Pittsburgh’s retro gamers have a new place to play as The Church Arcade in Duquesne will open its doors on Saturday for a two-day grand opening featuring tournaments, craft beers, food trucks, music and of course, arcade games.
Operated by the Pittsburgh Arcade Collective – a group of classic arcade and pinball enthusiasts – The Church Arcade is a gaming venue located in the former Holy Name Catholic Church.
“We are a group of like minded people that have sicknesses for arcade games,” said Mike Hovraluck, who is one of five managing partners.
The Holy Name Catholic Church closed in 2023 and has been transformed to house more than 130 video arcade games and more than 35 pinball games.
But Hovraluck said they’ve maintained most of the building’s original architecture including, roughly 85% of the original stained glass, vaulted ceilings and the altar.
“We’ve preserved most of the original architecture of this beautiful and historic building,” said Jon Snow, the owner and general manager, in a news release. “But we’ve re-imagined it with arcade and pinball machines, and lighting that creates a completely unique arcade atmosphere.
Once renovations replacing the carpet and removing the pews was finished, Hovraluck said the Pittsburgh Arcade Collective has spent the last six to seven months cleaning and retrofitting the machines.
“We’ve put a cocktail (horizontal arcade tables) in each one of the confessional booths,” Hovraluck said.
The Church Arcade is just one of several businesses located in repurposed churches in the Pittsburgh area.
Some of them include: Church Brew Works, which opened in the former St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Lawrenceville in 1996, the Union Project, which opened in the former Second United Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg in 2002 and Dragon’s Den, which opened in the former St. Mary Magdalene Church in Homestead in 2020, according to their websites.
Rather than charging gamers through the traditional quarter or token, all the games in the arcade will be available through a set fee.
Opening weekend passes cost $50, while admission for just Saturday or Sunday cost $35 for adults and $20 for children ages 12 and under.
While the news of the arcade’s opening has excited the gaming community, the business’ location has received mixed reviews from the church’s former parishioners.
A Facebook group named Holy Name Church Memories (Duquesne, PA) has several posts and comments about the repurposing on Friday.
“I could cry! The church where I received all of the sacraments. I know it was time to close the church and sell. I … (hoped) that another Christian organization would buy it,” one user said.
“That’s crazy! At least it’s not left to deteriorate and get torn down,” said another.
Hovraluck said while he has seen some of the backlash on social media, there has also been positive feedback from community members.
“There’s your small contingent of people angry online but most people that have come by and walk past, that have stopped in, they’re all like, ‘oh my god, it’s so good to see something (and) being able to come here,’” Hovraluck said. “We’re excited to bring something to a neighborhood that you know maybe doesn’t have.”