Pittsburgh's Renaissance
Whether
it’s Extreme Makeover, Oprah, or What Not to Wear, it seems no one can
resist a makeover --watching a dud transform into a dazzler. While the
nation has been obsessed by these makeover fantasies, they’ve missed one of
the greatest true makeovers of all time: Pittsburgh’s!
Over the years our hometown has gone from out-dated and dilapidated to
positively gleaming and trendy.
When the steel industry collapsed in the 1980s, many wrote Pittsburgh’s
obituary, predicting no city could survive after suffering the massive job
losses our region experienced. It is estimated that over 200,000 jobs
in the steel industry and related manufacturing disappeared during that dark
decade, leaving the city’s riverbanks littered with deserted, rusted-out
mills and plants.
Pittsburgh’s Rise to New Fame
During the last 25 years our city has gone from being on life-support to
alive and thriving. And the world is starting to take notice.
Recently, Places Rated Almanac designated Pittsburgh as America’s Most
Livable City. BusinessWeek rated Pittsburgh the sixth best place to
ride out the recession, while Forbes magazine cited Pittsburgh as one of the
cleanest places to live. Pittsburgh has been named to Relocate
America’s 100 Top Places to Live. Worldwide ERC and Primacy Relocation
named it the sixth best metropolitan area for relocating families.
And the accolades keep on coming. American Style magazine named
Pittsburgh The Best Arts Destination in the Country for mid-sized cities,
and in a study by Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, Pittsburgh was rated
one of the five best places for the “creative class,” which they defined as
the segment of society that generates cultural and economic vitality.
And things look fantastic heading into the future too, with Foreign Direct
Land Investment magazine, an affiliate of London’s Financial Times, naming
Pittsburgh one of North America’s top three cities of the future.
So how did Pittsburgh do it?
Well, as any fan of a makeover show knows, you accent your assets.
Among the many things Pittsburgh has going for it are its residents, their
ingenuity and love for the region. We have some of the best medical
and educational facilities in the country, a great arts tradition, and a
magnificent landscape to boot. Pittsburghers were not about to let
their hometown be written off. They rolled up their collective
sleeves, put on their “thinking caps,” inventoried the city’s strengths, and
got to work transforming the Pittsburgh region.
How Pittsburgh was Rebuilt
In 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a nonprofit arts agency and
economic development catalyst, was formed to capitalize on the area’s rich
cultural heritage. It reclaimed a 14-block area of downtown Pittsburgh
and turned it into an arts area. This former “red light’ district is
now home to more than 14 cultural facilities, among them the crown jewels of
Heinz Hall, The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, The Byham Theater,
and The O’Reilly Theatre. Tens of thousands flock to the Cultural
District annually for the finest in entertainment.
Pittsburgh
excels in sports, and both the city and our teams have spared no effort in
bringing 21st century sports venues to our hometown. In 2001, both PNC
Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Heinz Field, home of the
championship Steelers opened. PNC Park is one of the most beautiful
parks in baseball. Situated on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, it offers
incredible views of the city’s skyline. Also on the North Shore is
Heinz Field, the pinnacle of gridiron venues. For years, Mellon Arena,
also known as the Igloo, has been the home of the Stanley Cup Champions, The
Pittsburgh Penguins. But in 2010, they will move into a new home, The
Consol Energy Center. This state-of-the arena will afford visitors
spectacular views of the cityscape.
Don’t bet on finding a finer casino than the new Rivers Casino, also
located on the North Shore. In addition to its 3,000 slot machines,
the Rivers Casino boasts five restaurants and a 1,000-seat amphitheater.
A variety of events including concerts on the river take place there.
The Transformation Old Steel Mills
What happened to all those rusting steel plants? Most of the city’s
steel mills were situated along Pittsburgh’s three rivers, the Allegheny,
Monongahela and the Ohio. When they closed, blast-furnaces and chimney
stacks sat idle. But not for long. Few cities in the country
boast as much waterfront property, and Pittsburgh took advantage of this
valuable asset, reclaiming the land for recreation, entertainment, and
business. Biking and hiking trails were developed along the waterways,
allowing visitors access to some of the most spectacular views around.
When U.S. Steel’s Homestead Works was shuttered in the late ‘1980s, a
large tract of land was left idle along the banks of the Monongahela River.
Recognizing the value of this location, developers turned this brownfield
into a trendy shopping and entertainment Mecca. Numerous retail
stores, restaurants, and a stadium-style, multi-theater cinema opened.
A long line of smokestacks front the complex and hearken back to the area’s
industrial past.
At the former site of Jones and Laughlin Steel sits another reclaimed
industrial area called the Southside Works. Shops, restaurants,
offices, hotels and apartments are situated around a central square, a site
where once steel furnaces burned with incandescent heat.
The Southside Works abut Carson Street, which traverses Pittsburgh’s
South Side neighborhood. Carson Street has become the “Bourbon Street”
of Pittsburgh, attracting crowds to the neighborhood’s numerous taverns and
eateries. The row houses of the South Side Flats and South Side Slopes
that surround Carson Street, at one time, housed thousands of millworkers
and their families. Today, this area is one of the trendiest places to
live.
Another reason Pittsburgh has been able to rise from the ashes is its
often underestimated intellectual prowess. We just say brain power. Across
the river, in lower Oakland sits the Pittsburgh Technology Center. It
is the focus of Pittsburgh’s advanced academic and technology research,
conducted by both universities and corporations. These thriving
companies and organizations help connect Pittsburgh’s well-muscled past with
its intellectual and high-technology future.
- University of Pittsburgh Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering
- Carnegie Mellon Research Institute
- Union Switch and Signal
- Metaltech Inc.
- Aristech Chemical Corporation
- The Oakland Consortium (comprised of 4 companies)
With so many changes and developments that have happened in the region
during the last 25 years, it’s no wonder people who marvel at the city’s
transformation often exclaim: “Wow! What Happened to
Pittsburgh?”
by Jan Palko
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