Walnut Capital has agreed to save two historic Penn Avenue facades as part of its plans for a new 78-unit apartment project in East Liberty.
The Shadyside developer will incorporate the terra-cotta storefronts into the design of the new $14 million, six-story building on Penn.
Gregg Perelman, Walnut Capital CEO and founder, called the decision a “good solid compromise” reached after discussions with Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s office; East Liberty Development Inc., which owned the properties; and the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority.
“Working with the mayor’s office, they felt strongly that we needed to try to maintain the street facade as it exists today. We concurred and we went back and came up with a creative plan to do that,” Mr. Perelman said.
The two facades are part of four properties to be demolished to clear the way for the apartment complex, to be named The Penn at Walnut on Highland.
Mr. Perelman said the facades — one the former home of Bolan’s Candies — will be carefully deconstructed, categorized, photographed and stored before the buildings are demolished. They then will be rebuilt at roughly the same location and incorporated into the new building.
Walnut Capital started the work to dismantle the facades Tuesday. It will receive a $200,000 facade grant from the URA to help offset the costs.
Kevin Acklin, Mr. Peduto’s chief of staff, said the mayor’s office sought to save the facades and incorporate them into the new building “to further the mayor’s vision to preserve the history and character of the Penn Avenue business corridor in East Liberty.”
“We are thankful that Walnut and ELDI worked with us to achieve a result that preserves the rich history of the East Liberty community,” he said.
Walnut re-evaluated its plans after a proposal to demolish the four structures and feature parts of the facades in the apartment building’s courtyard prompted criticism from Mr. Peduto and local preservationists at a city planning commission meeting in December.
By incorporating the facades in the new building, Walnut will lose six apartment units. At one point, the developer had concerns about continuing with the project but in the end “a lot of people got together and made it work,” Mr. Perelman said. “We really felt it was important for all parties involved to try to make it work.”
Matthew Falcone, president of Preservation Pittsburgh, said it was difficult to comment on the reuse of the facades without seeing the plans.
Walnut hopes to open The Penn at Walnut on Highland in June 2016. It will feature high-end micro, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with private balconies as well as 16,000 square feet of retail space. Residents also will have access to the fitness center at the adjacent Walnut on Highland apartment complex.
“It’s a very, very unique project. It’s one for the books. I think people are going to be surprised when they see the results. It’s a very creative use of the space. [Architect] Strada and [contractor] P.J. Dick figured out a way to make it work,” Mr. Perelman said.
Once The Penn at Walnut and Bakery Living 2.0 open in summer 2016, Walnut Capital will have developed more than 500 upscale apartment units in the East Liberty corridor over the past several years. Others are Walnut on Highland and Bakery Living.
First Published: March 4, 2015, 5:00 a.m.