Category Archive: City Living
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Cork Factory apartments get bubbly reviews
By Ron DaParma and Sam Spatter
For the Tribune-Review
Saturday, May 5, 2007Debbie Dougherty gushes superlatives when she describes the two-bedroom loft apartment that she and her husband, Bill, share at the new Cork Factory apartments in the Strip District.
“It’s just so wonderful. We’re enjoying every minute of it,” said Dougherty, whose seventh-floor corner unit offers views of both the Allegheny River and Downtown. “We have brick walls and 17-foot ceilings, and it’s incredible,” she said.
Because her husband is retired and their four children have grown and moved, Dougherty said the couple decided to downsize from their large family home in Murrysville. They moved in March to the 297-unit luxury Cork Factory complex, which celebrated its grand opening Friday.
With 135 apartments — about 45 percent of the units — already scooped up by renters, the $70 million project is well ahead of its leasing goals, said Daniel McCaffery, of Daniel McCaffery Interests of Chicago.
“We’re very pleased,” said McCaffery, who developed the site in partnership with Charles Hammell III and Robert Beynon, the local businessmen who own the property on Railroad Street between 23rd and 24th Streets.
“The important thing is we are making our rental rate and renting at a pace that’s faster than we predicted,” McCaffery said.The developers expect the percentage figure will be close to 70 percent as early as the fall.
In addition to the apartments, interest also is high in the 48,000-square-feet of retail space available, he said. Leasing deals may be pending with two upscale restaurants and a local grocery store, he said.
The three-building complex originally was built as the home of the Armstrong Cork Co. in 1901. The estimated development is privately financed although federal tax credits for historic sites cover some of the costs.
So far, tenants are a mixture of young single professionals, many newcomers to the Pittsburgh, a smattering of suburbanites and elderly residents, said Debbie Roberts, Cork Factory general manager.
“We’ve met so many nice people,” Debbie Dougherty said. “We’ve even formed a dinner-out once-a-month group with people here, and it’s all ages — the young, the baby boomers and so forth.”
Now that leasing of apartments is well under way, the development team can move ahead on their plans to develop a private marina on the Allegheny River for the exclusive use of Cork Factory residents.
Also ahead is a river walk that will allow tenants to walk the grounds of the complex.
Other features include the historic, fully restored smokestack and engine room.
Under its current configuration, the complex offers 206 one-bedroom units; 73 two-bedroom, two-bath units; and 18 three-bedroom, two-bath units.
Studio apartments rent from $1,200; other one-bedroom units from $1,009 to $2,480; two-bedrooms from $1,499 to $2,850; and three-bedrooms from $3,430 to $3,800.
The complex offers a game room, 24/7 concierge service, complimentary wireless Internet in select common areas, and out-of-town services such as mail, newspaper and package pickup.
Other features, either already available or scheduled to be opened in the future, include patio/lounge area with fire pit, riverview barbecuing, swimming pool with landscaped deck, hot tub/spa, a courtyard garden, a fitness center, business center, dry cleaners and a 450-car parking garage located across Allegheny Valley Railroad Street.
As the Cork Factory nears completion, Hammel and Beynon can look back on nearly 11 years of frustration since they bought the property in a bankruptcy court sale in 1996.
Several times other investors had come board to help with the project, only to drop out before it could move forward.
“Today is culmination of a lot of hard work,” said Hammell, owner of the Pitt-Ohio Express trucking company in the Strip District. Beynon is owner of Beynon & Co., a Pittsburgh-based real estate and insurance company.
“I think it’s awesome what they’ve done with that building,” said Larry Lagattuta, owner of The Enrico Biscotti Co., an Italian bakery and cafe at 2202 Penn Ave. in the Strip.
“I think this can only help the Strip when you have more people living here,” said Lagattuta, whose has operated his business within two blocks of the Cork Factory for 15 years.
Lagattuta said his only concern is that the Cork Factory and other new developments in the Strip could attract national chains and franchise retailers, coffee shops, and the like that could possibly hurt locally owned businesses.
