New Music Venue To Be Built At Old Civic Arena Site

PITTSBURGH, PA - A new music venue is coming to a site where thousands of concerts once were held: the old Civic Arena property. The Penguins and Live Nation Entertainment are teaming up to build a 6,600-seat performance space at the intersection of Wylie Avenue and Logan Street.

The venue will be built above an underground 850-space parking garage. Much like the smaller Stage AE on the North Shore, it will have an indoor club area and an outdoor amphitheater lawn.

Groundbreaking is expected this summer, with an anticipated opening in 2022.

“There will not be another venue like this in the region, and we expect it will become the entertainment anchor for the Lower Hill, drive significant business to nearby restaurants and contribute to the rich fabric of live music in Pittsburgh," Penguins CEO David Morehouse said
in a statement.

The Penguins compared the facility to the Anthem in Washington, D.C. and the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas, two entertainment venues that are anchors of mixed-use developments. Live Nation has made a 20-year commitment to run the venue.

"There is no better location for us and we could not have asked for better partners than we have with the Penguins," Tom Loudermilk, Live Nation Pittsburgh president, said in a statement.

The project will include more than 50,000 square feet of retail space along Wylie Avenue - 17,000 square feet on the ground level and another 34,000 square feet on the second and third floors.

The music venue is the latest project proposed for the 28-acre arena site, which will feature a mix of residential, commercial and office space, entertainment and food venues, retail and parks and green space. Construction is set to kick off this fall with 250 units of rental housing.

The largest addition to the site will be a 24-story office building. First National Bank plans to move its headquarters from the North Shore to the new skyscraper.