Old church in Duquesne now home to retro-style arcade

Old-school gamers and ex-pinball players have a new place to play some classic arcade games, as the Church Arcade in Duquesne is about to open its doors.

As soon as you walk into the Church Arcade, you are surrounded by lights and sounds that, for some, evoke great memories of when they had Pac-Man fever or were self-proclaimed pinball wizards.

"I think there's something to be said about nostalgia. You can only play Fortnite so much," said Mike Hovraluck, co-owner of the Church Arcade.

Housed in the old Holy Name Catholic Church, the arcade is packed with vintage video arcade games, including the classics like Pac-Man, as well as shooter and racing games.

"I think we have something like 130 (games), last I checked," Hovraluck said. "[We have] about 30 or so pinball machines. We're going to push that to 35 to 40."

"We're always going to be circulating games in and out. I don't know if we'll ever stop collecting, so there's always going to be something new coming in," co-owner Mike Hough said.

The arcade is the dream of the members of the Pittsburgh Arcade Collective.

"If we're not keeping them alive and getting people interested, these are going to go back to sitting in someone's basement or garage," Hovraluck said.

One might wonder why a business would pick an old Catholic church for the location. The answer, according to the owners, was, why not.

"It just fit the need, and again, it's nice to save an architecturally sweet building like this," Hovraluck said.

Plus, you won't worry about raiding your mom's purse for coins or a few bucks.

"No worries for quarters, no worries for tokens. Everything is one fee. Depending on the day, $20 or $25 is generally what we're looking at," Hovraluck said.

The Church Arcade will host a two-day grand opening on South 1st Street, scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. More information about the arcade can be found here.