Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District,
is the urban downtown center of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
. It is located at the confluence of the
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
and the
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...
whose joining forms the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
. The triangle is bounded by the two rivers.
The area features offices for major corporations such as
PNC Bank
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (stylized as PNC) is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 states and the District of ...
,
U.S. Steel
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...
,
PPG,
Bank of New York Mellon
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, commonly known as BNY Mellon, is an American investment banking services holding company headquartered in New York City. BNY Mellon was formed from the merger of The Bank of New York and the Mellon Fina ...
,
Heinz,
Federated Investors
Federated Hermes is an investment manager headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1955 and incorporated on October 18, 1957, the company manages $624 billion of customer assets, as of Sept. 30, 2022. The company offe ...
, and
Alcoa
Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...
. It is where the fortunes of such industrial barons as
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
,
Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick (December 19, 1849 – December 2, 1919) was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a maj ...
,
Henry J. Heinz,
Andrew Mellon
Andrew William Mellon (; March 24, 1855 – August 26, 1937), sometimes A. W. Mellon, was an American banker, businessman, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector, and politician. From the wealthy Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylva ...
and
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age ...
were made. It contains the site where the French fort,
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort French colonization of the Americas, established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny River, Allegheny and Monongahela River, Monongahela rivers. It was lat ...
, once stood.
Location
The Central Business District is bounded by the
Monongahela Rive Monongahela or Mon Valley may refer to:
Places
*Monongahela, Pennsylvania, a city in Washington County
**Monongahela Cemetery, a historic cemetery in Monongahela City, Pennsylvania
** Monongahela City Bridge, spans the Monongahela River
*Monongahel ...
r to the south, the
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
to the north, and
I-579 (Crosstown Boulevard) to the east. An expanded definition of Downtown may include the adjacent neighborhoods of
Uptown/The Bluff, the
Strip District, the
North Shore, and the
South Shore.
Transportation
Public transportation
Downtown is served by the
Port Authority's
light rail subway system (known locally as the "T"), an extensive bus network, and two
inclines (
Duquesne Incline
The Duquesne Incline () is a funicular located near Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood and scaling Mt. Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Designed by Hungarian-American engineer Samuel Diescher, the incline was completed ...
and
Monongahela Incline
The Monongahela Incline is a funicular located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed and built by Prussian-born engineer John Endres in 1870, it is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the United Sta ...
). The Downtown portion of the subway has the following stations:
''T Stations''
*
Station Square
Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...
on the South Shore in the
Station Square
Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...
development (street-level station)
*
First Avenue near First Avenue & Ross Street, Downtown (elevated station)
*
Steel Plaza at Sixth Avenue & Grant Street, Downtown (underground station)
* Penn Plaza near Liberty Avenue & Grant Street, Downtown (underground, limited service)
*
Wood Street at the triangular intersection of Wood Street, Sixth Avenue, and Liberty Avenue, Downtown (underground station)
*
Gateway Center at Liberty Avenue & Stanwix Street, Downtown (underground station)
*
North Side near General Robinson Street & Tony Dorsett Drive on the North Shore (underground station)
*
Allegheny near Allegheny Avenue & Reedsdale Street on the North Shore (elevated station)
Downtown is also home to the
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
train station connecting Pittsburgh with New York City,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, and Washington, D.C. to the east and
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
and Chicago to the west.
Greyhound
The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...
's Pittsburgh bus terminal is located across Liberty Avenue from the Amtrak Station, in the Grant Street Transportation Center building.
Highways
Major roadways serving Downtown from the suburbs include the "Parkway East" (
I-376) from
Monroeville, the "Parkway West" (
I-376) from the
airport
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
area, and the "Parkway North" (
I-279) from the
North Hills, and (
I-579) in Downtown Pittsburgh. Other important roadways are
Pennsylvania Route 28
Pennsylvania Route 28 (PA 28) is a major state highway which runs for from Anderson Street in Pittsburgh to U.S. Route 219 (US 219) in Brockway in Pennsylvania. From Pittsburgh to Kittanning it is a limited access expressway named the ...
,
Pennsylvania Route 51
Pennsylvania Route 51 (PA 51) is a major state highway in Western Pennsylvania. It runs for from Uniontown to the Ohio state line near Darlington, where it connects with Ohio State Route 14. PA 51 is the termination point for Pennsylvania R ...
