Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown (formerly the Hilton Pittsburgh) is a hotel in

Downtown Pittsburgh Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose ...

, with a prominent position in the Golden Triangle area adjacent to

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 ...

, 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 ...

and the Cultural District. Hilton announced plans for the skyscraper hotel on June 11, 1956 and ground was broken for it on September 20, 1957 with

Conrad Hilton Conrad Nicholson Hilton Sr. (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American businessman who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916 Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, but became disil ...

himself in attendance. It was opened for business with a special gala on December 3, 1959 again attended by Mr. Hilton as well as Governor Lawrence. The hotel is the city's largest with 712 rooms and over of conference facilities.

History

The hotel was built on the site of Pittsburgh's original "King's Garden"—a vegetable garden for soldiers at nearby Fort Pitt. For over 50 years the hotel, along with the

Mellon Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) ...

and the

William Penn Hotel The Omni William Penn Hotel is a 23 floor (3 underground) hotel located at 530 William Penn Place on Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including John F. Kennedy. The hotel staf ...

, was one of the key destinations for any distinguished visitor to the region. Among the significant events that the hotel hosted have been: *May 6–7, 1960: Presidential candidate

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

stays at the hotel and gives a major speech with mayor Joseph Barr in the ballroom, while on a two-day campaign tour of the region. *November 4, 1960: President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

gives a major speech at the hotel. *January 19, 1964: The Pro Football Hall of Fame meeting with

Art Rooney Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (January 27, 1901 – August 25, 1988), often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, an American football franchise in the National Football League (NFL), from 1933 until his death. ...

Pete Rozelle Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle (; March 1, 1926 – December 6, 1996) was an American businessman and executive. Rozelle served as the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) for nearly thirty years, from January 1960 until his retirement i ...

, Dick McCann, Gov. Lawrence, Justice White,

George Halas George Stanley Halas Sr. (; February 2, 1895October 31, 1983), nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was an American professional football player, coach, and team owner. He was the founder and owner of the National Football League's Chic ...

and

Vince Lombardi Vincent Thomas Lombardi (June 11, 1913 – September 3, 1970) was an American football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Lombardi is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is recognized a ...

all visiting. *April 24, 1964: President

attends a campaign rally to over 2,000 in the hotel's ballroom and speaks at a

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

conference at the hotel. *June 8–12, 1969

*October 6–7, 1970: Vice President

Spiro Agnew Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second vice president to resign the position, the other being John ...

gives a speech at the hotel and stays the night, amid 200 protestors clashing with police, 37 being arrested and a girl burning an American flag. *October 26, 1976: President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

addresses the Economic Club Conference at the hotel. *April 1980: State AFL-CIO convention. *September 4–5, 1980:

George Bush George Bush most commonly refers to: * George H. W. Bush (1924–2018), 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd president * George W. Bush (born 1946), 43rd president of the United States and son of the 41st president Georg ...

gives several campaign speeches and stays the night, completing his address to the "World Affairs Council". *July 16–18, 1981: The 58th annual International Brotherhood of Magicians Convention is held at the hotel. *April 6, 1983: President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

delivers a major address at the "Conference of Dislocated Workers" in the ballroom. *March 27, 1984: Vice President

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928 – April 19, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 42nd vice president of the United States from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. A U.S. senator from Minnesota ...

speaks at the AFL-CIO state convention. *June 29-July 6, 1986

*April 18, 1996: Former President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

visits. *August 5, 1996: The Democratic Party National Platform Convention is hosted by the hotel. *August 5, 2002: President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

stays at the hotel as he meets with survivors of the Quecreek Mine Rescue, he also hosts a news conference as he signs an Anti-Abortion bill into law in the ballroom. *June 22–28, 2008: Airports Council International Annual Marketing Communications Conference. *1961-2006: The annual host of the region's Dapper Dan Sports Awards Banquet. Hilton Hotels sold the hotel on May 22, 2006 to Shubh Hotels Pittsburgh LLC for $28 million.

Bankruptcy and Changes

In the 2000s the hotel faced increasing competition and subsequent financial problems. A troubled $25 million expansion plan announced in 2007 later saw the construction workers walk off the job site before completion of the project. In 2010, Shubh Hotels fired the hotel management company, Crescent Hotels & Resorts, after a legal battle. Prism Hotels & Resorts replaced Crescent. In September 2010,

Hilton Hotels & Resorts Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton Worldwide, Hilton. The original company was founded by C ...

announced that they were terminating their franchise agreement with Shubh Hotels Pittsburgh LLC due to failed inspection grades. The hotel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after the holder of its mortgage foreclosed. On November 23, 2010 the hotel officially became part of Wyndham Hotels, taking the name Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. Kiran Patel took over ownership on April 7, 2011 after a series of lawsuits were resolved. Renovations were 'completed' in January 2014 at a cost of $15 million. The additional added during the renovation includes three additional floors in the front of the hotel, a swimming pool, and increased conference facilities.

References

External links

* {{s-end Buildings and structures in Pittsburgh Skyscraper hotels in Pittsburgh Hotel buildings completed in 1959