Trading Places
Living downtown and in the nearby Strip District is a growing trend, and the number of residents there is expected to increase by 20 percent this year. Meet three couples and two singles who left the sprawling suburbs for high-rise living and are loving city life.
By Anne Lutz Zacharias
Photos by Becky Thurner Braddock
They sit in a glass room. The fire's reflection dances on the warm wood floor. Black-granite countertops and sleek furniture create a feeling of contemporary elegance. But it's the view... the view mesmerizes; it distracts the conversation; it takes their breath away. The buildings look close enough to touch. Their surfaces reflect the city's glow with occasional windows of light punctuating the darkness. They can see tiny ice-skaters in the distance. It feels like New York, Chicago, San Francisco. But it's not... it's Pittsburgh. Living right in the heart of the city - downtown and the nearby Strip District - is a growing trend in Pittsburgh. It's hot, and it shows no signs of stopping. The number of people living in the Golden Triangle area is expected to increase by 20 percent in 2009. To compare, in 1990, 1,569 people lived in the area. In 2000, 1,645 people called the Golden Triangle home, and by 2008, the number was up to 2,148. This local trend has been mirrored on the national level and even has been reflected in popular television shows, notes Patricia Burk, vice president for housing and economic development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP). "Seinfeld," "Frazier," "Friends" and even "Sesame Street" all portray urban living as fun and exciting. Those selling points are embraced by the PDP, which was formed in 1994 by downtown businesses, professionals, civic organizations, foundations and residents to improve downtown and make it a premier location to live, work, play, shop, dine and visit. Since the Renaissance I era in Pittsburgh following World War II, there has been an interest in creating living spaces that offer easy access to the advantages and amenities of being in close proximity to downtown and its environs. Architect I.M. Pei's Washington Plaza arose in the late-1950s; Chatham Center, Gateway and Allegheny towers and other sites were added during the ensuing decades. In the late-1980s, the magnificent Union Station was transformed into The Pennsylvanian. The most recent surge in housing opportunities in the Golden Triangle area started around 1998, Burk reports. "We started to be proactive about growing downtown housing, making downtown more livable, and making people aware of downtown as an option to live," says Burk. That year, the Downtown Housing Working Group was established by city officials, foundations and others to provide an ongoing forum to discuss stimulating downtown housing development and the issues affecting its growth. The group first helped secure parking leases for downtown residents that eliminated the parking tax. It then sought and received funding from the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Strategic Initiative and others to close the gap on the mortgage to convert what's now the Penn Garrison Lofts (the former GNC headquarters) into apartments. These days, with more than $523 million of housing either under construction or in planning stages in the Golden Triangle, the members have never looked back. Burk, a downtown resident herself, says there's a building for everyone - industrial, funky, sleek, stylish, sophisticated. The buzz keeps growing. PDP's research shows that 85,000 people in Pittsburgh's metro area are both interested and able to live in greater downtown. And no wonder. Residents of this area can generally walk to work. On the way home, they may duck into their local "Cheers" bar to swap a few stories. On Saturday, they often take advantage of the Strip District for fresh vegetables and exotic cheeses. They savor the city while biking and running on the plentiful river trails. Two-thirds of the people who move to the heart of the Golden Triangle area are not from the city, says Burk. More and more suburban residents are trading their commutes, yard work and big houses for a simpler urban lifestyle. Read on and meet some of the people who have chosen Pittsburgh's burgeoning Center City neighborhood.
AN AERIE FOR EMPTY-NESTERS
After living in Peters Township for 23 years and raising three children, Jean and Don Mosites decided it was time to downsize. "We looked for about a year and considered Shadyside, Sewickley and Mount Washington," says Jean, "but it just became clear that downtown was where we wanted to be."
So, they donned hard hats and rode the freight elevator to choose the exact floor and view for their new condo at 151 First Side, which opened in late 2007 and boasted being the first new condo construction in the Golden Triangle since 1968. "We combined two units," says Jean of their 16th-floor home, where they moved last April. The open floor plan with wrap-around windows makes for spectacular city views in all directions. The space has a distinctly Manhattan feel.
"Our house in Peters was very traditional," says Jean, "so we brought about one-third of our furniture."
The Mositeses relocated here at a time when all the fountains were turned on, and the flowers were blooming all over downtown. The beautiful walk to work convinced Jean they had made the right decision.
Jean, who works as an attorney at Jones Day, says she went from a 1 1/2- hour commute each way to a 10-minute walk. Don owns four bicycle shops around town, and he is more centrally located as well. "It really gives you more time in the day," she says.
The Mositeses find Pittsburgh to be manageable, clean and safe. They love the access to theaters and restaurants.
"On Penn Avenue, there are so many fun restaurants, and Market Square has a farmers' market through November," notes Jean.
In the summer, she bikes to the Strip, walks to BYS Yoga on the South Side and occasionally puts on her in-line skates. She and Don watch fireworks after the Pirates games; in the winter, they ice-skate at PPG Place. This year, Jean says they saw the annual downtown Thanksgiving parade for the first time in their lives.
Because she loves to cook, Jean admits she does miss her herb garden in Peters. "I've never been a container gardener," she says. "I'll have to learn that."
People of all ages reside in the building, and everyone is extremely friendly, she says. "We're right in the middle of new things that are happening... This apartment turned out to be exactly what we wanted."