32 replies to this topic

[Evergrey]

Here's an article from late last year that I don't remember reading... it has a lot of downtown residential conversion projects that either I never knew about... or have forgotten about... so here we go

http://www.bizjourna....ml?t=printable



Now we all knew about the Carlyle conversion on 4th and Wood


but I didn't know about the Carlyle developer's plan to convert the Commonwealth Building into condos (middle building, right of the arch thingie)


I knew that the Standard Life Building was undergoing conversion to student housing... but I did not know the adjacent Fidelity Building had already undergone conversion (Fidelity Bldg is to the right of the columns, Standard Life is red building on far right)


the beautiful Arrott Building is going condo... I had no idea!


The Conestoga Building... the most prominent building in the Mon Wharf... is going condo too!  it's also quite close to the 4th St. properties

detail


Conestoga is the 7-story brown building right above the boat


Also mentioned in the article is 930 Penn Ave.... it's the wider building with all the lights on in the windows


Across the street is the Penn-Garrison... which has been completed for a couple years I think


Here are some shots of the emerging 4th Avenue residential district

the red building is remaining office


a canyon of residential skyscrapers... the columns at left is the base of the Commonwealth Building


a slice of the Commonwealth Building at far left... connected to the Carlyle... the red Bank Center remains office... the tower to the right of Bank Center with horizontal striping is the Arrott... which is turning condo


Here's another shot of 930 Penn Ave... which is also a booming area for residential conversion... the property is on the left of the picture


work has begun on the Try St. Terminal Bldg which is being converted to student housing for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh




the crane for 151 First Side... 18 story condo tower... it's currently working on the subterranean portion of the structure


The Encore on 7th has recently opened its doors to its first tenents... it really has a great skyline presence

[PghUSA]

Beautiful pics Evergrey, great updates as well . . . so many things are moving so fast downtown that it is getting harder to see the forest from the trees.  I just this week took several pics around the Fifth Forbes area before PNC and Piatt starts with the wrecking ball.  Most of those structures deserve it, but some will be a big loss for this city.

[mjcatl2]

Thanks for putting a face on these Evergrey.  I actually tried to dig for every new or converted listing last year and found mentions (but little or no other detail) of some of these, which might be listed in the Downtown Pittsburgh housing updates now.

Here's the old list that I made...

http://www.urbanplan...showtopic=18275

[tooluther]

-The Conestoga Building condo project was dropped, it is now part of the Point Park Student housing projects (owned by Silver King Development, but master leased by PPU)

-They aren't sure if The Commonwealth Building will be a continuation of condos or if it will be an apartment project.  At any rate, it will include amenities for the Carlyle.

-I haven't head anything about the Arrot Building.  Where is that info from?  I saw it on an office lease listing yesterday.

-Another new project is the Pirmanti Brothers building in Market Square.  There are two new units open above it.

[Evergrey]

The Arrott Building mention is from the Pittsburgh Business Times article from late last year that I provided the link for at the beginning of my post.  

Thanks for the updates.

[PghUSA]

You know I just thought the Try Street abandoned building and the First side development I wish would get started at least before the ASG.  Especially the try street eyesore.  Also Encore is a great structure but I hope they take down that "used car salesman" banner advertising units during the worldwide broadcast.  Wish they would make the PNC Park side a tad more unique but great job overall on that!

[TheGerbil]

I haven't seen this "used care salesman" sign. Is it really ugly or something? Because it seems to me that, in general, it would be good for out-of-towners to see a sign advertising new housing. When I was in Chicago I saw a few buildings with signs like that and got the impression of a booming downtown.

[mjcatl2]

The building is so new that it still has a sign up.  That's good.

[tooluther]

PghUSA, on Jun 6 2006, 10:31 PM, said:

You know I just thought the Try Street abandoned building and the First side development I wish would get started at least before the ASG.  Especially the try street eyesore.

151 First side and Try street are both under construction...they will be open next april and next june respectively

[PghUSA]

I call it the used car salesman sign. Nothing wrong with it I guess, but architecture is there for a reason and huge banners like that cover up the architecture, plus a successful condo wouldn't have to advertise.  Ok I'm being picky here but I see the Ft. Duquesne Blvd. side of town as the "face" of Pittsburgh for the global TV feed this July.  Like it or not people are going to have that image imblazened in their minds as representing Pittsburgh.  IMHO a "buy now, buy, buy, buy" sign covering windows and balconies and landscape on one of the newer towers isn't flattering to folks from Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Fran and New York that are used to waiting lists and auctions to get into condos.

[mjcatl2]

I guess you don't like the sign because you feel that the guests at PNC Park will think that Pgh has a challenge in renting apartments, but come down to Atlanta and you'll several buildings with signage on the buildings in addition to billboards and the like.

[mercurypa]

The signs were fairly commonplace in Los Angeles where I'm from, and there is no shortage of interest in the housing there.  It makes people think about living there who normally would not consider it. My favorite one in Downtown LA said you'd be home now instead of sitting in traffic.

[Evergrey]

I don't see anything wrong with a brand new apartment tower advertising itself to prospective renters.  Maybe somebody from Upper St. Clair will be attending a game... and be like "Wow, I didn't even know there was housing downtown!"...

I'll take that inoffensive banner over the gigantic Bud Light and Coors Light billboards that infest the city everywhere you look.

[PghUSA]

I guess art is in the eye of the beholder on this one.  

My biggest gripe on this (and it ain't all that huge) is that unlike Budlite billboards or Heinz signs, the apartment sign is just tied up there to blow in the wind and is covering up some nice reflective glass, balconies, architecture and the like.  It'd be similar in my mind to leaving that mesh on the City/County building engraving or covering up the fountain at the point with some ad for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.  Let the architecture and design shine through in its entirety.  Not the biggest thing on the ASG to do list I acknowledge but something I think would help the city be remembered in all those shots for decades to come.

[TheGerbil]

I see where you are coming from, PghUSA. You think the banner is unattractive and detracts from the architecture. Fair enough.

But I do think it's good for people to see that this building is new. It helps draw attention to the housing boom downtown, and maybe some out-of-towners will even start thinking about living here. The banner is almost as good as having a crane in the sky. And I do hope we have a couple of cranes in the sky come ASG week. They aren't pretty either, but nothing says growth like a crane.  

[Evergrey]

We have a crane in the sky along the Monongahela downtown where Falbo's 18-story condo is going up.

[TheGerbil]

Yeah, I knew about that one. But I don't know if it is visible from the north shore. Anyone?

[PghUSA]

I don't know of any cranes visible to the TV audience but out of towners coming through the Ft. Pitt will see the mon valley ones.

Cranes aren't pretty but I love seeing them in the sky especially when what they are constructing is a gleaming jewel in the skyline!

[TheGerbil]

Good point about the view coming out of the tunnel. Hadn't thought about that. Still, I would not mind if some cranes were visible from PNC park so the tv cameras would catch them

[mjcatl2]

I saw an ad in Pittsburgh magazine from Caldwell Banker (apparently the firm selling condos for 151 and a couple of the bigger conversions downtown).  I looked for the nice picture of 151, but couldn't find it, but here's something from the 151 website.