PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Nitwit

Behind the paywall, but an LA investor is looking at the empty lot behind the Grant Building. Interesting timing with the recent news about the proposed development across Grant St. also occurring.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburg...-downtown.html

I was afraid that would stay a County parking lot a long time. Hopefully they're looking at doing something with some scale.

[eschaton]

There's a ton of potential for added density in this corner of Downtown even after these two lots get redeveloped. Off the top of my head:

1. The small lot at the corner of Ross and Fourth
2. The larger lot back behind the Allegheny County Health Department building which is adjacent to the railroad tracks.
3. The lot on the next block south which also borders the railroad tracks and Boulevard of the Allies.
4. The small vacant lots used for surface parking on the backside of the "Chinatown block."
5. The L-shaped parking lot which partially faces Second Avenue/Boulevard of the Allies and partially faces the stub of B Street.
6. Potentially PNC could do something with "Firstside Park" eventually - it's not a real park, and still owned by PNC.
7. Hopefully the parking lot associated with the Distrikt Hotel will eventually get redeveloped.

I do wonder if something should be done with B Street however as part of any comprehensive redevelopment. Maybe continue the street up two more blocks so it connects with Fourth Avenue?

[Captain Crash]

Originally Posted by eschaton

There's a ton of potential for added density in this corner of Downtown even after these two lots get redeveloped. Off the top of my head:

1. The small lot at the corner of Ross and Fourth
2. The larger lot back behind the Allegheny County Health Department building which is adjacent to the railroad tracks.
3. The lot on the next block south which also borders the railroad tracks and Boulevard of the Allies.
4. The small vacant lots used for surface parking on the backside of the "Chinatown block."
5. The L-shaped parking lot which partially faces Second Avenue/Boulevard of the Allies and partially faces the stub of B Street.
6. Potentially PNC could do something with "Firstside Park" eventually - it's not a real park, and still owned by PNC.
7. Hopefully the parking lot associated with the Distrikt Hotel will eventually get redeveloped.

I do wonder if something should be done with B Street however as part of any comprehensive redevelopment. Maybe continue the street up two more blocks so it connects with Fourth Avenue?

Good eye putting all these scattered parcels together. I've always thought B Street could use an extension to 4th Ave to open up those dead ends. If oriented correctly, I would add that they could clean up the narrow passage and steps between the garage and County Building to create a pedestrian corridor that would complete the walk from the First Ave Station and Fifth Ave. I also think you could potentially build over the T tracks the same way the current garage does, even if it is just an additional parking garage.

If the lot between 3rd and 4th at Ross is developed, I wonder if it could help spark a return of the 'China Town' district. A long shot I know, but a couple of stylized storefronts along 3rd to complement the remaining ones across the street, a traditional gate over the street to catch eyes, and maybe a Hutong-like corridor between the new building and the current one on that block and you'd have a nice start.

[Captain Crash]

Originally Posted by eschaton

There's a ton of potential for added density in this corner of Downtown even after these two lots get redeveloped. Off the top of my head:

1. The small lot at the corner of Ross and Fourth

Now that I look at it, I actually would be okay with this becoming a little parklet or plaza. I know these are disliked on this forum as they detract from the canyon effect at an intersection. But it's a small lot here and the Health Dept. building is a beaut that should be more visible. Ditch the parking and billboards, add a little hardscaping, maybe a fountain or sculpture, leave a little space for the Common Plea to add outdoor seating... easy improvement!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I do wonder if something should be done with B Street however as part of any comprehensive redevelopment. Maybe continue the street up two more blocks so it connects with Fourth Avenue?

Good list and interesting suggestion. The parking lot it Ts into is elevated, but otherwise I don't see why it would be physically difficult if that was redeveloped, and it could in fact make such redevelopment a lot easier, and I imagine you would need a buffer from the tracks anyway.

Generally that could become a cool little mini-district some day, perhaps with a mix of historic and new.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Captain Crash

If the lot between 3rd and 4th at Ross is developed, I wonder if it could help spark a return of the 'China Town' district. A long shot I know, but a couple of stylized storefronts along 3rd to complement the remaining ones across the street, a traditional gate over the street to catch eyes, and maybe a Hutong-like corridor between the new building and the current one on that block and you'd have a nice start.

We've got a growing Asian population so it seems conceivable. Of course a lot of that is concentrated around the Universities but even if it was just a block or so of establishments it could provide some cool branding.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Captain Crash

Now that I look at it, I actually would be okay with this becoming a little parklet or plaza. I know these are disliked on this forum as they detract from the canyon effect at an intersection. But it's a small lot here and the Health Dept. building is a beaut that should be more visible. Ditch the parking and billboards, add a little hardscaping, maybe a fountain or sculpture, leave a little space for the Common Plea to add outdoor seating... easy improvement!

Some amount of public/green space is important. My only reservation about this spot is it is still a pretty out of the way location and quite small, so I am not sure it would get much use.

[eschaton]

One reason I feel like filling in the corner of Ross and Fourth is important is because Ross isn't a great street right now when it comes to pedestrian interest. There's some beautiful historic buildings, but they're almost all beasts which take up an entire face of a block and don't engage well at sidewalk level. Studies have shown that pedestrians prefer to walk on blocks which have a number of smaller-scale buildings because the variety of facades provides more interest to the eye. Really that lot and the one right next to Boulevard of the Allies are the only two Ross-fronting parking lots which have the potential to have a smaller-scale building.

