Did you know that Grant Street wasn't always level?

Over the next few weeks (and maybe more), we here at Grant Street Associates, Inc. have decided to delve into our city’s past and dig out some interesting facts or stories that we wanted to share with you.  Along with new photos and a fresh spin on things, we’re aiming to do a top 5 list of things you may not have known about Pittsburgh. 

 So without further ado, here is our first installment.

 

While you might take a leisurely stroll to admire the great architecture along Grant Street or maybe you’re just running to get your lunch, walking down one of the main thoroughfares of the Central Business District wasn’t always so easy.  Grant Street as we know it was actually a hill. 

 

Grant’s Hill, or The Hump, rose 33 feet above current ground level.  Peaking at Fifth Avenue the hill graded all the way down to Smithfield Street.




Grant Street Site Plan

 

Uptown, was quite literally, up town.  Traversing the hill was a pain not just for pedestrians, but for the horses and carts that were commonly used at the turn of the century.  The city deemed the hill a detriment to travel and growth, and set out the long process of removing it.  Starting work in 1836, the hill was removed in three parts over the next 76 years, and finally complete in 1912.

Grant Street During Construction

 

 

Many of the buildings still show signs of the excavation, most notably, The Frick Building.  The pillars that start above ground level once stood flush with the original Grant Street.  The lions, which originally guarded the entrance to the building, now sit one story above looking down towards the entrance.  The basement of The Frick, then became the entrance and lobby we know today. 

 

 

Pittsburgh Real Estate Brokers Win CoStar Power Broker Awards - CoStar Group

Pittsburgh Real Estate Brokers Win CoStar Power Broker Awards - CoStar Group

Once again, Grant Street Associates, Inc. has earned the CoStar Power Broker Award for being among the Top Sales Firms and Top Leasing Firms in Pittsburgh in 2012.

Individually recognized Grant Street Associates Power Brokers include:

Robert N. Geiger - Office Leasing

Gary Roberson - Office Leasing

Jared Imperatore - Retail Leasing

JR Yocco - Retail Leasing

Randy McCombs - Industrial Leasing & Top 10 Sales Brokers

 

50% of our 2012 brokers have received a designation in their respective concentration.

Grant Street Associates, Inc. - Working Harder & Smarter for Over 20 Years

 

Southpointe - The Cranberry of the South?



Source: southpointechamber.com

 

For years, when a new restaurant, department store or, well, virtually anything new comes to the Pittsburgh area, it’s inevitable – they usually end up in Cranberry.  Cranberry was, and still very much is, an area that scores very well with businesses looking to break into this marketplace.  It is a place with higher income levels and more disposable income.  However, as the Marcellus Shale industry continues its upswing, Southpointe keeps getting hotter and hotter.

A decade ago, there were a few shops, a golf club and some residential areas.  Today, there is an ice rink where the Pittsburgh Penguins spend their days practicing, corporate headquarters of Consol Energy, Mylan Labs, Accu Trex Products, USG Insurance, Metso Minerals, UBS, Range Resources  and Ness Technologies, to name a few.  The planned retail amenities are endless – restaurants, a hair salon, an Italian market, childcare facility, health club/fitness center and several hotels. 

Southpointe is quickly becoming a destination for shopping, entertainment and dining.  But, if you already happen to live or work there, considering all of the amenities, you never have to leave.



Construction is in full swing at Southpointe Town Center



 



 Buildings A and B in Southpointe II Town Center have broken ground and estimate delivery in late 2013. They each will consist of 30,000 SF of office on the second floor and 30,000 SF of retail on the first floor with individual spaces ranging from 1,250 SF – 15,000 SF.

Jared Imperatore and JR Yocco, Vice Presidents of Retail for Grant Street Associates, Inc. are currently marketing the retail space at Southpointe Town Center II.  For more information please contact them at 412-391-2600. 

For more information regarding the available office space at this location, please contact Mike Swisher at Horizon Properties at 724-514-6379.

Federal Reserve hires Cresco to sell its Pittsburgh building

Federal Reserve hires Cresco to sell its Pittsburgh building

Pittsburgh Business Times by Patty Tascarella, Senior Reporter

Joe Wojcik

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland's former Pittsburgh home at 717 Grant Street is being sold.

