Against my personal opinion on the topic, it look inevitable that the historic Civic Arena in Pittsburgh is going to be torn down, or imploded.
It was the first arena in the world to have a retractable dome and was home to many memories. But when they built the new hockey arena, the property is just too valuable to have an empty building sitting on it.
Well, the news is that they are going to film the latest Batman movie in Pittsburgh and blowing-up the old arena will be part of the movie!
Here's the story....
Did collusion, explosion of Civic Arena, bring BATMAN to town?
Many fine folks have come out of the woodwork to accept accolades for being instrumental in bringing the final installment of the Batman Trilogy to Pittsburgh. There are rumors circulating, however, no one person is responsible. A building is. The ability to explode the Civic Arena and use the footage for a key scene in the movie may have been the key bargaining chip that brought The Dark Knight Rises to Pittsburgh. A series of deals, behind closed doors, between The Pittsburgh Film Office (PFO), Governor Tom Corbett and the Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh (SEA) may have sealed the deal and brought win-win situations to all parties involved.
The unfolding of this entire story is better understood when following a timeline. In September of 2010, the CivicArena, formerly MellonArena, was scheduled for demolition. The arena was replaced by the new Consol Energy Center located, literally, across the street. When Consol Energy Center opened, the naming rights on the old arena expired and Mellon Arena once again became the Civic Arena. Regardless of the name, a verbal battle ensued between groups who wanted the building cleared for new construction and those who wanted the structure to remain and be refurbished. In November of 2010, the Civic Arena was nominated to the Historical Society to prevent its destruction. Through the Christmas Season, it appeared the Civic Arena had a good chance to remain neighbors with the new Consol Energy Center, just in a revised capacity, most likely as a mall.
In February of this year, The Pittsburgh Film Office began its annual budget PR campaign, four months earlier than usual. The PFO generally issues a series of reports and press releases extolling its financial virtues for the city in the hopes of continuing and possibly augmenting its annual government subsidy. Since the fiscal year goes from July to June, these standard articles generally appear in spring. The PFO started their campaign early due to the election of a new Republican Governor, Tom Corbett. Corbett was elected on the promise of curtailing the state’s runaway budget. Naturally, many government funded agencies panicked as they envisioned their golden calves being led to the sacrificial altar of fiscal responsibility. The PFO, originally wanting a $75 million budget, now just wanted to retain its $60 million stipend.
The PFO let leak the news Director Christopher Nolan was entertaining the idea of shooting part of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh. When it released its budget propaganda, it dangled the Batman film as a counterweight, claiming the city might miss out on the opportunity to be involved in the blockbuster if it did not have its working budget approved. These measures were moot. In order to qualify for the available 25 percent tax credit, a production must spend sixty percent of its budget in the state. Nolan was planning to be in Pittsburgh for about four weeks. His stay would not merit the criteria necessary for the credit, and Nolan was said to be on the fence as to using Pittsburgh as a location.
The PFO campaign, the validity of the financial impact the PFO has on the city and Corbett’s options are all explained in the Examiner report, “Film Office plays crying game for Republican Govenor", available by clicking http://www.examiner.com/film-industry-in-pittsburgh/film-office-plays-crying-game-for-republican-govenor
Then the opportunity to blow up the Civic Arena presented itself and wheels started to roll.
Last month, Governor Corbett announced the PFO would retain its $60 million budget under his new plan. The Historical Society announced it would not come to the aide of the Civic Arena, allowing the structure to be demolished. The SEA washed its hands of the arena, claiming Consol Energy Center required all of its efforts and manpower.
Speculation is the SEA, Gov. Corbett and the PFO arranged to allow Nolan to blow up the Civic Arena as part of a key sequence in The Dark Knight Rises. In so doing, the PFO guaranteed the projected blockbuster would carry a Pittsburgh label and helped secure its budget, the SEA washed its hands of a liability and the new governor, while still overseeing the project, has someone else pay for the destruction of the Civic Arena. Coincidentally, or not, the costs of the Civic Arena’s demolition, added to the production’s short stay, will propel the project past the sixty percent mark. This could enable Nolan to avail the tax credits offered in two different states.
While no one sitting in executive offices will comment on the deal, the rank and file members talk as if the destruction of the Civic Arena is a go. The Arena has been featured before in several films, most notably The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, and Sudden Death. Now it appears the structure will be immortalized by its destruction on film in The Dark Knight Rises.