“We have to be careful about how those things happen,” he said. “But otherwise, lets get the people moving in and start shopping in the Strip,” he said.
“The Cork Factory is an excellent addition to the downtown housing mix,” said Patty Burk, vice president of housing and economic development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.
“It adds to the diversity of units and income ranges that we are trying to achieve Downtown. It also represents the ‘New Downtown,’ which is becoming a mixed-use environment.”
“Even when were living in Murrysville, we would come into the city at the minimum, three days a week, for cultural events and ball games,” Dougherty said. “We loved the city so much, so we visited a few other loft apartments, but when we walked into the Cork Factory, we stopped. We said this was it.”
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The Harry C. Goldby Pittsburgh Preservation Fund Makes First Distribution
The Harry C. Goldby Pittsburgh Preservation Fund recently made its first distribution to underwrite a keynote address on April 19th commemorating the 75th anniversary of Chatham Village.
The 46-acre planned community, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005, was
begun in the 1930s. It is one of the most celebrated and influential projects designed by Clarence S. Stein and Henry Wright, America’s foremost urban planners of the Garden City movement. The event, co-sponsored by Landmarks, was held at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland. -
New life proposed for former South Hills High School
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 19, 2007The former South Hills High School soon could be given new life after sitting dormant for 20 years in the heart of a Mt. Washington residential neighborhood.
“It’s been a white elephant for a long time,” said Mt. Washington resident Virginia Gates, a 1959 graduate of the school, which was built in 1916 and closed in 1986. “You can see from the sheer size of it what an impact its (revival) is going to have on the whole community.”
North Shore-based developer a.m. Rodriguez Associates Inc. has prepared a $20 million redevelopment plan to build 84 one- and two-bedroom apartments and 25 two-bedroom, market-rate rental lofts in the building.
The apartments would be marketed to senior citizens. The first floor could have more than 10,000 square feet of commercial space and a health center.
Room for off-street parking should be plentiful once the developer removes three sections of the mammoth building to bring its size to 155,000 square feet.
“In terms of why it’s important to bring this building back, it’s a huge building that at one time was a landmark and center of activity for that community,” said Tom Link, manager of the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s business development center. The URA has targeted the school for redevelopment.
Gates, chairwoman of the South Hills High School committee, believes the renovation project will boost property values around the site and drive out drug dealers and vandals.
Link and Gates said many developers have tried over the past 20 years to devise ways to renovate the building, but none has come as far as Rodriguez Associates.
Victor Rodriguez said his company has applied for $12 million in tax credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. If those credits come through in September, an estimated 15 months of construction could begin as soon as June 2008.
“There’s a great market for this up there, especially for seniors,” he said.
Ethan Raup, executive director of the Mt. Washington Community Development Corp., credited Gates and the URA for helping to persuade the building’s owner — Pittsburgh Public Schools — to make the property more enticing to developers by removing asbestos, adding a new roof and doing other renovations.
“To me, it’s going from having an enormous dead space in the middle of a residential community to injecting it with new life,” Raup said.
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or (412) 765-2312.
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Restoration Plans for the Crescent Apartment Building Take Shape
Abandoned years ago, the Crescent Apartments, and the smaller Wilson apartment building nearby, are “key to the revitalization of the area,” as determined by the Wilkinsburg Neighborhood Transformation Initiative Plan and community groups. Allegheny County recently acquired the apartment buildings and is working with Landmarks to create a development plan for both.
The handsome, three-story, 31,000-square-foot Crescent building from the early 1900s is architecturally significant with its unique crescent-shaped exterior and elegant classical detailing. The building acts as a gateway to the Hamnett Place area, shielding the streets behind it and helping to create a quiet enclave.
Eugene Matta, director of real estate and special development programs at Landmarks, said that “There is an enormous cost to this redevelopment project because of long-term disuse.