,
Pennsylvania Route 65
Pennsylvania Route 65 (PA 65, also known as the 65th Infantry Division Memorial Highway), is a major state highway located in western Pennsylvania, United States. The route, traveling north–south from the Interstate 279/ U.S. Route 19 Truck ( ...
, and
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie.
The highway's southern ...
.
Three major entrances to the city are via tunnels: the
Fort Pitt Tunnel
The Fort Pitt Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It connects the West End region on the southwest side to the South Shore neighborhood on the northeast side. The adjoining Fort Pitt Bridge on the ...
and
Squirrel Hill Tunnel on
I-376 and the
Liberty Tunnels
The Liberty Tunnels (also known as the Liberty Tubes) are a pair of tunnels located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States that allow motorists to travel between the South Hills of Pittsburgh and the city, beneath Mt. Washington. The tunne ...
. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' once called Pittsburgh "the only city with an entrance," specifically referring to the view of Downtown that explodes upon drivers immediately upon exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel. Also traveling
I-279 south and
I-376, the city "explodes into view" when coming around a turn in the highway.
Local streets
Downtown surface streets are based on two distinct grid systems that parallel the
Allegheny and
Monongahela rivers.
These two grids intersect along Liberty Avenue, creating many unusual street intersections. Furthermore, the Allegheny grid contains numbered streets, while the Monongahela grid contains numbered avenues. And, in fact, there are cases where these numbered roadways intersect, creating some confusion (i.e. the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 7th Street/6th Avenue). This unusual grid pattern leads to Pittsburghers giving directions in the terms of landmarks, rather than turn-by-turn directions.
Bridges
Pittsburgh is nicknamed "The City of Bridges". In Downtown, there are 10 bridges (listed below) connecting to points north and south. The expanded definition of Downtown (including the aforementioned surrounding neighborhoods) includes 18 bridges. Citywide there are 446 bridges. In Allegheny County the number exceeds 2,200.
''Downtown Bridges''
*
Fort Pitt Bridge
The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double-decked tied arch bridge, bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries Interstate 376 between the Fort Pitt Tunn ...
carries
I-376 (Previously
I-279) between Downtown and the
Fort Pitt Tunnel
The Fort Pitt Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel under Mount Washington in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It connects the West End region on the southwest side to the South Shore neighborhood on the northeast side. The adjoining Fort Pitt Bridge on the ...
*
Fort Duquesne Bridge
The Fort Duquesne Bridge is a steel bowstring arch bridge that spans the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was colloquially referred to as "The Bridge to Nowhere".
History
The bridge was constructed from 1958-1963 by PennDOT, and ...
carries
I-279 between Downtown and the North Shore
*
Smithfield Street Bridge
The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
The bridge was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the engineer who later designed the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. The ...
carries Smithfield Street between Downtown and the South Shore
*
Panhandle Bridge
The Panhandle Bridge (officially the Monongahela River Bridge) carries two rail lines of the Port Authority "T" line across the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The name comes from Pennsylvania Railroad subsidiary Pittsburgh, Ci ...
carries the city's
light rail transit system between Downtown and the South Shore
*
Liberty Bridge connects the
Liberty Tunnel
The Liberty Tunnels (also known as the Liberty Tubes) are a pair of tunnels located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States that allow motorists to travel between the South Hills of Pittsburgh and the city, beneath Mt. Washington. The tunne ...
to
I-579 Downtown
*
Roberto Clemente Bridge
The Roberto Clemente Bridge, also known as the Sixth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
History
First bridge
The original bridge at the site was a wooden covered bridge with six spans, ...
(formerly 6th St Bridge) connects 6th Street Downtown to Federal Street on the North Shore at
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...
*
Andy Warhol Bridge
Andy Warhol Bridge, also known as the Seventh Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh. It is the only bridge in the United States named for a visual artist. It was opened at a cost of $1.5 million on June 17, 1926, in a ...
(formerly 7th St Bridge) connects 7th Street Downtown to Sandusky Street on the North Shore at the
Andy Warhol Museum
The Andy Warhol Museum is located on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. The museum holds an extensive permanent collection of art and arc ...
*
Rachel Carson Bridge __NOTOC__
Rachel Carson Bridge, also known as the Ninth Street Bridge, spans the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. The total length is including the main span and two side spans, or including the appr ...