Link: http://www.examiner.com/film-indust...explosion-of-civic-arena-bring-batman-to-town
It was the first arena in the world to have a retractable dome and was home to many memories. But when they built the new hockey arena, the property is just too valuable to have an empty building sitting on it.
Well, the news is that they are going to film the latest Batman movie in Pittsburgh and blowing-up the old arena will be part of the movie!
Here's the story....
Did collusion, explosion of Civic Arena, bring BATMAN to town?
Many fine folks have come out of the woodwork to accept accolades for being instrumental in bringing the final installment of the Batman Trilogy to Pittsburgh. There are rumors circulating, however, no one person is responsible. A building is. The ability to explode the Civic Arena and use the footage for a key scene in the movie may have been the key bargaining chip that brought The Dark Knight Rises to Pittsburgh. A series of deals, behind closed doors, between The Pittsburgh Film Office (PFO), Governor Tom Corbett and the Sports and Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh (SEA) may have sealed the deal and brought win-win situations to all parties involved.
The unfolding of this entire story is better understood when following a timeline. In September of 2010, the CivicArena, formerly MellonArena, was scheduled for demolition. The arena was replaced by the new Consol Energy Center located, literally, across the street. When Consol Energy Center opened, the naming rights on the old arena expired and Mellon Arena once again became the Civic Arena. Regardless of the name, a verbal battle ensued between groups who wanted the building cleared for new construction and those who wanted the structure to remain and be refurbished. In November of 2010, the Civic Arena was nominated to the Historical Society to prevent its destruction. Through the Christmas Season, it appeared the Civic Arena had a good chance to remain neighbors with the new Consol Energy Center, just in a revised capacity, most likely as a mall.
In February of this year, The Pittsburgh Film Office began its annual budget PR campaign, four months earlier than usual. The PFO generally issues a series of reports and press releases extolling its financial virtues for the city in the hopes of continuing and possibly augmenting its annual government subsidy. Since the fiscal year goes from July to June, these standard articles generally appear in spring. The PFO started their campaign early due to the election of a new Republican Governor, Tom Corbett. Corbett was elected on the promise of curtailing the state’s runaway budget. Naturally, many government funded agencies panicked as they envisioned their golden calves being led to the sacrificial altar of fiscal responsibility. The PFO, originally wanting a $75 million budget, now just wanted to retain its $60 million stipend.
The PFO let leak the news Director Christopher Nolan was entertaining the idea of shooting part of The Dark Knight Rises in Pittsburgh. When it released its budget propaganda, it dangled the Batman film as a counterweight, claiming the city might miss out on the opportunity to be involved in the blockbuster if it did not have its working budget approved. These measures were moot. In order to qualify for the available 25 percent tax credit, a production must spend sixty percent of its budget in the state. Nolan was planning to be in Pittsburgh for about four weeks. His stay would not merit the criteria necessary for the credit, and Nolan was said to be on the fence as to using Pittsburgh as a location.
The PFO campaign, the validity of the financial impact the PFO has on the city and Corbett’s options are all explained in the Examiner report, “Film Office plays crying game for Republican Govenor", available by clicking http://www.examiner.com/film-industry-in-pittsburgh/film-office-plays-crying-game-for-republican-govenor
Then the opportunity to blow up the Civic Arena presented itself and wheels started to roll.
Last month, Governor Corbett announced the PFO would retain its $60 million budget under his new plan. The Historical Society announced it would not come to the aide of the Civic Arena, allowing the structure to be demolished. The SEA washed its hands of the arena, claiming Consol Energy Center required all of its efforts and manpower.
Speculation is the SEA, Gov. Corbett and the PFO arranged to allow Nolan to blow up the Civic Arena as part of a key sequence in The Dark Knight Rises. In so doing, the PFO guaranteed the projected blockbuster would carry a Pittsburgh label and helped secure its budget, the SEA washed its hands of a liability and the new governor, while still overseeing the project, has someone else pay for the destruction of the Civic Arena. Coincidentally, or not, the costs of the Civic Arena’s demolition, added to the production’s short stay, will propel the project past the sixty percent mark. This could enable Nolan to avail the tax credits offered in two different states.
While no one sitting in executive offices will comment on the deal, the rank and file members talk as if the destruction of the Civic Arena is a go. The Arena has been featured before in several films, most notably The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, and Sudden Death. Now it appears the structure will be immortalized by its destruction on film in The Dark Knight Rises.
Link: http://www.examiner.com/film-indust...explosion-of-civic-arena-bring-batman-to-town
!