In order to restore the apartment buildings, a variety of financial tools will be needed, including low-income housing tax credits administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The total project cost may reach $10 million.” It is estimated that the project will have about 27 units with a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units. All units will have a cap on rental rates so they are affordable.
An important aspect of tax-credit projects is the social services component. In order to give individuals and families a better chance at achieving greater economic independence and advancement, a detailed social services plan will be developed as part of the project tax-credit application. The plan will coordinate the work of many local organizations to provide services such as education, job training, and other enrichment activities.
To ensure the success of the project, Landmarks has put together an experienced development team. Mullin & Lonergan Associates are the tax-credit consultants; Landmarks Design Associates is the architect; and Sota Construction is the general contractor for the project.
The tax-credit application for the Crescent project is being submitted to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, the state organization that administers this program, on April 13th. “We are in the most competitive region of the five regions in Pennsylvania for the tax-credit allocation, but we are confident about our plan, knowing the tremendous community impact it could have,” said Eugene. Landmarks will hear if its tax-credit application is approved in the fall.
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Ready for Sale: Four PHLF-Restored Houses in Wilkinsburg
Historic preservation efforts initiated by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation in cooperation with the Wilkinsburg community are serving as a catalyst for renewal in the historic Hamnett Place neighborhood. With the restoration of four homes on Jeanette Street and Holland Avenue underway, the purchase of a former Packard showroom (see page 7) on Rebecca Avenue, and the developing plans for the dramatic Crescent Apartment building, Landmarks is making a significant commitment to the Wilkinsburg community.
Thanks to two grants of $500,000 each from the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development and the Sarah Scaife Foundation, and gifts from others, Landmarks was able to acquire four properties in Wilkinsburg: 516, 522, 524 Jeanette Street, and 811 Holland Avenue. “Our investment represents the first phase of redevelopment efforts in the Hamnett Place neighborhood,” said Landmarks president Arthur Ziegler, “and continues our record of taking the lead and helping turn the tide in historic inner-city neighborhoods.” Restoration work will be completed this summer—and the four houses are on the market now.
Under the supervision of Tom Keffer, property and construction manager, Eagle Construction & Remediation LLC is working meticulously to restore the architecturally-significant trims and fixtures of the buildings, while also incorporating all the comforts and amenities of a modern new home. “These well-built homes will be returned to their original splendor and updated with modern amenities, including energy-efficient HVAC systems, new thermo-pane windows designed in the original style, and insulated exterior walls and roofs,” said Dwight Quarles, president of Eagle Construction and Remediation LLC.
516 and 522 Jeanette Street are single-family homes with distinctive Colonial Revival features. Each will have up to three spacious bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Some of the stand out features of these solid brick homes are fully restored front porches with colonial columns, handsome original pocket doors and trim on the interior, and large kitchens with a “pass thru” into the dining area. These homes will also have clean and airy basements ready to build out if desired.
524 Jeanette Street is a late-Victorian, Queen Anne, two-family home with a striking rounded turret and mansard roof. The all-brick home has a one-bedroom, one-bath unit on the first floor, and a three-bedroom, 1.5-bath unit on the second floor. Whoever purchases the two-family home will receive the income from the rental unit.
811 Holland Avenue, just a block away from the Jeanette Street properties, is an ornate Stick-Style house with an abundance of character. This home has up to five spacious bedrooms and 1.5 baths. There are original wooden entry doors that complement the geometric woodwork of the fully restored front porch. The attractive clapboard siding wraps around the home, giving it a durable and clean look. Some of the other exceptional features of this home are a slate roof, a side porch that connects to an open and flowing kitchen, and off-street parking in the rear.
