PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by Gilamonster

It might be this:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...-to-open-new-upscale-greek.html?page=all

Cool, it will be nice to have Market Square finally mostly surrounded by restaurants. In another article I found it said back in December that they wanted to open that Poros resturaunt in May, don't know if they're still on schedule for that. And it's also good to know that My Big Fat Greek Gyro across the way in Market Square is getting redone and renamed Simple Greek and hopefully they can be open in the evening but don't know if they'll change their schedule. Glad to see this city kinda getting with the times and getting lots of great places to eat. Now there just needs to be better Italian places and more legit Mexican places too.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Now there just needs to be better Italian places and more legit Mexican places too.

I think we have the 'better Italian places' covered... they're just not in Little Italy.

[photoLith]

Theres a few good places but considering how much of this city was composed of Italian immigrants you would think there would be more.

[hyperion1110]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Theres a few good places but considering how much of this city was composed of Italian immigrants you would think there would be more.

If you want authentic Italian pizza or gelato, go to Mercurio's on Walnut. If you want real Italian coffee, go to La Prima in the Strip. Otherwise, stay at home and cook it yourself (hint: if you have more than 6 ingredients, including spices, in your pasta sauce, you've made it wrong). As for coffee, for the love of all that is holy, don't go to Starbucks/Crazy Mocha/Coffee Tree/[insert random coffee chain]. Go to La Prima and buy a moka, then go buy a brick of Lavazza. You'll save money and learn what real coffee tastes like.

Italian food does no lend itself well to replication or mass consumption. It's communal, but only within the context of la famiglia.

Unsolicited opinions, and rant, concluded.

[photoLith]

I go to La Prima all the time, I love the older Italians who sit around and play cards and speak in Italian.

[Private Dick]

Originally Posted by photoLith

Theres a few good places but considering how much of this city was composed of Italian immigrants you would think there would be more.

Italian immigrants arrived a long time ago. Generations ago. Most subsequent generations do not continue operating their forebears establishments, and therefore most family-owned Italian restaurants in cities like Pittsburgh have closed over the years. So it's not surprising that there are not more -- it's the same in any city.

[themaguffin]

Well this sucks.

Exclusive: GlaxoSmithKline shutting Moon office; 274 employees affected

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

Well this sucks.

Exclusive: GlaxoSmithKline shutting Moon office; 274 employees affected

Yeah. Thanks for posting. That's a bummer. I was always proud there were multiple pharmaceutical companies in the metro like GSK & Mylan. It adds a layer of depth to our regional economy in addition to metals, healthcare, robotics, technology, etc. Hate to see that division leave.

[SkyPittsburgh]

The new City of Pittsburgh Planning Comission Presentation is up, it contains the following:

1. A historic property nomination form for 4412-4414 Plummer Street, which I've biked past a few times, kind a quirky house, but that siding is.......
2. As kind of a big, f-you, everyone's favorite building, North Shore Place, is getting a sign, this time, a Post-Gazette one.
3. And, more signs! This time on Tower Two Sixty (the gardens at market square) which will have a Jones Lang LaSalle sign.

See the whole thing here.

[Private Dick]

Pittsburgh won't be satisfied until every structure is adorned with illuminated corporate lettering.

But that's okay... it gives the city a "cosmopolitan" feel. Right?

Because nothing says "big city" like




BTW, does every prominent building in downtown Pittsburgh other than PPG have illuminated corporate lettering?

[Private Dick]

Nothing says Jesus Christ quite like a bit of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math!


Central Catholic STEM building rendering

[BrianTH]

Article about the new Market St. Grocery, with lots of pictures:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...-downtown-pittsburghs-first-grocery.html

It looks pretty nice, but also very cramped. Maybe that is all Downtown needs for now to complement the stuff in the convenience and drug stores, but if it is a hit I wonder if they might need to look for a bigger space.

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Article about the new Market St. Grocery, with lots of pictures:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/ne...-downtown-pittsburghs-first-grocery.html

It looks pretty nice, but also very cramped. Maybe that is all Downtown needs for now to complement the stuff in the convenience and drug stores, but if it is a hit I wonder if they might need to look for a bigger space.

seems a bit diminutive compared to the new 27,000 sq ft downtown grocer in Cleveland

http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2015/02/heinens_downtown_supermarket_i.html

[daviderik]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

BTW, does every prominent building in downtown Pittsburgh other than PPG have illuminated corporate lettering?