(formerly 9th St Bridge) connects 9th Street Downtown to Anderson Street on the North Shore
*
Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge
The Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge, listed as the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge on the National Register of Historic Places, is a double-deck steel truss railroad bridge spanning the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The upper deck carrie ...
carries freight and
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
trains from Downtown to the North Shore
*
Veterans Bridge carries
I-579 from Downtown to the North Side
''Bridges of Expanded Downtown''
*
West End Bridge carries US Route 19 from the West End/South Shore to the North Shore/North Side just west of Downtown
*
16th Street Bridge carries 16th Street from the Strip District to Chestnut Street on the North Side
*
West Penn Bridge (pedestrian/bike-only) is part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail connecting the North Side to
Washington's Landing
Herrs Island, also known as Washington's Landing, is an island in the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is officially considered part of the Troy Hill neighborhood.
Rehabilitation
As a result of the industrial ...
on Herr's Island
*
30th Street Bridge
The 30th Street Bridge, is a girder bridge that carries vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River between the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Troy Hill and Herrs Island (known by the moniker of Washington's Landing). This is the fourth bridge ...
connects River Avenue on the North Side with Waterfront Drive on
Washington's Landing
Herrs Island, also known as Washington's Landing, is an island in the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is officially considered part of the Troy Hill neighborhood.
Rehabilitation
As a result of the industrial ...
at Herr's Island
*
31st Street Bridge connects PA Route 28 on the North Side with 31st Street in the Strip District
*
33rd Street Railroad Bridge connects the North Side to the Strip District and crosses Herr's Island
*
South 10th Street Bridge connects the Armstrong Tunnel at Second Avenue just east of Downtown with the South Side at South 10th Street
*
Birmingham Bridge
The Birmingham Bridge (known during construction as the Brady Street Bridge) is a bowstring arch bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which crosses over the Monongahela River. The bridge connects East Carson Street on the South Side with Fifth a ...
connects East Carson Street on the South Side with Fifth and Forbes avenues in Uptown
Downtown districts
Downtown contains a wealth of historic, cultural, and entertainment sites. While most people still consider the entire Downtown as one neighborhood, there are several significant subdistricts within the Golden Triangle.
* The
Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District
The Pittsburgh Central Downtown Historic District is a historic district in the Central Business District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is composed of multiple late eighteenth-century buildings which illustrate "Pittsburgh's e ...
is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...
in the central business district. It is bounded by Wood Street, Forbes Avenue, Grant Street, and Liberty Avenue. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
(NRHP) on December 17, 1985.
*
Point State Park
Point State Park (locally known as The Point) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River.
Built on land acqu ...
area: At the triangle's tip is
Point State Park
Point State Park (locally known as The Point) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River.
Built on land acqu ...
with its giant fountain and the
Fort Pitt Museum
Fort Pitt Museum is an indoor/outdoor museum that is administered by the Senator John Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers ...
. This park was the original site of both
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort French colonization of the Americas, established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny River, Allegheny and Monongahela River, Monongahela rivers. It was lat ...
by the French and the subsequent
Fort Pitt by the British.
* The
Cultural District along Penn and Liberty avenues on the Allegheny River includes numerous theaters, galleries, and concert halls including
Heinz Hall
Heinz Hall is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, the 2,676 sea ...
,
Byham Theater
The Byham Theater is a landmark building at 101 Sixth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built in 1903 as The Gayety Theater, the former vaudeville house was renovated and reopened as ...
,
O'Reilly Theater,
Benedum Center, and
Wood Street Galleries
Wood Street Galleries, a visual arts project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is a gallery located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spann ...
as well as restaurants and housing. The
Penn-Liberty Historic District encompasses the Penn & Liberty avenue corridor in the Cultural District.
* The Fifth & Forbes Corridor is Downtown's shopping district along Fifth and Forbes avenues and includes historic
Market Square. Downtown is home to numerous independent retailers plus large retailers such as
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price department store retailer, and a division of Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation with more than 1,000 stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico, with i ...
and
Brooks Brothers
Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...
.
* The
Grant Street
Grant Street is the main government and business corridor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is home to the global headquarters of U.S. Steel, Koppers Chemicals, and Oxford Development. It also is home to the seat of Allegheny County, City of Pitts ...
area is the seat of Pittsburgh's and
Allegheny County's government and is also a prestigious corporate address with many of the city's tallest skyscrapers.
