Civic Arena dismantling underway in face of impending legal challenge.
A federal lawsuit hasn’t stopped the city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority from pressing forward with plans to demolish the Civic Arena.
The SEA has applied with the city Bureau of Building Inspection for a permit to knock down the old building, prompting Preservation Pittsburgh, one of the groups trying to save the Igloo, to go to court Tuesday to thwart the move.
Preservation Pittsburgh, which filed a lawsuit July 6 to stop the demolition, is seeking a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court to prevent the SEA from starting the work if a demolition permit is authorized.
The group said the permit could be issued within 15 days. The restraining order, its motion stated, “is needed to preserve the status quo and prevent the historic Civic Arena from being irreparably destroyed before this court has an opportunity to decide” the merits of the lawsuit.
While Scott Leib, president of Preservation Pittsburgh, noted that it was unlikely the SEA would begin work the day the permit is issued, “legally they would be able to start the demolition at that time, which is why we requested the temporary restraining order today.”
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