PITTSBURGH | Development Rundown II

[Urbana]

New planning presentation is up.

http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/sch...ion-65-691.pdf

It has a few new renderings of the Point Park playhouse project.

More interestingly, it has renovation plans for UPMC Presbyterian. The former Children's wing will be torn down (ugly bluish building) and a new facade will replace it.

A taste:

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I can't get the RFQ itself without registering (I think), but another poster once linked this:



I don't love that design in detail but I think the general concept is solid.

This design looks so similar to the Marriott in San Diego near their convention center.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Urbana

New planning presentation is up.

http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/sch...ion-65-691.pdf

It has a few new renderings of the Point Park playhouse project.

More interestingly, it has renovation plans for UPMC Presbyterian. The former Children's wing will be torn down (ugly bluish building) and a new facade will replace it.

A taste:

O rly? I am very surprised they are not going to build something large there, instead it looks like a giant yard in the busiest part of Oakland.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

And of course Point Park is planning to trash the interior of the 1897 Stock Exchange Building (originally Mechanic's National Bank):

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201501220162



In other cities, grand historic bank lobbies like this would get renovated as public amenities like bar/restaurants or hotel lobbies:



But in Pittsburgh, we get it chopped up for a student prop shop, student costume shop, and student cafe. Just what Downtown always needed to take off!

I don't know what happened to Point Park--they used to be pretty good on preservation issues. Was it a change in management? Did they lose too much money during the recession? Whatever it is, they are now just awful.

According to the Post Gazette comments, it used to be Pittsburgh's premier gay bar/club for a while. I guess it is just cycling through various uses over time.

[Austinlee]

Wow, guys. A terrible 7 alarm fire took out about a whole city block in Homestead. This is a damn shame. I always think how intact the Homestead business district looks. This is a huge architectural loss.
It looks similar to that huge fire a day ago in New Jersey that could be seen from NYC.


http://www.wpxi.com/gallery/news/loc...gCQdk/#6691575

[Urbana]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

O rly? I am very surprised they are not going to build something large there, instead it looks like a giant yard in the busiest part of Oakland.

According to the institutional master plan they are saving the land for a large project within the next 10 years.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Wow, guys. A terrible 7 alarm fire took out about a whole city block in Homestead. This is a damn shame. I always think how intact the Homestead business district looks. This is a huge architectural loss.
It looks similar to that huge fire a day ago in New Jersey that could be seen from NYC.

Judging by the pictures, it looks like only a fraction of the block at worst. Two buildings seem like they are beyond hope, and another three have broken windows and internal damage. But since they are brick, presuming they were insured I don't see why they couldn't be brought back.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

This design looks so similar to the Marriott in San Diego near their convention center.

That style actually makes some sense in San Diego.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

I guess it is just cycling through various uses over time.

Which is fine, until someone trashes the space like Point Park wants to do.

They've really managed to combine all the worst elements of the August Wilson Center and Lord & Taylor fiascos. Quite an accomplishment.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Urbana

According to the institutional master plan they are saving the land for a large project within the next 10 years.

That's what I assumed just from the appearance.

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Urbana

According to the institutional master plan they are saving the land for a large project within the next 10 years.

Ahh that makes sense. Otherwise it would seem like a very unused parcel.

[BrianTH]

Quick math: the new part of the Playhouse project is 79,209 SF. The area it is going into is 40,021 SF. So that is a Floor Area Ratio of 1.98.

Thank goodness they got it under 2! Under the City zoning code, that is the maximum they could build in a Local Neighborhood Commercial District without a variance . . . wait, did you say this is DOWNTOWN?!?

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

Otherwise it would seem like a very unused parcel.

kinda like the former Syria Mosque site...

[Evergrey]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Quick math: the new part of the Playhouse project is 79,209 SF. The area it is going into is 40,021 SF. So that is a Floor Area Ratio of 1.98.

Thank goodness they got it under 2! Under the City zoning code, that is the maximum they could build in a Local Neighborhood Commercial District without a variance . . . wait, did you say this is DOWNTOWN?!?

Exactly.

This project is even worse than The August Wilson center... yet just like AWC... nary a peep of opposition from the local preservation and urban design communities... and fully embraced by the local political leadership.

[BrianTH]

New renderings!

Densities way lower than the early 20th Century--isn't that neat?



This is a good use of Downtown street frontage, right?



And Fourth Avenue has never looked better!

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

kinda like the former Syria Mosque site...

UPMC's Oakland 2025 vision:

[photoLith]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Judging by the pictures, it looks like only a fraction of the block at worst. Two buildings seem like they are beyond hope, and another three have broken windows and internal damage. But since they are brick, presuming they were insured I don't see why they couldn't be brought back.

Because this is Pittsburgh and thats why they will be torn down most likely. Shame as Homestead has almost as large of an intact Victorian street as Carson Street does.

[Austinlee]

A slider has been added for Pittsburgh - 1950's to today; Shows what was lost east of downtown. Wish they showed the Northside though.

http://iqc.ou.edu/2015/01/21/60yrsnortheast/

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Austinlee

A slider has been added for Pittsburgh - 1950's to today; Shows what was lost east of downtown.

Pretty gut-wrenching. It is not hard to imagine that these days that would be a hot bed of renovation and reinvestment.

But at least maybe we can eventually achieve higher overall densities.

[Found5dollar]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Quick math: the new part of the Playhouse project is 79,209 SF. The area it is going into is 40,021 SF. So that is a Floor Area Ratio of 1.98.

Thank goodness they got it under 2! Under the City zoning code, that is the maximum they could build in a Local Neighborhood Commercial District without a variance . . . wait, did you say this is DOWNTOWN?!?

Dude, we get it. You hate this proposal and think it and it's proponents are the worst things currently in Pittsburgh. I told myself I would stop responding to your claims, but I just have to chime on on this mischaracterization you throw at the project.

The building is 4 stories tall with a basement. It is 70' tall, a height taken directly from the surrounding structures. The issue with your floor area ratio claim is that theaters are by definition large open spaces. There are 3 theaters in the building 2 of which are 4 stories tall, the other is 3. Also, many of the support spaces need to cover multiple stories for building scenery and other things. Yes, alot of the interior of the building is open space, but that space is actively programed. Floor area ratios are great for residential and office comparisons, but they mean nothing when talking about theater buildings.