Schenley Park Casino - Construction and Brief Use

Construction and Brief Use

In the fall of 1893, The City of Pittsburgh pondered on the idea of multi-purpose facility that would be a place for theater, recreation and social gathering. The idea sputtered through a committee of capitalists until Casino manager, James Wallace Conant convinced political boss, Christopher Magee, that the new building could feature an indoor ice skating rink. The notion of indoor ice skating galvanized the Casino’s construction plan. As a result investors were quick to agree to the $400,000 financing, and construction of the Casino was completed before opening to the public on May 29, 1895.

The Casino contained luxury boxes, as well as a grand theater, and a $45,000 roof garden. Each end of the ice rink featured 10 dressing rooms which were furnished with oil paintings and tapestries. The rooms were owned by politicians and capitalists from the banking, steel, coal and railroad industries and were used for winter carnivals, skating expos and political rallies. The facility also contained a ladies’ reception room which was furnished with imported carpeting, lace curtains, and stuffed leather recliners. It also featured a childcare and play area.

However the primary attraction at the Casino was the elliptical-shaped, 225 x 70-foot (21 m) ice surface. The facility offered public skating sessions were held only on weekdays. The five cent admission included steel skate frames that were strapped over a person’s winter footwear. Saturdays were reserved for private parties and the Pittsburgh hockey club that evolved into the Pittsburgh Keystones, a group of local men from the Western University and Carnegie Tech. In the summer, the Casino was used as a 3,500 seat theatre.