PITTSBURGH -- Serious demolition work has begun on the Civic Arena, the igloo-shaped former home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A preservation group failed in its efforts to get courts to keep the building from being torn down so it could be reused. Preservation Pittsburgh argued that the retractable steel-roof on the 50-year-old building made it worth saving.
The city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority says crews will work until about May to tear down the building, which for a time was called Mellon Arena. It's across the street from the Penguins' new arena, Consol Energy Center.
Under terms of an agreement to finance the new building, the Penguins are committed to redeveloping the old arena's 28-acre site. The team plans a mixed-use development including retail, commercial and residential space.
