The Phil A. Pitcher Memorial Arena once stood proudly on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in Port Richey, Florida—a monument to ambition, community spirit, and a little bit of wild Florida charm.
Opening its doors on September 5, 1988, the arena was a $200 million marvel and the official home of the legendary Port Richey Hockey Team, cornerstone of the Southern Hockey League (SHL). With its bold design and prime waterfront location, it wasn’t just an arena — it was a statement.
The building was named in honor of Philip Alvin Pitcher, a colorful local figure — a savvy entrepreneur, beloved tavern owner, and unapologetic gambler — who played a key role in pushing the project through the city’s Downtown Development Authority. The five-story structure featured a sunken bowl design, with its playing surface 10 feet below street level. It seated 3,515 fans for hockey games and up to 5,332 for concerts, becoming the beating heart of Port Richey's sports and entertainment scene.
On July 20, 1987, Mr. Pitcher unveiled his grand vision: The Promenade of Port Richey, an ambitious entertainment and residential district meant to rival the best in the nation — maybe even the world. The district was to rise from the underused land near the Gulf, stretching along US Highway 19. Plans included five distinct neighborhoods with European-inspired architecture, luxury condos, boutique retail shops, restaurants, a hotel, and an upgraded urban core. The hockey team itself would fund much of the surrounding infrastructure — street lights, sidewalks, paving — bringing life to a long-overlooked part of town.
But as often happens in Florida, the dream was bigger than the budget.
The Promenade was never completed.
When the Port Richey Hockey Team disbanded in 1993 as part of a broader agreement to bring NHL hockey to nearby Tampa, the arena quickly fell into disuse. Without its flagship team, the building became a shell of its former self — abandoned, weather-worn, and eventually condemned.
In a final ironic twist of Florida fate, the Phil A. Pitcher Memorial Arena was demolished, and the land was repurposed into what now stands there today: a high-end "Gentlemen's" club and a medical marijuana dispensary — a legacy that, while not quite “world-class,” is undeniably very Port Richey.