Schenley Park Casino The Schenley Park Casino was Pittsburgh ’ s first multi - purpose arena . The facility was considered the envy of the sports and entertainment world during the early 1890 ' s , with amenities that were unsurpassed anywhere on the globe . It was built at the entrance to Schenley Park in the neighbourhood of Oakland near the Phipps Conservatory , the Schenley Bridge and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh . The University of Pittsburgh ’ s Frick Fine Arts Building currently sits on the site of the Casino . The Casino was the first place in Pittsburgh where organized ice hockey was played . The arena ' s artificial ice surface was the the first of its kind in North America . Beginnings . 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 Conant convinced his boss and head of the Casino , Harry Davis , 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 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 . Destruction . On December 17 , 1896 , at approximately 1 : 45 am . , an ammonia pipe in the icemaking department began leaking . Firefighters believed the gas mixed with grease and created an explosion resulting in a fire that consumed the equipment room in the rear of the Casino and spread to the ladies ’ dressing room . Cold temperatures decreased the water pressure for the fire department ' s hoses , and limited access across the wooden Schenley Bridge , which was also damaged during the incident , gave the fire too much of a head start for firefighters to have a realistic chance of battling it . The amount of heat from the blaze was strong enough to melt the glass windows of nearby Phipps Conservatory . Dense smoke and heavy poisonous ammonia fumes forced firefighters in their horse - drawn equipment to retreat from trying to save the main hall of the building resulting in the fire being declared unmanageble by Pittsburgh Fire Chief , Miles Humphries . Aftermath . At first many investors were hopeful that the Casino could be rebuilt . However they later learned that the $ 400 , 000 building was only insured for a sum of $ 50 , 000 - $ 75 , 000 . The Yale University hockey team was to have played a series of games against Western University of Pennsylvania , Duquesne University and the Keystones the weekend after the fire , but they were telegraphed and told not to come to Pittsburgh . The only thing that remained was the large brick smoke stack and a portion of the wall along the bridge side of the Casino . Along with the facility , a brand - new merry - go - round , valued at $ 30 , 000 , was also destroyed in the blaze . The loss of the Casino led many local investors to look into constructing a new multi - purpose arena . Christopher Magee , the city ' s first elected treasurer focused local attention on the Duquesne Traction Company , an old streetcar barn less than a half mile away from the Casino . The devastating loss of the Casino hastened efforts in transforming the barn into the city ’ s new multi - purpose sports and entertainment venue that became the Duquesne Gardens .