Just as the Penguins are advancing toward the goal of building a new hockey venue, two historic preservation groups are asking City Council to give the 41-year-old Mellon Arena a designation that would save it. In a hockey game, this might be considered a vicious hit, but it doesn't deserve a premature whistle.
Whatever mischief it may pose for the Penguins, the request for historic designation deserves a fair hearing. Mellon Arena, nestled like a giant flying saucer on the lower Hill District overlooking Downtown, is part of the familiar cityscape, both gleaming landmark and symbol of Pittsburgh's postwar renaissance. No city with any pride would tear out such a building without first pausing to consider. It might turn out that the building could find another use, despite the fact that the Penguins do not want a facility that competes in any way with a new stadium.
That said, it is possible that an honest review might still find Mellon Arena a legitimate target for the wrecker's ball. Its architectural and civic merits need to be carefully weighed. A policy of preserving every public building just because it is old and familiar only harnesses the past to guarantee a moribund future.
The problem is that preservationists as a class tend to be like Will Rogers. Just as the old cowboy never met a man he didn't like, the occupational hazard of being a preservationist is never to meet an old building one doesn't like. Of course, that can be a strength, because someone has to speak up when a bulldozer mentality prevails.
The need for historical preservation can be a matter of debate, and it takes more than just one group (or two) declaring that a building is historic (Preservation Pittsburgh is joining Pittsburgh History & Landmarks in the arena effort). Any designation case must be persuasively made.
In regard to Mellon Arena, the argument is that when it opened it was the largest domed building in the world (a claim to fame that was soon eclipsed) and still is the largest with its sort of retractable roof. But that uniqueness comes with an odd asterisk, because these days the roof is not opened.
Mellon Arena probably could not be listed on the respected National Register of Historic Places, which, except in exceptional cases, generally does not include buildings less than 50 years old. The city standards are more flexible, but that doesn't mean that the Historic Review Commission, the city Planning Commission and finally City Council need to be less than exacting.
If the decision on historic designation is made on its merits -- and does not drag in extraneous issues such as public financing of sports stadiums -- then the game ought to be played out to its conclusion.
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