Patty Tascarella, Senior Reporter- Pittsburgh Business Times

 

The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Tuesday confirmed that it entered into a contact with Cleveland-based brokerage firm Cresco Real Estate to sell its former branch building in downtown Pittsburgh. Cresco in turn has partnered with Pittsburgh-based brokerage firm Grant Street Associates Inc., said Anne M. DiTeodoro, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland Fed, which oversees western Pennsylvania.
Last month, the Fed moved 23 employees to the new branch location in One Oxford Centre where it leased 14,079 square feet.
The building, located at 717 Grant St., once housed 300 employees. But in 2011, the U.S. Treasury Department decided to consolidate retail securities activities — the main function of the Pittsburgh staff — into the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Patty Tascarella covers accounting, banking, finance, legal, marketing and advertising and foundations. Contact her at ptascarella@bizjournals.com or (412) 208-3832. .

Light Up Night, Then What? 10 Great Events Pittsburgh Offers During the Holidays

Pittsburghers have a long-standing tradition of packing Downtown Pittsburgh one November night each year to see Pittsburgh's official Christmas tree be lit up to mark the beginning of the holiday season.  Light Up Night is always full of festivities, but that's when the holiday celebration just begins.  Here's a list of 10 fun things that you don't want to miss this year.

Here are 10 fun things to do this holiday season:

1.  Take a walk down to Market Square and shop in the Peoples Gas Holiday Market.  This unique holiday market is inspired by an authentic German-style market and features many different holiday gift options.  The market opens Saturday, November 24 and remains open daily through Sunday, December 23.

2.  Head over to the Cultural District and take in a performance of The Nutcraker by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.  This year's performances of The Nutcracker run each weekend December 7th through December 30th with two performances most Saturdays and Sundays.

3.  Macy's, located at 400 Fifth Avenue, offers several dates to take the kiddos to Breakfast with Santa.  This breakfast not only features a one-of-a-kind dining experience with Santa, but his elves and friends also put on a show for you.  Afterward, head on down to the first floor and sit on Santa's lap.  While you are there, don't miss the Arcade Bakery located on the mezzanine level, on the Fifth Avenue side.

4.  The Fairmont, Pittsburgh's Gold Level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) hotel, offers a Children's Gingerbread House Event on Saturday, December 8th.  One of their world-class Pastry Chefs, James Wroblewski, will teach children and their parents how to assemble and decorate the perfect gingerbread house.

5.  The Trans Siberian Orchestra comes to Pittsburgh each December and this show will knock your socks off!  They will be performing two shows at the Consol Energy Center on December 16, a matinee and an evening show.

6.  Get some gingerbread house decorating ideas at Gingerbread Lane.  Station Square will showcase some unbelievable gingerbread houses created by professional chef, John Lovitch, and give you a chance to create your own.

7.  Take a wintertime tour of our three rivers on one of the Gateway Clipper Fleet for a Santa Fun Cruise.  Each child will receive a small gift and may create their own ornament keepsake (for an additional fee).  And if cruising with kiddos is not your thing, the Gateway Clipper also offers a Holiday Captain's Dinner Cruise featuring holiday music, a dinner buffet and on-board entertainment.

8.  Lace up those ice skate and head on out to Schenley Park Ice Rink to Skate with Santa on December 16th or for a Mascot Skate featuring several local mascots including the Pirate Parrot, Kenny Kangaroo, Ronald McDonald, McGruff the Crime Dog, the Chic-fil-A Cow and the Eat N Park Smiley Cookie on Saturday, January 12.  There are also several skate sessions open to the public beginning November 10th, weather permitting.

9.  Count down 'till noon?!?!  Yes!  If you can't stay up until midnight, head over to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for a special kids Noon-Years Eve Celebration on New Year's Eve morning.  Count town 'till noon, sign the New Year's ReZOOlution Banner and dance with Radio Disney.

10.  The Adults Only Puppet Making Happy Hour on Thursday, December 6, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a great way to kick back with some friends and release your inner child!  Enjoy a drink, or two, and learn how to make larger-than-life puppets that will be featured in Highmark's First Night Parade.

Pittsburgh's first micro-apartments being planned

 

In an age of McMansions, SUVs and bulging waistlines, two local developers are looking to put the rental unit on a diet and bring the first so-called micro-apartments to the city.
Burns & Scalo Real Estate Services Inc. has an agreement to buy the eight-story former Graphic Arts building at 422 First Ave., downtown, and is considering a plan to convert it, along with a newly built addition, into 100 micro-apartments.
The apartments would range in size from 300 to 400 square feet, and would likely be rented for less than $1,000 a month.

Read the rest of the article by Tim Schooley here.

Tim Schooley Reporter- Pittsburgh Business Times

How Safe is Your Network?

How to protect yourself and your business from a cyber attack

 

 

By David Willson

Published October 01, 2012

FoxNews.com

Read more: Learn more about how this can happen and how you can protect yourself and your network.