Hate the signs. I don't believe One Oxford or the Gulf Building has signs...YET. I'm sure there are others. I Also noticed from the Planning commissions report, there is a photo perspective from the top of the new Gardens downtown with a clear view of PNC park and parts of northside. So at least people can admire the new sign adorning the Gardens while crossing the 6th street bridge.

[Gilamonster]

It's certainly on the smaller side but I think the bigger threat to it's survival is the expected high prices. Looks more like a place to put together the occasional ritzy dinner or buy some fill in items than a place to buy a week's worth of "typical" groceries. It strikes me as a bit snobby looking which will certainly appeal to some people and might help it survive but I think a lot of people who live downtown will not even think twice about continuing their suburban journeys to Giant Eagle, Walmart or wherever for their bulk grocery shopping once this place opens.
All that being said, I'm excited for it to open and hope it does survive.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by SkyPittsburgh

1. A historic property nomination form for 4412-4414 Plummer Street, which I've biked past a few times, kind a quirky house, but that siding is.

There's a long backstory to this.

The property in question was bought by the Chinese guy who runs King's Cabinets (or is it now Kitchenrama?) in the Strip District. He was originally hoping to rehab it, but he apparently decided the houses were too far gone, and now wants to knock it down and put two new townhouses there.

Carol Peterson, who is a prominent local architectural historian probably known to many on the forum, lives a few blocks from the site, and tends to spearhead many local campaigns for historical preservation anyway. A local Lawrenceville community group successfully used a preservationist tactic the other year to block expansion of the Thunderbird Cafe, so perhaps they are hoping lightening can strike twice here.

I'm all for historic preservation in Lawrenceville, but I'm not sure if this is the right battle to wage. Lawrenceville should be a historic district, rather than having these ad-hoc preservation campaigns going on.

[BrianTH]

For what it is worth, I was talking to some young professionals living Downtown recently, and they were VERY excited about the new grocery store opening. We talked a bit about the fact it seems small and will probably be high end, but at least in concept that didn't phase them as they planned to use the convenience/drug stores for milk, cereal, etc.

Of course it remains to be seen how that works in practice. But for that segment, at least, it did seem to me like getting the right product mix (including quality control) was going to be more important than hitting particular price points.

[BrianTH]

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is planning to start on a new annex this summer:

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/bl...h-ballet-announces-capital-campaign.html

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre announced a $20 million capital campaign and a new annex building named for the fundraising effort’s co-chairs, Carolyn and Bill Byham, during its 45th Anniversary Season Finale Gala Thursday. Ground will be broken on the Byham Center for Dance Excellence this summer, PBT Executive Director Harris Ferris said. The campaign’s goal was determined in late 2013 and $13.5 million has been raised to date, Ferris confirmed.

Looks like it may be taking up some of their surface parking lot in the Strip, which is cool:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.457709,-...3m4!1e1!3m2!1sG3hNKUh7dwjbjpJEoEMWRA!2e0

Edit: Older website, and maybe a bit out of date design-wise based on the PBT rendering:

http://ikminc.com/projects/civic-addition-renovation/

[Austinlee]

I took a couple construction shots tonight in Oakland. The Skyvue project is HUGE. If you guys haven't seen the construction pit in person, I would advise going over there and taking a look. It is basically 1 full city block square with a full size tower crane in place. It's a great project. My cell phone pics don't do it justice.



Rendering:









I couldn't even get a picture of how big the pit was because I would have had to be about 100 ft up.


Also, here are some interesting looking modern townhouses going up at S. Bouquet & Dawson St.

[akPITT207]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

seems a bit diminutive compared to the new 27,000 sq ft downtown grocer in Cleveland

http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2015/02/heinens_downtown_supermarket_i.html

I'm very excited for the new grocery in Market Square, but there's no way it can compare to the Cleveland grocery, in which I had the pleasure to eat lunch on Saturday. It's an amazing urban space. Unbelievably gorgeous. And it was totally packed. Almost makes up for the ultra-tacky, giant chandelier that was put up over Euclid Ave. in Playhouse Square. Downtown Pittsburgh and Market Square in particular have come a long way but still have a long way to go. Speaking of Market Square, Primanti Bros. new outdoor seating is finished and looks really good IMO.