Tag Archives: igloo

first hockey game in Pittsburgh

66 Years Before the Igloo, the Schenley Park Casino Hosted the First Hockey Game in Pittsburgh

Yesterday, when I was writing about the Catahecassa Springs in Schenley Park I was looking for the date that the Schenley Park ice rink was constructed. While I still don’t know when the Schenley Park ice rink was built, I learned about a building that I had never heard of before, the Schenley Park Casino. Since it is a hockey night in Pittsburgh, it seems fitting that our next post on historic preservation is about the building that hosted the very first hockey game in the City of Pittsburgh.

First home of hockey in Pittsburgh

In 1893 construction began on an elaborate recreation building that was located on the site of what is now the Frick Fine Arts building, just across the bridge from Phipps Conservatory.

The Schenley Park Casino was one of the most elaborate sports and entertainment facilities in the world and it was the first place to have artificial ice, as well as the site of the first hockey game in Pittsburgh. The building opened to the public on May 29, 1895 and was used until it was destroyed by fire on December 17, 1896.

In researching the history of this building, I learned about the website PittsburghHockey.net which has a detailed page about the Schenlney Park Casino as well as every possible thing you might want to know about hockey in Pittsburgh.

From the PittsburghHockey.net page on the ice rink:

At ice level, which was below ground, the rink was surrounded with three rows of hardwood benches with red velvet cushions. Each end of the rink featured 10 dressing rooms smartly furnished with oil paintings and floor-to-ceiling tapestries. The rooms were owned by politicians and capitalists from the banking, steel, coal and railroad industries and were used for winter carnivals, skating expos and political rallies. In all, the Casino’s management added $140,000 in amenities beyond the original construction cost.

The other fact that really stands out about the Schenley Casino is the size of the place:

Upon entering the building, visitors walked in on a balcony that circled the skating floor 20 feet below. The balcony was 840 feet in length and could accommodate 12,000 people looking down on the skating floor. An article in The Pittsburg Press from December 1885 described a “friendly hockey match” between local hockey clubs in which 10,000 people attended.

For context, PPG Paints area has a capacity of 19,758 and the Igloo could seat 17, 181. To hold a crowd of 12,000, this had to be a large space.

More on the history of Hockey in Pittsburgh

first hockey game in Pittsburgh

Interior of the Casino, the first hockey team in 1895. This is the earliest known image of ice hockey in Pittsburgh. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Pittsburgh Hockey history timeline on PittsburghHockey.net is quite extensive and provides a nice way to browse the history of hockey in Pittsburgh. The timeline really starts with the Schenley Casino and the first hockey exhibition that was played at the Schenley Park Casino on December 30, 1895. Leading up to the Winter Classic in 2011, the New York Times wrote a long article about the history of hockey in Pittsburgh, “Hockey Has Deep Roots in Pittsburgh“, December 30, 2010.

Here is a 2009 video from FSN that details the history of the Schenley Casino and hockey in Pittsburgh:

A few more links for information on the Schenley Park Casino: 

What Do Tequila, Yard Sales, Lawn Bowling Have in Common? (Radio Round Up – May 14, 2010)

phipps agave plant
Image by marshlight via Flickr
You can sample all of these and more in Pittsburgh this weekend – This is the weekend when Pittsburgh wakes up from its long winter nap. Lots of great reasons to get outside and check out the neighborhoods!  Lots of good – free (and low costs) ways to check out the city.

Agave Nights @ Phipps Conservatory

  • The agave plant at phipps is blooming – the agave plant can live for 100 years and only blooms once in its lifetime, currently the plant is growing 12 inches a day
  • Tequila is made from agave, Phipps is showing off the agave plant on Friday nights 5-9pm – the cafe will be serving margaritas and appetizers made with tequila

East End Brewing Keg Ride

  • Each year the folks at East End Brewing invite the community out to literally bike the first keg (or kegs) of pedal pale ale to the bar.
  • Friday, May 14, 2010, Meet @ the Brewery in Homewood at 6pm. Bike ride will be accessible for all levels of cyclist
  • Last year 500+ cyclists helped to bike the first kegs.
  • $10 to participate – the keg ride supports cycling charities – and your ride includes your first beer at the keg destination
    East end brew + bikes

    Image by michael and anna via Flickr

Regent Square Yard Sale Day

  • Saturday, May 15, 2010 – Neighborhood wide yard sale
  • Book sale at the Wilkins School Community Center
  • While you are in the neighboorhood – stop by the Frick Park Lawn Bowling courts on Reynolds St for the Frick Park Lawn Bowling Club open house