* The Firstside neighborhood along the Boulevard of the Allies and Fort Pitt Boulevard adjacent to the Monongahela River is an educational and residential district. It is home to
Point Park University
Point Park University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Grea ...
and the
Art Institute of Pittsburgh
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh was a private college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly before closing in 2019, it was purchased by Dream Center Education Holdings (in turn a division of The Dream Center, a Christian non-profit 501(c)(3) o ...
both of which have high-rise student housing in the neighborhood. Numerous other residential projects are also under construction in this neighborhood.
Economy
Downtown Pittsburgh retains substantial economic influence, ranking at 25th in the nation for jobs within the urban core and 6th in job density.
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
economist Christopher Briem notes that the level of employment in the city has remained largely constant for the past 50 years: "
hetime series of jobs located in the City proper are about as stable as any economic metric in the region, or in any other Northeastern US urban core, over many decades. In 1958,
here were
Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to:
Software
* Here Technologies, a mapping company
* Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here
Television
* Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
294,000 jobs located in the city proper…Those numbers are virtually identical today which tells me there is a certain limit to how many jobs can efficiently be located in what are some relatively (very) constrained areas."
These numbers reflect employment in the city as a whole, not just the central business district; but the central business district has the highest density of employment of any Pittsburgh neighborhood.
Pittsburgh has long been a headquarters city, with numerous national and global corporations calling the Golden Triangle home. Currently, Downtown is still home to a large number of
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
companies (7 in the metro area, 5 of which are in the city in 2022, which ranks Pittsburgh high nationally in Fortune 500 headquarters):
*
Kraft Heinz
The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC), commonly known as Kraft Heinz, is an American multinational food company formed by the merger of Kraft Foods and Heinz co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Kraft Heinz is the third-largest food and beverage ...
– co-headquartered in
PPG Place
*
PNC Financial Services
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (stylized as PNC) is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 U.S. state, states and the D ...
– headquartered in the
Tower at PNC Plaza
The Tower at PNC Plaza is a 33-story skyscraper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the corporate headquarters of the PNC Financial Services Group and has approximately , standing 33 stories (545 feet) tall. Nearby buildings totaling , were purch ...
*
PPG Industries
– headquartered in
PPG Place
*
WESCO International
WESCO International, Inc. is an American publicly traded Fortune 500 holding company for WESCO Distribution, a multinational electrical distribution and services company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
WESCO International, Inc. is a provid ...
– headquartered at
Station Square
Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...
*
U.S. Steel
United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...
– headquartered at the
US Steel Tower
The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the tallest buil ...
Downtown is also home to
GNC,
Dollar Bank
Dollar Bank is a full-service regional savings bank serving both individuals and business customers, operating more than 70 offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia. The bank's Pennsylvania headquarters is located in downtown Pit ...
,
Equitable Resources
EQT Corporation is an American energy company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and pipeline transport. It is headquartered in EQT Plaza in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
EQT is the largest natural gas producer in the Appalachian Basin with 19.802 ...
,
Duquesne Light,
Federated Investors
Federated Hermes is an investment manager headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1955 and incorporated on October 18, 1957, the company manages $624 billion of customer assets, as of Sept. 30, 2022. The company offe ...
and
Highmark
Highmark is an American non-profit healthcare company and Integrated Delivery Network based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a large individual not-for-profit health insurer in the United States, which operates several for-pro ...
as well as the regional headquarters for
Citizens Bank,
Ariba
SAP Ariba is an American software and information technology services company located in Palo Alto, California. It was acquired by German software maker SAP SE for $4.3 billion in 2012.
Company beginnings
Ariba (now SAP Ariba) was founded in ...
, and
Dominion Resources
Dominion Energy, Inc., commonly referred to as Dominion, is a North American power and energy company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia that supplies electricity in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and supplies natural gas t ...
. Regional healthcare giant
UPMC has its corporate headquarters in the
US Steel Tower
The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the tallest buil ...
.
Major buildings
*
11 Stanwix Street
*
525 William Penn Place
*
Allegheny County Courthouse
The Allegheny County Courthouse in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is part of a complex (along with the old Allegheny County Jail) designed by H. H. Richardson. The buildings are considered among the finest examples of the Romanesque Revi ...
*
Benedum Center
*
BNY Mellon Center
*
Byham Theater
The Byham Theater is a landmark building at 101 Sixth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally built in 1903 as The Gayety Theater, the former vaudeville house was renovated and reopened as ...
