PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[TBone7281]

My Ignore List is 40% Dr. Avis.

[highlander206]

Let's try to get back to what was brought up yesterday instead of that.

Originally Posted by photoLith

Centralia sucks, there's nothing left. There's way more awesome abandoned places all over western PA. I've mapped out every single abandoned place in PA, WV and eastern Ohio, it's taken 4 years. There's around 50 abandoned railroad tunnels within an hour or so radius of Pittsburgh. There's the abandoned Lincoln Way neighborhood in Clairton. There's tons of abandoned stuff in Mckeesports, abandoned mines along the Mon, abandoned DAR women's home in North Braddock. Weirton Steel is epic, the abandoned East Broad Top Railroad is incredible, etc etc. Centralia is about the lamest abandoned place around.

If you're interested I have an entire gallery of abandoned places around here you can check out. There's so much amazing stuff to see that's way closer than Centralia.

http://chrislitherlandphotography.ze...com/p355875373

I have taken a look at Centralia on Google Maps and it does not look like there is anything there in itself worth a 4 hour drive to there. I was just having this discussion with someone else and that also got us to mentioning the abandoned PA Turnpike which I haven't seen yet but would like to give a try once the weather warms up more in a month. All of your places look very cool as well. Definitely would like to take a look at some of those places for myself this month. I assume wandering around them would not cause an issues with the cops or locals?

[eschaton]

The Cultural Trust is considering opening up a 4-6 screen first-run movie theater on 6th Street downtown.

[Dr. Avis 4]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The Cultural Trust is considering opening up a 4-6 screen first-run movie theater on 6th Street downtown.

Would anyone use that with all of the big nice theaters already here?

[daviderik]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The Cultural Trust is considering opening up a 4-6 screen first-run movie theater on 6th Street downtown.

Considering there are no "big nice theaters" currently downtown. I hope it happens. Also possible cinema option in the new Kaufmann's Grand I wonder if this would squash that?
On a side note I noticed in the PBT article a Headline about American Eagle closing it's Southside Works store. Being that this is their HQ flagship location is somewhat surprising.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The Cultural Trust is considering opening up a 4-6 screen first-run movie theater on 6th Street downtown.

Nice. That's the building that used to be the Gateway Theater until 1980 and before that was known as The J. P. Harris Theater and The Alvin before that.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by GeneW

I wonder what happened to the five-story building next to it in that shot? It seems odd to think they'd purposefully demolish a mid-rise structure like that to make way for the sad row of one-story storefronts on that block now.

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by eschaton

The Cultural Trust is considering opening up a 4-6 screen first-run movie theater on 6th Street downtown.

That'll be awesome. That little theater opened up in Lville a couple years ago on Butler Street and it's been pretty successful, so one downtown would do good too I would imagine. I never knew about that theater in the above post, sucks that got torn down. I was just up in Erie and they have a similar theater downtown, The Warren Theater and it's very pretty and is still used all the time. Although I don't believe they show movies there.

[Steel City Scotty]

Since I brought up Centralia, I should mention that I lived in Central PA until last year. So, it wasn't quite such a long drive to take in that experience.

It's true that there aren't many buildings remaining so it doesn't present the same opportunities that a place like Dixmont did (before it was demolished).

It was kind of cool to walk along an old road that was warped and uneven after years of sitting above a coal fire. You could see smoke coming up through the cracks, feel the heat and smell some of the fumes (which warning signs were posted about, not the healthiest decision).

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I wonder what happened to the five-story building next to it in that shot?

I vaguely recall there might have been a fire at that location, but I am not sure that is the explanation.

Anyway, this would definitely be a cool project in light of the history, and a nice addition to the entertainment mix Downtown.

[GeneW]

As a Northsider, I'd love to have a first-run theater Downtown. We go to the movies around twice a month but usually end up driving over to Homestead to see them. It would be nice to just be able to walk down to 6th street.

The site that's currently Butcher and the Rye on 6th used to be the entrance to The Fiesta Theater until the mid-eighties. The theater was actually in the basement (and might still be down there)

[highlander206]

Originally Posted by Steel City Scotty

Since I brought up Centralia, I should mention that I lived in Central PA until last year. So, it wasn't quite such a long drive to take in that experience.

It's true that there aren't many buildings remaining so it doesn't present the same opportunities that a place like Dixmont did (before it was demolished).

It was kind of cool to walk along an old road that was warped and uneven after years of sitting above a coal fire. You could see smoke coming up through the cracks, feel the heat and smell some of the fumes (which warning signs were posted about, not the healthiest decision).

It would be cool to see that in person one day, certainly not as a trip in itself, but maybe on the way back from somewhere east of here.

The small downtown theater I think would be a big success. Downtown can't take a large 12 screen complex, but a small sized one showing the top films will be able to attract people down there and could offer another thing for people working or dining in the area to do as well.

[AFW523]

Originally Posted by GeneW

As a Northsider, I'd love to have a first-run theater Downtown. We go to the movies around twice a month but usually end up driving over to Homestead to see them. It would be nice to just be able to walk down to 6th street.

The site that's currently Butcher and the Rye on 6th used to be the entrance to The Fiesta Theater until the mid-eighties. The theater was actually in the basement (and might still be down there)

What a bizarre facade collection. I guess that's what you had to put up with if you wanted to see Burt Reynolds at his apex.

[photoLith]

Talking about that weird parking garage, Butcher and the Rye is amazing. Went there a couple of months ago, it was one of the best dinners I've ever had and the interior is freaking amazing.

[Gilamonster]

Short but informative article about Uber and their Pittsburgh relationship:

https://buildingpittsburgh.com/2017/01/31/uber-on/

A few quotes from David Richter, Uber's VP of strategic initiatives:

"Uber was beginning to see cases of San Francisco employees choosing to relocate to the Steel City because of quality of life and the opportunity to work on the next big thing".

“There are only four or five cities in the world with that kind of talent in robotics and Pittsburgh is one of them,”

Also noted in the article is the fact that in Jan. 2015 Uber had zero employees here, and now has 550 with another ONE HUNDRED new open positions. Also mentions that they are running out of space even with their purchase of land for a track at Almono.

If you think the price of housing in and around the Strip is bad now, wait until the San Franciscoans start showing up with their boatloads of cash after selling property out there and finding the prices over here to be embarasingly low. They will feel like they won a contest to go on some type of real estate shopping spree.

[themaguffin]

bye troll.

[themaguffin]

Also noted in the article is the fact that in Jan. 2015 Uber had zero employees here, and now has 550 with another ONE HUNDRED new open positions. Also mentions that they are running out of space even with their purchase of land for a track at Almono.

Wow.

“There are only four or five cities in the world with that kind of talent in robotics and Pittsburgh is one of them,”

So SF... Pittsburgh - I assume Boston.... wonder what the others are?

[Gilamonster]

From May of 2015:

http://gizmodo.com/the-7-best-cities...now-1703972960

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by themaguffin

bye troll.

Until he makes a new account in three weeks again...

About Uber, where are most of their employees coming from? Are a lot of them from San Francisco? If so that will be great news so hopefully they can bring some more of their west coast buddies along.

[BrianTH]

A little more information about the possible theater:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201702030129

Sounds interesting still, but maybe pretty far off.