“One of the best features of these homes is that if we receive signed sales agreements before the end of April, buyers will have the ability to customize certain features such as paint colors, carpet colors, fixtures, and appliances,” said Michael Sriprasert, Landmarks’ assistant for real estate programs. Buyers can also opt for an allowance in lieu of the above items, giving them free reign in what they want to do in their new home. “Sales prices for these homes start at $70,000 with special financing available. This is an exceptional deal considering that over $200,000 was spent restoring each of these homes,” said Michael. Landmarks’ goal is to sell owner-occupied renovated residences in the historic Hamnett Place neighborhood, through an affirmative marketing effort to a range of potential buyers, consistent with local, state, and federal fair housing laws.
For further details contact
Michael Sriprasert
412-471-5808, ext. 511;
michael@phlf.org. -
PHLF Begins Work on Three Downtown Properties
After eight years of controversy and misguided policies, redevelopment of the Fifth/Forbes corridor downtown is moving ahead, and several key projects are incorporating preservation and “green”-building principles.
“Green” buildings are purposely designed to preserve the natural environment as much as possible and to provide healthy, productive places for people. Because of the quality building materials used in historic structures and large windows and well-proportioned spaces, the “greenest” developments are often those that reuse historic structures.
After co-sponsoring the “Greening of Historic Properties National Summit” on October 30, 2006, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is putting many of the recommendations discussed that day into practice as it transforms three endangered historic buildings at Market Street and Fifth Avenue, downtown, into residential and commercial space.
“This is a major restoration project that Landmarks is undertaking to help spark the revitalization of architecturally significant historic buildings in the Fifth/Forbes corridor,” said Landmarks president Arthur Ziegler. “We are raising money to help fund the ‘green’ aspects of the restoration and to subsidize the apartments so they can be more affordable.”
On January 9, Landmarks purchased 439 and 441 Market Street and 130 Fifth Avenue from the Urban Redevelopment Authority for $257,000. “Unfortunately, these buildings were permitted to deteriorate severely under the former Mayor Tom Murphy’s administration,” said Arthur. One, the former home of Alexander Graham Bell Café, suffered a fire; then the administration did not repair the roof and it eventually fell into the basement, taking three floors with it.
Market at Fifth is seeking a “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) rating based on more than 26 green features. Sterling Contracting LLC is serving as general contractor; Landmarks Design Associates is project architect; and evolve is the green-building consultant. The space within the three historic buildings is being reconfigured to function together and will contain seven upper-floor apartments and a commercial first-floor tenant, most likely a restaurant. The residential units have spacious layouts and exceptional designs. “Our two top units will feature a dual-floor layout with private decks overlooking a ‘green’ rooftop garden,” said Michael Sriprasert, Landmarks’ assistant for real estate programs.
The purpose of the green roof is to absorb moisture and reduce water run-off. Rents will range from about $1,100 for a one-bedroom/one-bath unit to about $1,900 for a two-bedroom/two-bath unit. “Having a development project in the center of an emerging housing market is very exciting,” said Michael, “and it’s our goal to have these units leased soon after they’re completed this fall, if not before.”
Plans are still in the works for the commercial space, but the concept is for a restaurant that will provide a comfortable space for both the business executive and the casual diner. Market at Fifth is located within the Market Square Historic District and will face a new park being developed by PNC across the street on Fifth Avenue.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh was instrumental in facilitating Landmarks’ acquisition of these buildings. According to Eugene Matta, director of real estate and special development programs at Landmarks, “The URA was exceptional in working with us to acquire these buildings, and their hard work has helped us get the project moving quickly.”
In contrast to the Murphy administration’s approach of trying to attract one master developer from out-of-town to revitalize the Fifth/Forbes corridor, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is following the approach set by the late Mayor Bob O’Connor in allowing local private developers to tackle the redevelopment of many City-owned buildings. According to Michael, who led a team of Heinz School students to study the housing market in downtown Pittsburgh in 2005, “This approach leads to more creative and sustainable solutions because those developers who are locally based have a better grasp of the local market, are used to dealing with the intricacies of the local political system, and are invested in the Pittsburgh region.” Millcraft Industries, Inc. of Washington County and PNC Financial Services Group––both headquartered in the Pittsburgh region––are making significant investments in the Fifth/Forbes corridor, thus proving the logic of a local development strategy.
