New hockey arena or no, is knocking down historic buildings really the path to revitalization?
Iced: St. Regis Hall, by Epiphany Church, in the Hill District, is being demolished to make room for a new hocky arena. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Are you happy that the Penguins are in the playoffs and that new construction is afoot, or do you worry about loss of historic structures, urban fabric and civic identity? I want to be happy that the new stadium is moving forward. But when the city’s youngest-ever mayor ever makes the decidedly old-school gesture of celebrating the destruction of perfectly serviceable historic buildings in the name of progress, I have to wonder. On April 10, Luke Ravenstahl, Dan Onorato and a number of Penguins executives gathered on the proposed arena site to celebrate impending construction. Ravenstahl waxed eloquent about the Penguins’ current playoff bid and the positive energy for the region. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he added, “… what better way to continue that than to build a new facility?” Of course, they didn’t actually c
