What's New

"If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe, tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it."

—Brendan Gill, The New Yorker

Mattress Factory Breaks Ground

The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh’s art installation museum, has broken ground on the museum’s new gallery space. This Victorian-era row house—first built as an apartment building in 1890—will provide 2,500 square feet of space for exhibitions and programs. This third exhibition facility will ensure visitors always have something to see. Unlike many museums and institutions, the Mattress Factory has not expanded by purchasing and demolishing adjacent properties, they acquire non-contributing properties located throughout the North Side neighborhood and adapt them as spaces for exhibitions, education programs, artists’ housing and offices. This community revitalization effort promotes both historic preservation and green building design.

The Senator John Heinz History Center Expands

The Senator John Heinz History Center, will turn a nearby Strip District building into eight levels of climate-controlled storage and a place where the public can learn how to care for family mementos. Expected to open in 2013, the first floor will be staffed by employees who can advise people how to preserve artwork, textiles, photographs and furniture. An enclosed sky bridge will be built to connect both buildings' fourth floors.

Toonseum to Triple it's Space

ToonSeum, the museum dedicated to cartoon and comics art, will undergo an expansion and triple its space to more than 6,000 square feet. The expanded museum, located in Downtown’s Cultural District, will include an outdoor courtyard, an indoor reading and research space.

Phipps Conservatory Gets Green Addition

PittsburghPhipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is going to the outer limits of green in constructing its new education-and-research center. Plans are to create a “living building” with a self-contained energy and water supply. As part of the Living Building Challenge,Phipps 20,000-square-foot Center for Sustainable Landscapes will be a structure that is “net zero energy with on-site renewable sources providing all energy needs. When complete, it will exceed the standards required for LEED platinum certification, the most demanding standards on the books today.

PNC to Build Green Skyscraper

 PNC Financial Services Group will build the world’s greenest skyscraper – 40 stories and nearly all glass – in the heart of Downtown. The $400 million skyrise will serve as the worldwide headquarters and promises to exceed the highest ratings given for an environmentally friendly design given by the U.S. Green Building Council. In addition to office space, the development will also house street-level retail with 300 underground parking spaces. Construction is expected to begin in 2012, with completion set for mid-2015.

Point State Park Fountain to get Facelift

Point State Park, located in downtown Pittsburgh, is currently undergoing the final stages of a $35 million renovation. The fountain at Point State Park has been shut off since 2008 and is expected to, once again, sprout. The entire fountain renovations are expected to be completed late spring or early summer 2013.