*
City-County Building
*
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLLCC) is a convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is served by two exits on Interstate 579. The initial David L. Lawrence ...
*
EQT Plaza
EQT Plaza, formerly known as the CNG Tower and later the Dominion Tower, is a major and distinctive skyscraper in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The structure was built for Consolidated Natural Gas, a regional energy company. In 1999, CNG was ...
*
Heinz Hall
Heinz Hall is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, the 2,676 sea ...
*
Fifth Avenue Place
*
Federated Tower
Federated Tower is a 358 ft (109 m) tall skyscraper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The building is part of Liberty Center, a two building complex which also includes the Westin Convention Center Hotel. It was completed in 1986 and has 27 floor ...
First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh*
Frick Building
The Frick Building is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The tower was built by and is named for Henry Clay Frick, an industrialist coke producer who created a portfolio of ...
*
Gateway Center
*
Grant Building
*
Gulf Tower
The Gulf Tower is a 44-story, Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tower is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of the city and is named for the Gulf Oil Corporation, one of the leading multinational ...
*
K&L Gates Center
K&L Gates Center is a skyscraper office building located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The building (long known as One Oliver Plaza and briefly as FreeMarkets Center and later Ariba Center) was completed in 1968. It has 39 floors, and ri ...
*
Koppers Tower
Koppers Building is a historical building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, commissioned by Andrew W. Mellon and completed in 1929. The building is named after the Koppers Chemical Corporation and is one of the major features of Downtown Pittsburgh. ...
*
O'Reilly Theater
*
Oxford Centre
One Oxford Centre is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of Downtown Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, United States. The complex is named for Oxford Development, the developer and previous owner.
Among the commercial tenants of One ...
*
Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals.
Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to
Current train stations
* Baltimore Penn Station
* Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...
*
One PNC Plaza
One PNC Plaza is a high-rise office building located in the Golden Triangle neighborhood of the Central Business District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the Unit ...
*
Two PNC Plaza
Two PNC Plaza (once known as Equibank Plaza) is a high-rise office building located in the Downtown Pittsburgh, Golden Triangle of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Constructed in 1976, it is 446 feet (136 m) in height and has 34 stories, ...
*
Three PNC Plaza
Three PNC Plaza is a tall skyscraper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was announced on December 19, 2005 and completed in 2009 with 23 floors. It was the tallest building constructed in the city since Highmark Tower was completed in 1988, until T ...
*
Trinity Cathedral, downtown
*
PPG Place
*
Regional Enterprise Tower
The Alcoa Building (a.k.a. the Regional Enterprise Tower) is a skyscraper in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was completed in 1953 and has 31 floors. It is the 15th tallest building in the city and is adjacent to Mellon Square. A unique ...
*
Union Trust Building
*
US Steel Tower
The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the tallest buil ...
*
William S. Moorhead Federal Building
The William S. Moorhead Federal Building is a -tall skyscraper that is located in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Plans for the building were announced on November 9, 1958, and the structure was completed in 1964.
It has twenty- ...
Hotels
Downtown is home to the following hotels:
*
Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown
Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown (formerly the Hilton Pittsburgh) is a hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, with a prominent position in the Golden Triangle area adjacent to Point State Park, the Fort Pitt Museum and the Cultural District. Hilton annou ...
*
Omni William Penn
*
Pittsburgh Marriott City Center
*
Renaissance Pittsburgh
*
Fairmont Pittsburgh
*
Westin Convention Center Hotel
*
Doubletree Pittsburgh City Center
*
Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
*
Cambria Suites Pittsburgh
*
Embassy Suites
Embassy Suites by Hilton is a chain of upper upscale all-suite hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. As of December 31, 2019, there are 257 locations in five countries and territories with 59,712 rooms. Similar to other Hilton brands, 212 Em ...
(opens 2015)
*
Drury Hotel (opens 2015)
*
Hilton Garden Inn (under construction)
*
Hampton Inn & Suites (located on the edge of the
Strip District)
*
Sheraton Station Square (located in the South Shore's
Station Square
Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...
)
*
SpringHill Suites
SpringHill Suites is a brand operated by Marriott International offering all-suite hotels that target the upper-moderate lodging tier of the industry. As of June 30, 2020, it has 470 hotels with 55,595 rooms in addition to 187 hotels with 21,307 ...
