CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT DEVELOPMENTS

• August Wilson Center for African American Culture
  
  The $35 million August Wilson Center for African American Culture (AWCAAC) will house a 486-seat theater, education center and exhibition galleries.  Perched at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Tenth Street, the triangular building will act as an impressive gateway into Downtown from the Strip District.  The 65,000-square foot green building will be within prime proximity of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, and will also feature a café, gift shop and multi-purpose space for community programs and events. The design by Allison G. Williams is inspired by Swahili trading ships that transported African culture to other lands around the world.  The AWCAAC is expected to serve as a regional and national tourist attraction. The new cultural center is expected to open in the spring of 2009.
  
  Visit www.augustwilsoncenter.org for more information.
  
• PNC Three
  
  PNC Financial Services Group expects completion date for their 780,000 square foot, 23-story high-rise on Fifth Avenue is late 2008. The property will include 326,000 square feet of office space, a 185-room, 11-story, upscale hotel, a 10-story, 28-unit luxury condominium, restaurant, retail and 330 parking spaces. Gensler Architects of San Francisco is designing the building in collaboration with Astorino of Pittsburgh. Project developer is Oxford Development Company. Reed Smith, a top-25 international law firm, will occupy about 50 percent of the planned office tower with PNC occupying the remainder of the space. Hotel operator is Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.
  
  Click here to view the press kit for PNC Three.
  
  
  

• 151 First Side
  
  Construction has been completed for this 84-unit condominium building at Fort Pitt Boulevard and Chancery Way.  Developed by Ralph A. Falbo, Inc. with Zambrano Corporation and EQU Landmark Communities, the typical condo features two bedrooms with about 1,500 square feet.  Each unit has a terrace or balcony.  The building's first four levels are for parking. 

   

  Visit www.151firstside.com for more information. 

• Grant Street Transportation Center
  
  Downtown-based architectural firm Astorino provided plans for the Grant Street Transportation Center, a six-story building at Eleventh Street and Liberty Avenue where the Greyhound bus station used to stand.  The 43-year-old building located near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was demolished and replaced with two new buildings, tripling the original size.  Construction for the $25 million project began in 2005 and will be finished in late 2008.
  
  
• The Carlyle
  
  The Carlyle is the newest residential development project by the E.V. Bishoff Company.  Located at the corner of 4th Avenue and Wood Street in the Union Bank Building, The Carlyle features 61 condominium units.  Buyers can choose from six unique floor plans with a price range of approximately $200,000 to $500,000.  This historic building offers the distinguished look of classic architecture, and the convenience and lifestyle of modern living.
  
  Learn more at www.CarlyleCondo.com.

• Piatt Place

Piatt Place is a majestic redesign of the former Lazarus department store, located at 301 Fifth Avenue. Plans for the building include a floor-to-ceiling natural-light atrium, street-level retail boutiques, a grocery market and various dining establishments. The second through fourth floors feature Class A+ office space that can be configured to accommodate virtually any type of professional business requirements. Private access to the upper levels reveals luxury rooftop condos with outdoor terraces and central lawn and garden, and condominiums with exterior balconies that provide panoramic vistas of the city.  Prices range from $320,000 - $1.2 million.

 

For more information visit www.PiattPlace.com.

• Market Square Place

Millcraft Industries has taken on the renovation of the historic G.C. Murphy building located on Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh.  Millcraft plans to keep the exteriors and the floors of the seven contiguous buildings intact, while developing 60,000 square feet of stores, 
50 loft-style apartments, and 42 basement parking spaces.  The apartments, ranging in size from 700 to 2,000 square feet, will have rents ranging from $750 to $1,400.  Occupancy is slated for winter of 2008.   

Go to www.marketsquareplace.com/ for more information.

 

• The Granite Building

The developer, Holly Brubach, purchased The Granite Building in December, 2005.  She is converting the historical landmark, which was originally constructed for use as a bank in 1889, to residential use and developing the units as condominiums. Located in the Cultural District, opposite the Wood Street Galleries, the Granite Building offers close proximity to Downtown theaters, restaurants, and nightlife.  Each floor is roughly 3,000 sq. ft. and contains just one unit. 

 

Visit www.thegranitebuilding.com/ for more information.

• Keystone Picture Frame
  
  Arriba Construction's renovations to put 12 apartments in the Keystone Picture Frame Building on 951 Liberty Avenue in Downtown began in May 2007.  Apartments will be priced starting at about $200,000. Construction is projected to be finished in June 2008.
  
  
• The Century Building
  
  Trek Development Group will construct 60 upper-floor apartments, including single-room studios and one-and two-bedroom lofts in the 100-year-old building on Seventh Street in the heart of Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Rents will range from $550 to $1,150 a month, depending on income level, in a Downtown market where studio rents currently are $868 to $909 a month and two bedrooms go for $1,035 to $2,002 a month, based on whether there's one or two bathrooms. Trek plans to target young professionals, artists and middle-income renters. It plans to offer 12 single-room studios, 12 two-bedroom units and 36 one-bedroom units. Apartments expected to be ready for occupancy in early 2009.
  
  
• 5 Lofts
  Located on the Benedum Block of Penn Avenue in Downtown's Cultural District, 806 Penn features five urban condominium lofts in a historic "silver" building. Each 2 bedroom/2.5 bath unit occupies an entire floor with elevator entry, floor-to-ceiling windows on Penn Avenue and exposed brick on some floors. The condominium will also feature a rooftop deck. Visit www.5lofts.com for more information.
  
  
• 941 Penn Avenue
  
  Nestled within the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, 941 Penn Avenue is one of the latest residential developments in an adapted and expanded historic warehouse building.  The architecture of 941 Penn Avenue retains the original vast high ceilings, large windows and open spaces while preserving the coziness of a limited 17 residences with only 2 units per floor.  Buyers have the unique opportunity to customiz