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Final section of Civic Arena's roof torn down

PITTSBURGH — The final section of the roof of Pittsburgh's old igloo-shaped Civic Arena, the former home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, has been demolished.

Demolition crews on Saturday finally brought down the last section of the domed roof, which had given them problems for weeks.

The building, which for a time was called Mellon Arena, is across the street from the Penguins' new arena, Consol Energy Center.

“It’s very sad, we’ll miss it,” Glenda Matthews said.

Tom Greene saw the aftermath of the demolition and said it was sad to see the historic site go down.

“I came yesterday and saw it was all in shambles. Now today it’s lying on the ground. It’s pretty sad to see,” Greene said. “There were a lot of historic moments over there for the Penguins as a whole. It’s just sad to see it like this now.”

Workers have been demolishing the old 170,000-square-foot structure for several months and expect to be completed in May.

George Boehm, the project’s foreman, said for the entire crew the project felt like it took an eternity.

“It’s a relief to finally see that roof come down. Trust me. It’s a relief,” Boehm said. “(The last panel) pretty much came over as planned. It fell a little earlier than it was supposed to, but that’s fine.”

The 28-acre site will be redeveloped into a mixed-use development including retail, commercial and residential space.

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