—Market at Fifth, LP, is a downtown revitalization project of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation using “green”-building principles. Seven rental apartments and one commercial unit in three historic buildings at Market Street and Fifth Avenue are expected to be ready for occupancy this fall.
Interested?
Call: 412-471-5808, ext. 511; michael@phlf.org
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A fresh start for Wilkinsburg
By Marjorie Wertz
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, March 25, 2007It was Col. Dunning McNair who laid out the first lots in what now is Wilkinsburg in 1790. He named his plan McNairsville and built the first mansion, Dumpling Hill.
The mansion eventually became the home of James Kelly, a wealthy businessman. Kelly bought thousands of acres and donated the land for churches, schools and two homes for senior citizens. It was Kelly who eventually would fight to make the borough independent.“Col. McNair had purchased about 266 acres, and he and Kelly developed the village,” said Jim Richard, a former borough tax collector and member of the Wilkinsburg Historical Society. Richard also is a member of the Wilkinsburg School Board.
But it was from the well-connected Wilkins family that the 2.03-square-mile borough eventually would take its name.
John Wilkins owned a lot of property in the village, while his brother, William, was a county judge, founder and first president of the Bank of Pittsburgh, legislator, state senator, minister to Russia in Tyler’s administration and, eventually, Tyler’s secretary of war.
In the 1800s, the area that became Wilkinsburg was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh. Kelly fought to make the village independent again, and, in 1871, he prevailed. Fifteen years later, on Oct. 5, 1887, Wilkinsburg was incorporated as a borough, and the community quickly grew.
The Pennsylvania Railroad laid its first tracks through the community in the mid-1800s. The Lincoln Highway would come through the borough in the early 1900s.
“We also used to have an airport in the Blackridge area of Wilkinsburg from 1930-38,” Richard said.
“Wilkinsburg was the home of a transportation network, with the highway as the main street, the railroad, and it was an early streetcar hub,” said Arthur P. Ziegler Jr., president of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
The borough’s access to Pittsburgh’s “amenities” made it appealing. Plus, it was known as the “city of churches.” And it was, and still is, a “dry” community — no taverns or bars are allowed in the borough.
Popular home-construction styles in the borough’s heyday included Queen Anne and Romanesque (1890s), as well as Colonial Revival, Federal and Vernacular (early 1900s). Many buildings remain, forming the foundation for the borough’s rich architectural heritage.
The historical society has written a book that will be published by Arcadia Publishing on April 30. The book features 220 photographs and will be available at local bookstores and through the Wilkinsburg Public Library.
Joel Minnigh has been head librarian for 31 years. The library was founded in 1899 as a branch of the first Carnegie Library in Braddock.
“In its heyday, it was the largest library in the state,” Minnigh said. “Our first librarian was Fred Evans, whose father designed the British House of Parliament.”
According to a report by the Wilkinsburg Neighborhood Transformation Initiative in December 2004, the borough, like many Allegheny County neighborhoods, began to experience declining and aging population in the late 1960s, which led to an eroding tax base, out-migration, loss of neighborhood schools, abandoned or underutilized buildings and decaying business districts.
After the borough began to decline in the ’70s and ’80s, criminal activity increased.
Mark Smith lived in Uniontown for 10 years before moving to Wilkinsburg in 1998. Smith was director of the Wilkinsburg Chamber of Commerce from 1998-2000 and now is involved in a real estate and community-development consulting firm.
Smith bought and renovated property along Jeanette Street. His book, “Boldly Live Where Others Won’t,” resulted from his interest in community development.
“My desire has been to convince people to become property owners and live in the community as resident landlords,” Smith said. “There’s this housing stock in Wilkinsburg of larger homes that lend themselves to duplexes and small, multi-unit apartments, in which the property owner can live in one unit and rent the others.”
Smith lists three advantages to buying property in Wilkinsburg: convenience, cost and conscience.
