Back to the Pittsburgh Penguins Newsfeed

After outliving the building, the Civic Arena debt finally is close to being paid off

Five years after the Civic Arena was demolished, the debt on the iconic Pittsburgh structure still lingers like a musty odor. But it won’t be long before taxpayers finally rid themselves of it for good.

The remaining debt on the Igloo will be paid off in full by the end of 2018, providing relief to city and Allegheny County taxpayers, and those whose purchases help to fund the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

It’s been a long time in coming. The debt dates all the way back to 1991 — the year the Penguins won their first Stanley Cup and Mario Lemieux was the team’s superstar, not its owner.