The University of Pittsburgh is in the thick of a half-billion-dollar development boom at its Oakland campus.
From Forbes Avenue to Allequippa Street, Pitt is transforming its sprawling grounds by erecting two new major sports and recreational facilities and upgrading three existing buildings, including the home of its medical school.
In all, Pitt is spending $583.5 million on the enhancements. And that doesn’t even include a handful of smaller projects involving spots like Heinz Chapel, Mazeroski Field, Thaw Hall, and the University Club.
In some ways, Pitt is making up for lost time.
“Projects that were paused due to the pandemic are now underway, hence the additional development activity,” a university spokesman said.
Construction has already started on the most expensive project — a $250 million recreation and wellness center being built on O’Hara Street in North Oakland at the site of a former parking garage.
The 270,000-square-foot complex, which replaces the Baierl Student Recreation Center at the Petersen Events Center, is designed to “champion students’ mental and physical wellness,” according to the university.
It will feature multiple gyms and fitness areas, an aquatics center, a jogging track, specialized activity spaces, and dining facilities. Approved by the city Planning Commission last month, the project is scheduled for completion in fall 2024.
But that’s just the start.
The rec and wellness center will be somewhat of a complement to the second-most expensive project on Pitt’s to-do list — a $240 million athletics complex that will include a new arena with up to 3,000 seats.
Part of the university’s Victory Heights initiative, the arena and sports performance center will be built on vacant land next to Petersen Events Center and will serve 16 of Pitt’s 19 intercollegiate athletic programs.
The centerpiece is the arena, which will be used for gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling. It will replace the 70-year-old Fitzgerald Field House, whose future is still being decided by the university.
It will be supplemented by the performance center, which will focus on meeting the strength and conditioning, sports medicine, nutrition and mental health needs of Pitt athletes.
Construction is expected to start next year, with completion targeted for fall 2025.
Perhaps the most visible project, at least to visitors along the Forbes corridor, is the ongoing $34 million renovation of the Hillman Library.
As part of the latest phase, Pitt is planning to build a three-story glass addition at the corner of Forbes and Schenley Drive that will double as the library’s entryway. It will also feature a roof terrace open to visitors.
Other aspects include upgraded library floors; an expanded and relocated open lab; a bigger indoor/outdoor cafe; a large open study area with movable furniture; and an accessible ramp entrance on the Forbes side of the library.
The goal of the rehab is to offer “a reimagined hub of intellectual activity on campus, providing services, resources and inspiring spaces that advance academic study, stimulate innovation, encourage exploration and foster collaboration,” the university stated.
Some of the work is scheduled to be done within the next month. The entryway addition is currently pending before the planning commission.
At Alan Magee Scaife Hall, Pitt’s medical school, another $32 million in improvements are in the works to supplement the construction of a seven-story, 104,800-square-foot west wing addition.
The latest renovations, approved by the university’s property and facilities committee last month, include upgrades to lecture halls, laboratories and group study spaces covering 47,400 square feet over four floors.
They will complement the construction of the west wing addition, which will house a 600-seat auditorium for lectures, classrooms, teaching labs, a simulation center, and anatomy lab. It is set for completion next winter, with phase two to be done in 2024.
For Pitt students, the most mouthwatering aspect of the building boom might be the $27.5 million in work planned for the Eatery, the university’s largest dining location in the Litchfield Towers dorm on Fifth Avenue.
The idea is to transform the spot into “a social gathering hub” that will feature “contemporary, diverse dining concepts, venues, and menu choices” and “community building enhancements through space layout and seating types.”
Also planned are kitchen and back-of-the-house upgrades. Work is expected to start in May and be finished by fall 2024.
While not as sizable in scale, other projects planned by Pitt involve replacement of the Heinz Chapel fleche, or spire, which is more than 83 years old, and renovations to the University Club’s outdoor fourth-floor terrace, including repairs to its historic railing.
In addition, the university is aiming to replace the Thaw Hall roof and the steps from Forbes Avenue to the Schenley Quad and to build a cistern under Mazeroski Field to recycle runoff rainwater for its chilled water system.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.
First Published: December 5, 2022, 11:00 a.m.
