Chatham University is taking over ice time at the Hunt Armory in Shadyside. The Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday approved a 10-year lease with the option for the university to buy the property for $2 million.
Under the new lease with the URA, Chatham is planning a multi-million dollar upgrade to the facility to transform it into a year-round operation. Their men’s and women’s hockey teams will practice and compete on the ice, and it will be open to the public for some sessions in the winter.
“We'd like to continue to do the free skates at times,” said Leonard Trevino, Vice President for Athletics and Recreation at Chatham University. “It's not gonna be an everyday thing, but there's an opportunity for that. I think that draws in the neighborhood.”
Built in 1911, the Hunt Armory served as a weapons repository for most of its existence. The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh bought the property in 2016. With the help of the National Hockey League and the Pittsburgh Penguins, they transformed the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, into an indoor ice rink.
The Penguins have been operating the rink since 2021. Since then, it has been open to the public for skating sessions during the winter months. It is the only public indoor ice rink in the city.
Before Chatham’s hockey teams can take the ice, the building needs some work. The renovation is a “big project,” according to Trevino. “It's the jewel of the building, but it is 100 years old.” Trevino doesn’t expect the final price tag to be in the $15 million estimate originally proposed by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but they plan on significant upgrades to the facility. They’ll begin looking at the scope of the work right away, but anticipate major upgrades to the electrical system, sprinklers and installation of a permanent ice rink.
How the rink will be used outside of hockey practice depends on funding. Rhonda Phillips, president of Chatham University, said they’ll be fundraising “quite a bit,” looking into everything from corporate sponsorships to state funding through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
“It's important for us to remain strong in hockey and to have a facility right next to our campus, or close to campus,” Phillips said. “It’s just a tremendous benefit. And it also would be a community asset to have the rink inside the city limits. It would be really good.”
