PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by JDG

wow, thanks all for the info on the old Nickelodeon theater! Great to see they have a plaque down there too. Any thoughts on a new movie theater downtown? All the theaters around here seem to be either very small or further out of the city. I think movie theaters are always a nice way to draw a crowd into an area.... I'd love to see something like the AMC Loews Theater that's on the Boston Common. Has anyone ever heard of anything like that ever discussed?

Whoever would establish a theater downtown, it would be nice if they would incorporate the name "Nickelodeon" into the name (i.e. Loew's Nickelodeon Cinema Downtown) as a nod to the first ever theater...

Oh, and on the topic of the Mayoral primary election, get ready for some happy days, Pittsburgh!!!

Peduto has won the primary!!!

[photoLith]

So is peduto going to be more in favor of preservation than tearing down everything like what's been happening?

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by photoLith

So is peduto going to be more in favor of preservation than tearing down everything like what's been happening?

That's not entirely fair, you know. Yes, buildings have been coming down, but many others have been being preserved, renovated and rehabbed. But yes, I would imagine Peduto is in favor of preserving as much as possible, at least preserving what's feasible due to condition issues, etc...

Aaron (Glowrock)

[BrianTH]

http://www.billpeduto.com/2013/02/24/87-...istoric-preservation-as-economic-engine/

Incidentally, Peduto was opposed to demo'ing the Civic Arena (a position I personally disagreed with).

[deja vu]

I've been meaning to get around to this for a while now...

For all of you Pittsburgh fans out there, I posted a new thread here with some pictures of a tour I took of the US Steel tower back in 2012 that I thought some of you may appreciate. Most of it focuses on the impressive mechanical aspects of the building, but there's some misty skyline shots, including some rare views of the old igloo being torn down (the weather was terrible, but made for some compelling images nonetheless). Hope you enjoy!

[BrianTH]

That photo tour is worth it for the Heliport controls alone. Thanks for sharing!

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by deja vu

I've been meaning to get around to this for a while now...

For all of you Pittsburgh fans out there, I posted a new thread here with some pictures of a tour I took of the US Steel tower back in 2012 that I thought some of you may appreciate. Most of it focuses on the impressive mechanical aspects of the building, but there's some misty skyline shots, including some rare views of the old igloo being torn down (the weather was terrible, but made for some compelling images nonetheless). Hope you enjoy!

Awesome man. I prolly would've never seen these areas if not for your pictures. I want that penthouse level and heliport!
I love the lobby.

[BrianTH]

The Hill grocery store is continuing to make progress and is looking at a fall opening:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/busi...op-n-save-should-be-open-by-fall-688948/

[Found5dollar]

Bakery Square 2.0 has a webcam going....

http://bakerysquare.no-ip.biz:8080/view/viewer_index.shtml?id=1432

[BrianTH]

Photo series of The Brix at 26, the former Goodwill (and even more former J&L company store) turned into luxury apartments:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/sl...os-inside-the-brix-at-26-apartments.html

Not my style, but pretty swank.

[glowrock]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Photo series of The Brix at 26, the former Goodwill (and even more former J&L company store) turned into luxury apartments:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/sl...os-inside-the-brix-at-26-apartments.html

Not my style, but pretty swank.

Great news about the bakery cafe coming into the building, no doubt about it! And that place is most definitely my style! Not too many "loft-style" places here in Pittsburgh. Too bad they're monstrously expensive!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[BrianTH]

Interesting article about rehab versus demo and other related issues in some of Pittsburgh's economic distressed neighborhoods:

http://www.newpittsburghcourieronline.co...munity-development?showall=1&limitstart=

Refreshingly there doesn't appear to be some set agenda driving this article, and it is mostly just very informative.

[BrianTH]

The Frick Art & Historical Center is breaking ground on a $15 million expansion and renovation:

http://triblive.com/aande/museums/4059051-74/frick-center-says#axzz2UYAOfxUW

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/loca...enter-to-get-15-million-makeover-689348/

It is already a great experience, and this should make it even better:

[glowrock]

Looks great! As always, love the shadowy, translucent people in the rendering as well!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[BrianTH]

I believe it is well-known that buildings with a lot of glass tend to draw disproportionate numbers of ghosts.

[Urbana]

Awesome architecture, always good to see cultural amenities growing in the region!
The map continues to grow!

[Lobick]

Long-time lurker...figured I would pass this along. Recieved it via an office memo.

A meeting was held on May 24, 2013 regarding renovations that are being made to the Henry W. Oliver Building, and, more specifically, renovations to the building lobby and floors 14 to 25 for the addition of a 226 guest room Embassy Suites Hotel.

Demolition work on floors 14 to 25 is expected to begin in ten days. The demolition work will be performed on the 2nd and 3rd shifts to reduce the amount of noise experienced by current business tenants. Demolition work is expected to last for three months. The scheduled start date for construction is September 1, 2013, and the estimated completion date is December 2014

Three elevators in the lobby furthest from the front entrance of the building, currently dedicated to servicing floors 14 to 25 will be used exclusively for the demolition and construction work. A “walled off” pathway will be erected from these elevators to the back door on the Oliver side of the building. We have been advised that this pathway will be constructed of drywall and be “decorative”. There will be no change in the elevators servicing tenants on floors 2 to 13.

The entrance at the front of the building on Smithfield Street currently used by business tenants will continue to be used by those tenants. The Northwest Bank will likely be shifted to the front left-hand corner of the building, and the entrance currently used Northwest Bank customers will be devoted to hotel guests. A concierge desk will be erected in the building lobby, but hotel registration will be on the 24th floor. There was some discussion of a “divider” in the lobby, separating the “hotel elevators” from the “business tenant elevators” that will include plants or other decorative pieces. The 24th and 25th floors will be the public areas of the hotel. They will include a full service restaurant and bar on the 24th floor that will be open to hotel guests and building tenants. A workout center with locker rooms and an indoor pool will be installed that will also be open to hotel guests and building tenants. Building Management is working with the city to move the bus lane on Smithfield Street, which passes directly in front of the building, to the center lane so that valet parking and drop off and pick up is available at the hotel entrance. At this point, the discussion about moving the bus lane only involves that portion of the bus lane in front of the building.Meeting attendees were also told about the scaffolding that is currently erected in front of the building on the Smithfield Street side. The purpose of this scaffolding is to assist in façade inspection, cleaning, and repair. The scaffolding will move around the building so that this type of work can be performed on the entire building. The building is seeking historic landmark status and must inspect, repair, and secure the terra cotta cornice around the top of the building.

[Jonboy1983]

Originally Posted by Lobick

Long-time lurker...figured I would pass this along. Recieved it via an office memo.

Welcome to the forum! I was kinda hoping that this hotel would use the entire building. I'm not sure how all of this will look from an aesthetics point of view, especially with the lobby and divided up elevator bank on the ground floor considering the offices that will still occupy the lower floors.

I guess it couldn't be too much different from 3 PNC Plaza...

[BrianTH]

I don't have an inherent problem with mixing up the uses in a building of that size (the lobby will have to be executed well, but it should be doable), and I'm quite pleased to hear about the exterior work related to seeking historic landmark status.

[deja vu]

Even though these renderings look very conceptual at this point, this is good news for the Frick. It looks like the new additions will remain in harmony with what is already there (though I'm skeptical that there will be that much glass in the final design for the Orientation Center). Also, that is a super thin roof at present, with structure that seems as ghosted-in as the people that will apparently occupy it.