[eschaton]

Next Pittsburgh has up an article featuring the Desmone expansion. It includes a rendering of the Butler Street side of the building, which looks like total garbage. The giant screen makes it look like a parking garage or something.



My recollection is the Penn Avenue side is going to be less offensive.

The good news is buried near the bottom - it seems the conversion of the Washington Education Center into a Tryp Hotel is still an ongoing development.

As an aside, is there any way to get Next Pittsburgh's website to not display in mobile format on a computer? I hate the blown-up font.

[BrianTH]

What the heck? That's terrible.

[highlander206]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

What the heck? That's terrible.

It's quite horrible. I don't understand why so much of the new infill built in the neighborhood over the last 5 years looks so awful.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by highlander206

It's quite horrible. I don't understand why so much of the new infill built in the neighborhood over the last 5 years looks so awful.

The thing which makes the least sense to me is that this project is mostly directly for Desmone, even though they are going to rent out a small amount of space. I mean, a lot of architecture is boring because architects design for a middleman who then rents or sells to a third party. But when an architecture studio is designing for themselves, they can go wild, so to speak, and use it as a signature building for their firm. Looking over their portfolio, their exterior work is mostly either bland or awful though. They just might not have the right mix of talent to do something high design.

Edit: I will admit they are somewhat constrained by the challenging grade difference between Penn Avenue and Butler, along with the lack of an alley, considering they also wanted to include a parking component for their workforce. This basically required them to turn the bottom story on Butler Street into a parking garage, even though Butler is the active street which should have sidewalk engagement. There is no excuse at all for that giant screen however. A flat brick wall with windows would be much better.

[Private Dick]

I've said it numerous times... Desmone is a total bush league architecture firm.

I don't think they could even be a business if they existed outside of southwestern PA.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

I've said it numerous times... Desmone is a total bush league architecture firm.

I don't think they could even be a business if they existed outside of southwestern PA.

Who in your opinion are the good firms in town?

[Wally G]

Originally Posted by Private Dick

I've said it numerous times... Desmone is a total bush league architecture firm.

I don't think they could even be a business if they existed outside of southwestern PA.

I agree totally.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Who in your opinion are the good firms in town?

Trek; Moss Architects; Pfaffman I believe. Off the top of my head.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Trek; Moss Architects; Pfaffman I believe. Off the top of my head.

Trek is a developer, not an architecture firm. They work with multiple firms. My wife's firm (Rothschild Doyno) have done several projects with them (Dinwiddie, Braddock Overlook Housing, semi-failed Garden Block project, etc).

I think Moss does some great work on interiors and rehabs, but I'm not too keen on their single-family home infill work. Actually I just looked through their portfolio, and was surprised to see the largest project it seems they have done is the Penn-Mathilda Apartments. They're really still a boutique firm.

Pfaffmann is an obvious answer for anyone who likes historical preservation, but even their new projects (which tilt towards modernism) have a style which goes beyond generic, which I think makes them a cut above the rest.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Trek is a developer, not an architecture firm. They work with multiple firms. My wife's firm (Rothschild Doyno) have done several projects with them (Dinwiddie, Braddock Overlook Housing, semi-failed Garden Block project, etc).

I think Moss does some great work on interiors and rehabs, but I'm not too keen on their single-family home infill work. Actually I just looked through their portfolio, and was surprised to see the largest project it seems they have done is the Penn-Mathilda Apartments. They're really still a boutique firm.

Pfaffmann is an obvious answer for anyone who likes historical preservation, but even their new projects (which tilt towards modernism) have a style which goes beyond generic, which I think makes them a cut above the rest.

Is Rothschild Doyno an architectural firm? Without doing much research they are listed as a "Collaborative".

25 largest Pgh area architectural firms. (Published in 2007 however).
http://www.americanregistry.com/reco...al-firms/73633

Astorino, Strada & Desmone are all decent, yes?

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Is Rothschild Doyno an architectural firm? Without doing much research they are listed as a "Collaborative".

Yes. They added the Collaborative to their name when the two senior principals began inviting some of the other registered architects to be junior principals (they're up to five now).

I actually think they're more of a straight-ahead architecture firm than Moss or Desmone - they don't really do interior design. They do have a principal who focuses on urban planning however.

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Astorino, Strada & Desmone are all decent, yes?

Well, we were all just slagging Desmone upthread...

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Yes. They added the Collaborative to their name when the two senior principals began inviting some of the other registered architects to be junior principals (they're up to five now).

I actually think they're more of a straight-ahead architecture firm than Moss or Desmone - they don't really do interior design. They do have a principal who focuses on urban planning however.

Looking around on Rothschild Doyno's site, I really like a lot of what they've done.
I couldn't help but wonder which one is your wife either when I clicked on "People". (You don't have to say if you prefer privacy) lol

Originally Posted by eschaton

Well, we were all just slagging Desmone upthread...

My bad. I've been traveling this week and have not really been tuned into the conversation very closely.