“You can get favorable appraisals and that leads to favorable financing plans. Plus, Wilkinsburg is 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh and 10 minutes from Monroeville,” he said. “Wilkinsburg has its issues, but for those who have vision and willing to stick it out and become a part of the solution, there’s opportunity.”
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation became interested in Wilkinsburg because of its history and the rich architecture of its buildings.
“Residents and local government officials asked us to try and assemble a program to create reinvestment in Wilkinsburg without relocating anyone,” Ziegler said. “We have developed a multi-pronged effort, which includes the use of our preservation loan fund to help some local nonprofits restore and renovate buildings.”
Kasey Connors, a Wilkinsburg resident and owner of Vintage Reconstruction, a restoration contracting company, also is involved in the Wilkinsburg Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.
The initiative came about when a development proposal called for demolition in the Jeanette Street area.
“The community felt so strongly about the historic nature of that area, we asked Landmarks to come in and help,” Connors said. “Landmarks brought their resources to the table with consultants and held multiple community meetings focusing on the Jeanette Street corridor.”
History & Landmarks was drawn to the project because of the architectural integrity of the Jeanette Street buildings, which were built in the 1890s and early 1900s.
Three houses along Jeanette Street and one along Holland Avenue were targeted for restoration. Restoration began in summer 2006 on the three single-family homes and one owner-occupied duplex.
“The houses will have special financing that includes $10,000 in soft mortgage provided by the county government,” said Michael Sriprasert, Landmarks’ assistant for real estate programs. “The houses will cost $70,000, but the buyer will have a first mortgage of $60,000. The $10,000 soft mortgage will be deferred until the buyer sells the home. If they sell after 15 years, the soft mortgage will be forgiven.”
Funding for the restoration projects came from Allegheny County, the Sarah Scaife Foundation, the Hillman Foundation and others.
The homes will be available for sale in early fall. Sriprasert said buyers can customize fixtures, paint and flooring if Landmarks has an agreement of sale in April.
Ziegler said History & Landmarks also might get into a restoration project with the historic Pennsylvania Railroad Station, which was built in 1916 but has been abandoned since the 1970s.
“The county wants us to look at the train station, which we’ve looked at many times,” Ziegler added. “That’s a big commitment.”
Connors is quick to commend History & Landmarks for its efforts in the community.
“I see them as a rescuing agent,” she said. “They brought these homes up to the standards on which historic districts are based.”
Mindy Schwartz saw opportunity in the form of gardens on vacant lots.
Schwartz operates Garden Dreams Urban Farm and Nursery on two vacant lots across the street from the Holland Avenue home renovation project. The business markets specialty and heirloom seedlings, sustainable gardening supplies and vegetables. A greenhouse in her Center Street basement allows her to grow 10,000 plants, including 80 types of tomatoes.
“My garden is a green oasis in the middle of a distressed neighborhood; a patch of green where life is growing,” Schwartz said. “The farm is a fountain of regeneration, in a way. It creates good energy and is a bright spot in town. It seems to have a significant impact in the community.”
Schwartz and two friends, Barb Kline and Randa Shannon, created Grow Pittsburgh, which teaches and facilitates urban agriculture. Its two affiliates are Garden Dreams and Mildred’s Daughters Urban Farm in Stanton Heights.
“There have been a number of people redoing houses and investing in the neighborhood,” Schwartz said. “My farm has been a magnet that’s excited and engaged people and has been a contributing factor in helping people want to invest in this neighborhood.”
She is working on another project in the Hamnett Place area of Wilkinsburg. The Hamnett Homestead Sustainable Living Center will be in a building Schwartz owns. The building will be transformed into a community center and greenhouse, where she will teach people how to grow food and achieve sustainability.
For Mayor John Thompson, the changes to the community in which he’s lived for 42 years are invigorating.
