Wood District and Market District Renovation Projects

Four million dollars in restoration work is underway for several different historic structures in the Wood District and Market District Corridors.  This partnership between the mayor’s office and a preservation organization is a first in this country.  The Pittsburgh Historic and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) is being employed by the city to hire and supervise the construction projects of these two corridors. 

The Wood County Corridor project is being emphasized as a women’s retail district. The men’s corridor will be on Market and Fifth Street. The project has garnered a great deal of interest from different retail stores, who are interested in moving in as soon as space becomes available. This peaked interest is great for the project, as the construction is starting soon.  One of the first tasks on the restoration list is to restore the cast iron facades on the front of the buildings. As the president of PHFL Arthur Ziegler explained, “We’re the city of iron and steel. We have three of these in a row on Wood Street, they are all in very bad shape, and we will take them back to what they looked like originally.”

The project is also helping a local university secure more housing for the campus.  Point Park University is working with the organization to try to secure student housing in the upper floors of the retail properties. 

The groups involved in this project are hoping that if they can improve the graphic and facades of these buildings, the same will be done in the private sector.  This will help continue the overall goal of the historic preservation of Pittsburgh.  This project and the historic preservation of the city are two goals the mayor has to promote economic revitalization in the city.

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