Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Done deal! The Penguins are staying in Pittsburgh


The Pittsburgh Penguins are staying put; they will sign a short term lease to continue playing at Mellon Arena for two more seasons, before dropping the puck at their new venue for the 2009-10 season.

Demolition of buildings and land clearing will begin in a few weeks.

Yes there are Hockey Gods and today they are smiling.

A few factoids:

Cost: $290MM

Location: Centre Avenue, Washington Avenue and Fifth Place (parcel south of current arena)

Architects: HOK Sport

Outside the venue: The building's two entrances - on the Centre and Fifth Avenue sides - stretch over a grade change of no less than 40 feet. Fans entering from Fifth Avenue will travel up to a main concourse, and all ticket holders then enter the building's bowl area from a common concourse. Improved sight lines inside the arena were designed to enhance enjoyment of the game and other performances, and more open common spaces will be integrated to allow better views of the game while fans travel to their seats.

The future of Mellon Arena: Will be demo'd...Planners see mixed-use development in the parcel's future, with residential, commercial and retail buildings integrated into the planning. A 265 room hotel, as well as 1,100 housing units for rent or sale, numerous stores, restaurants, office buildings, parking areas and open spaces are all possibilities.

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