“I’m excited about the positive things I see happening in Wilkinsburg,” said Thompson, who took office on Jan. 2, 2006. “We have committees working together and focusing on seven areas — economic development, municipal services, human services, communications, education, beautification and housing.”
A much-needed grocery store, Save-A-Lot, opened Feb. 20 in the borough, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Generations Building, on the corner of Wood and Franklin, took place March 14. The newly renovated structure will have offices and housing. The Sperling Building, on the corner of Penn Avenue and Coal Street, was transformed into a six- to eight-unit apartment building.
“We’re also looking at doing single-family housing projects on McNair Boulevard,” Thompson said.
In December 2006, the police department hired a new chief, Ophelia Coleman, who served as a Pittsburgh Police detective for 20 years.
“She is very community-oriented. She knows what needs to happen here in Wilkinsburg,” Thompson said. “There’s truly a lot going on in Wilkinsburg. If you can’t get excited about what’s happening now, I don’t know what it will take.”
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The history:
Wilkinsburg, which was first home to settlers in the 1700s and broke away from Pittsburgh’s eastern flank in 1871, has made its share of contributions to the region’s history.
* It was home to President John Tyler’s secretary of war.
* It was a transportation mecca in the 1800s, with the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Lincoln Highway and a streetcar system running through it.
* It was where, in 1919, the first commercial radio station, 8XK, was broadcast from the garage of Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad; the station was a forerunner to KDKA radio.
* It was birthplace, in 1920, of Scholastic Magazine, founded by Wilkinsburg native Maurice Robinson as a newsletter for high school students. Scholastic Magazine would become Scholastic Publishing, publisher of the wildly popular “Harry Potter” series.
For all the borough’s historic value, though, the past several decades have brought economic and social ills that have coincided with an eroding tax base. But within the past few years, a renaissance has begun, as residents and nonprofits work to revitalize the community.
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Trust to offer historic residence Downtown
By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, March 1, 2007Another building is being added to the list of new and existing structures offering residential living Downtown.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is teaming with Trek Development Group on a $15 million project to convert the historic 12-story Century Building on Seventh Street into a 61-unit loft-apartment complex.“As part of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s mission to develop a thriving arts and residential neighborhood, The Century Building will be a great complement to the Cultural District’s broad array of residential offerings,” said J. Kevin McMahon, president and CEO of Cultural Trust.
The trust provided financing for Trek, a Pittsburgh-based firm, to acquire the 78,000-square-foot building.
The organization has spearheaded development of the city’s 14-block Cultural District, where the Encore on 7th, Penn Garrison, and Liberty Lofts are in place. It also is moving forward with plans to develop RiverParc, a $460 million project expected to create 700 residences, 159,000 square feet of retail space and 1,500 parking spaces on six acres between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Penn Avenue.
Trek’s local projects include the 900 Penn Apartments, which has been fully leased since opening in 1999 in the Cultural District.The purchase price of the building was not immediately disclosed. According to Allegheny County records, the building, owned by the Chartiers Valley Industrial & Commercial Development Authority, has a market value of $3 million, including land.
Billed as an “affordable” residential development, the Century Building project will offer a mix of single-room studio and one- and two-bedroom loft units renting from $550 to $1,150 a month. Rental charges will depend on the income level of prospective residents.
Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2008.
Designed in Beaux Arts classical architectural style by Pittsburgh architectural firm Rutan and Russell, the Century Building originally served as an office building in 1906-1907 for the Century Land Co. It is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic places.
The Cultural Trust also acknowledged the Working Group on Downtown Housing, a coalition of public and private organizations formed in 1998 to encourage development of Downtown housing. One of the group’s goals is to convince developers to allocate up to 20 percent of their projects to what is known as workforce housing.
The trust said workforce housing is defined as occupancy by working individuals/families whose annual household income is typically 80-120 percent of the area median income. That’s compared to affordable housing where the household income level is below 80 of area median income.
Ron DaParma can be reached at rdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.
Reprinted with permission. © 2007, Pittsburgh Tribune Review