As any long-time reader of REVITALIZATION knows, residential development is usually the single most important factor in bringing a dead downtown area back to life.
Downtown Pittsburgh (2016)
Photo credit: Storm Cunningham
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania apparently realized this some time ago, since some 1084 residential units have opened downtown since 2010.
Over 9000 multifamily units are in the development pipeline, including 312 residential units that are under construction in Kaufmann’s Grand on Fifth Avenue (described below).
The occupancy rate for residential in Greater Downtown Pittsburgh was 91% at the end of 2014, and the growth of the Greater Downtown residential market continues to be one of the great success stories in the spectacular transformation of Pittsburgh, and the evolution of its Downtown.
The Kaufmann flagship department store was built in 1877 by Jacob and Isaac Kaufmann. After numerous major expansions throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Kaufmann’s grew to 1.2 million square feet on 13 floors and became known as “The Grand Depot.”
1984 photo of Kaufmann’s by Steve Morgan (via Wikipedia). Streetcars ended July 1985
A new era began in 1920 when Edgar Kaufmann became President of Kaufmann’s. He was known as an innovative leader with a penchant for technology and architecture. Edgar Kaufmann commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design his personal vacation residence, Fallingwater, in the Laurel Highlands near Pittsburgh.
Fallingwater opened a new chapter in American architecture and is considered to be Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest work. Likewise, Edgar Kaufmann had commissioned Wright to design his personal office on the 10th floor of the Kaufmann’s Department Store. In 1974, his office was disassembled and gifted to The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, where it currently resides.
Image courtesy of Janoski Studio.
The Kaufmann Clock, attached to The Kaufmann’s Department Store at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street, is also considered to be an architectural masterpiece which has been keeping precise time for over 100 years. To Pittsburghers, the clock has long been a meeting place, with “meet me under the Kaufmann’s Clock” being one of the more common local requests.
Kaufmann’s operated under the May/Federated umbrella from 1946 to September of 2006, when Kaufmann’s officially became Macy’s. On July 13, 2015, Macy’s announced the sale of the property to Core Realty, Inc. Core Capital, Inc. was founded in 1985 by Michael Samschick as a privately held, Philadelphia-based real estate development company. Core specializes in urban, mixed use, redevelopment projects, multi-family, retail, office, entertainment and hospitality along the east coast of the US.
Since then, Core has been working on transforming the 1.2 million square foot, landmark building (now called the Kaufmann Grand) to offer luxury apartments, retail and office space, restaurants, parking and the new Pittsburgh EVEN Hotel.
With an outdoor park inside the center of the building, Kaufmann’s Grand is a mini city under one roof with a variety of unique amenities. Residents will have access to an automated spa room, movie media center, state-of-the-art gym, rooftop tennis courts, infinity pool and running track, as well as a virtual reality game room, dog grooming station and breakfast and dinner room service through our on-site hotel.
“This is an iconic and historic building with amenities that have never been seen before in Pittsburgh’s residential market,” said Samschick. “Making Amazon Alexa and our Savant operating system available in our apartments introduces the next level of modern living. We are excited to be bringing this new culture to Pittsburgh that will offer Kaufmann’s Grand residents not just a new lifestyle, but a technology-based living experience.”
New residents will move into Kaufmann’s Grand to start their new ultra-savvy, high-tech lifestyles beginning in the first quarter of 2018. Studio, one and two bedroom apartments are available for lease.
Conveniently located between Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue along Smithfield Street in the heart of Pittsburgh’s “Golden Triangle”, Kaufmann’s Grand on Fifth Avenue is within a 5 minute walk to the majority of Pittsburgh’s major corporate headquarters including: PNC Financial, Kraft-Heinz, PPG Industries, BNY Mellon, UPMC, Highmark, Alcoa, GNC, EQT, Koppers, US Steel and numerous others.
Pittsburgh’s City and County government offices are all located along Grant Street within two blocks of Kaufmann’s Grand on Fifth Avenue. Major hotels within walking distance include: Omni William Penn, The Embassy Suites, The Fairmount Hotel,Hotel Monaco, The Westin Convention Center Hotel, The Doubletree, The Hilton Garden Inn and The Marriott. TheEven Hotel, an IHG hotel is on Premise. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, The Consol Energy Center, Heinz Field, PNC Park and Pittsburgh’s Arts and Cultural District are all within walking distance of Kaufmann’s Grand on Fifth Avenue.
On November 1, 2017 Core announced a partnership with technology giant Amazon. The Kaufmann Grand will now offer a voice-first experience with Amazon Alexa, the first fully automated, integrated voice command lifestyle technology in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh will be one of the first cities in the country to offer this type of technology in a multi-family residential community.
Residents will be able to use Amazon Alexa to control each unit’s surround sound, room temperature, lighting, televisions, window shades, starting morning coffee and more in all 311 apartments at Kaufmann’s Grand.
Featured photo of Kaufmann Grand rooftop courtesy of Desmone Architects.