(located on the North Shore)
*
Hyatt Place
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacat ...
(located on the North Shore)
*
Residence Inn by Marriott
Residence Inn by Marriott is a brand of extended stay hotels. , there were 874 Residence Inn hotels in the United States, Canada and Mexico with 107,680 rooms, plus an additional 243 hotels with 30,417 rooms in the development pipeline. The brand ...
(located on the North Shore)
*
Holiday Inn Express
Holiday Inn Express is a mid-priced hotel chain within the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands. Originally founded as an "express" hotel, their focus is on offering limited services at a reasonable price. Standard amenities lean tow ...
(located on the South Side)
*
Distrikt Hotel
Parks and plazas
Downtown is home to numerous parks, large and small:
*
Point State Park
Point State Park (locally known as The Point) is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River.
Built on land acqu ...
at the tip of the Golden Triangle
*
Mellon Square
Mellon Square is an urban park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the first Modernist park built above a parking garage. With its distinctive black, white and green geometric pavement, it is a prominent urban oasis and gathering spot ...
located in the square between Oliver & Sixth avenues and Smithfield Street and William Penn Place
*
Market Square at Forbes Avenue & Market Street
*
Mellon Green located at Grant Street & Sixth Avenue
* FirstSide Park located between Grant & Ross streets and First & Second avenues.
* Gateway Center plazas located around the
Gateway Center skyscrapers near Liberty Avenue & Stanwix Street
* Plaza at
PPG Place near Third Avenue & Market Street
*
US Steel Tower
The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the tallest buil ...
Plaza at Grant Street & Sixth Avenue
* Katz Plaza at Penn Avenue & Seventh Street
* Triangle Park bounded by Liberty Avenue, Fifth Avenue & Market Street
*
Allegheny Riverfront Park
Allegheny Riverfront Park is a municipal park that runs along the south bank of the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh.
It is a parcel of the Three Rivers Park, the city's grand urban waterfront park project along its rivers that will pr ...
along the
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...
below Fort Duquesne Boulevard
* Mon Wharf Landing along the
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in North Cen ...
below Fort Pitt Boulevard (under construction)
*
North Shore Riverfront Park opposite Downtown along the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, part of the larger
Three Rivers Park
Three Rivers Park is a public urban waterfront park along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The park, under development since 2000, is currently defined by the boundaries of the West End Bridge over the ...
Educational facilities
While Pittsburgh's
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
neighborhood is known as the educational center of the city, Downtown is home to several higher education institutions as well as a branch of the city's
Carnegie Library system and a
Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district serving the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (except for two small parts served by the Baldwin-Whitehall School District) and adjacent Mount Oliver. As of the 2021–2022 school year, the ...
6–12 school:
*
Point Park University
Point Park University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Grea ...
* The
Art Institute of Pittsburgh
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh was a private college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly before closing in 2019, it was purchased by Dream Center Education Holdings (in turn a division of The Dream Center, a Christian non-profit 501(c)(3) o ...
*
Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts (also known as Pennsylvania Culinary Institute)
*
Robert Morris University
Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 b ...
's Downtown branch
*
Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6–12
*
City Charter High School
Residential areas
Downtown has several condos, including Gateway Towers and Chatham Place dating to the 1960s
and more modern structures as well. There are over 5,000 apartment and condo units in Greater Downtown Pittsburgh.
Surrounding neighborhoods
*
The Bluff/Uptown
*
Crawford-Roberts neighborhood in the
Hill District
The Hill District is a grouping of historically African American neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, "the Hill" was the cultural center of black life in the city and a major cent ...
*
North Shore (across the Allegheny River)
*
South Shore (across the Monongahela River)
*
South Side Flats
The South Side Flats is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's South Side area. It is located just south of the Monongahela River. The neighborhood has one of the City of Pittsburgh's largest concentrations of 19th-century homes, which ha ...
(across the Monongahela River)
*
Strip District
See also
*
List of Pittsburgh neighborhoods
This is a list of 90 neighborhoods in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Generally neighborhood development followed ward boundaries, although the City Planning Commission has defined some neighborhood areas. The map of neighbor ...
References
Further reading
*
Michael Pellas (2015). ''Why We Live in Downtown Pittsburgh''
External links
Downtown Pittsburgh
*
{{Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Neighborhoods in Pittsburgh
Economy of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
Academic enclaves
Shopping districts and streets in the United States