CHATHAM UNIVERSITY’S 2023-24 MEN’S ICE HOCKEY TEAM PLAYS INSIDE THE HUNT ARMORY IN SHADYSIDE. | PHOTO COURTESY CHATHAM UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

The historical Hunt Armory Ice Rink in Shadyside will be undergoing a $15 million renovation, including the installation of a permanent ice rink that will be open year-round, after the Urban Redevelopment Authority approved a 10-year lease agreement with Chatham University.

The agreement comes with an option for the university to purchase the property for $2 million or extend the lease another decade, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

An article by 90.5 WESA-FM says the building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed in 1911 and served as a weapons repository for many years.

The armory was purchased by the URA in 2016 and remodeled into an ice rink with aid from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the National Hockey League. Then, in 2021, the Penguins began leasing the building as a space to hold community programming and public skating.

Under the team’s leadership, the rink was open exclusively during the winter season from November to March. However, with Chatham’s new plan, the rink will be open year-round and act as a home for its women’s and men’s hockey teams.

The university also plans on sustaining public skating and other recreational programming as the armory is the only public indoor ice rink in the city. Leonard Trevino, vice president for Athletics and Recreation at Chatham University, told 90.5 WESA, “It’s not going to be an everyday thing, but there’s an opportunity for that. I think that draws in the neighborhood.”

The lease is also coming at a time of financial reorganization for the university. At the beginning of the 2023 academic year, Chatham announced staff cuts, department consolidations and later building closures due to its $8 million to $12 million dollar deficit.

In an email to students, staff and faculty, Chatham University President Rhonda Phillips said the improvements and maintenance factors will be considered and implemented in a way that will “accrue no additional debt.”

With a lease on the building, the university has the opportunity to receive corporate sponsorship and government funding for the project through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

Other sources of revenue will come from renting out the space to other teams and organizations as well as through public recreational opportunities.