began on September 26, 2011, and finished in early 2012.
Was the Civic Arena ever called Mellon Arena?
Yes. It carried the Mellon Arena name from December 1999 until 2010 under a naming-rights deal with Mellon Financial. It went back to Civic Arena afterward.
Did the Civic Arena roof really open?
Yes. Six of its eight sections were motorized and could retract in roughly two and a half minutes. It first opened for a show on July 4, 1962, but it stopped opening regularly and stayed closed for its final years because of maintenance costs and heavier equipment.
Which famous acts played the Civic Arena?
The Beatles (1964, their only Pittsburgh show), Elvis Presley (1973 and 1976), and the Rolling Stones (1972, 1999 and 2003) all played there, along with many other major touring acts.
What is on the Civic Arena site now?
The FNB Financial Center office tower, land planned for Bethel AME Church, and Citizens Live at the Wylie, a Live Nation concert venue opening in fall 2026. Much of the rest of the site is still undeveloped.
Why did the Penguins leave the Igloo?
The arena was aging and lacked the modern amenities and revenue features of newer buildings. The team moved next door to a new arena, now PPG Paints Arena, for the 2010-11 season.
Why did they tear down the Igloo?
After the Penguins left, no long-term use was found for the aging arena, and its upkeep was costly. Preservationists fought to save it, but their landmark nomination failed, and it was demolished in 2011-2012.
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