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Students walk up the steps at the Petersen Events Center next to construction for the Victory Heights and Cardiac Hill projects on the Pitt campus above De Soto St. in Oakland Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
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A new Pitt project will offer a less tiresome route up ‘Cardiac Hill’

Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette

A new Pitt project will offer a less tiresome route up ‘Cardiac Hill’

School officials hope 'Panther overlook,' a nearly 2-acre hillside development, will transform the space into an 'urban oasis'

Living on Pitt’s upper campus means that hiking up De Soto Street — more commonly known as “Cardiac Hill” — is a regular activity for University of Pittsburgh student Matthew Lu.

“It’s horrible walking up that hill,” said Mr. Lu, a sophomore studying computer science.

Pitt students must trek up the steep street to reach the Petersen Events Center, Trees Hall Fitness Center and several dormitories such as Panther Hall, where Mr. Lu lives.

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But soon, students will be able to bypass this leg-burning journey thanks to Panther Overlook — a nearly 2-acre hillside development that school officials hope will transform the space between O’Hara Street and Utterback Drive into an “urban oasis.”

The overlook will feature pedestrian and bicycle pathways, a hammock grove, an amphitheater, tables and plenty of greenery. It will connect O’Hara Street to Dammond Drive and Allequippa Street, and the Petersen Events Center to the new Campus Recreation and Wellness Center.

Image DescriptionRenderings of Panther Overlook, a new project at Pitt that will offer students the chance to bypass “cardiac hill” while enjoying an amphitheater, hammock grove and greenery. (Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh)

Students will be able to access the overlook by a new stairway or — for those who cannot or opt not to make the hike — an express elevator. The five-story elevator, located in the new wellness center, will allow students to completely bypass the aches and pains of Cardiac Hill.

“It will be transformational for the connection from upper campus and the students who live [there] to O’Hara Street and the city fabric of Oakland,” said Gina Bleck, Pitt’s vice chancellor for planning, design and construction.

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But Panther Overlook will do more than alleviate tired students’ legs, Ms. Bleck said. The development “leans into Pitt’s urbanity” and offers a connection point between upper and middle campus, she explained.

“It will create an oasis and a sense of place in the midst of these connections,” Ms. Bleck said. “... Having a stopping point and moments where you get to pause in your day and overlook Oakland and the Cathedral of Learning, I think is important for health and well-being.”

The project, which kicked off in October, will cost the university $14.5 million. It is slated for completion in spring 2026.

Image DescriptionStairs under construction above O’Hara Street near the Victory Heights and Cardiac Hill projects on the Pitt Campus in Oakland on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. (Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette)

It is a piece in Pitt’s Hillside Area Development transformation, which includes construction of the wellness center and Victory Heights, a $240 million athletics compound located next to the Petersen Events Center that will include a 3,000-seat arena.

Pitt students expressed optimism about the project — and the prospect of avoiding Cardiac Hill — though some feel the hike up is overblown.

“People need to grow up a bit,” joked Tommy Selwood, a sophomore studying psychology.

Mr. Selwood, like Mr. Lu, lives in Panther Hall on upper campus. He and Mr. Lu said they often plan their days to avoid continually trekking from their classes on lower campus to upper campus.

Gustavs Mednis, a Pitt senior studying business, thinks the Panther Overlook plans sound cool. He walks up Cardiac Hill roughly two times a week, when he heads to Trees Hall to play basketball.

He thinks increased mobility could encourage students to visit upper campus more often.

“I think people will come up here more,” he said. “I don’t know how easy it is to get up [Cardiac Hill] if you have trouble walking. [This] will make things more accessible.”

First Published: November 24, 2024, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: November 25, 2024, 6:44 p.m.

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Students walk up the steps at the Petersen Events Center next to construction for the Victory Heights and Cardiac Hill projects on the Pitt campus above De Soto St. in Oakland Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.  (Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette)
Students walk up the steps at the Petersen Events Center next to construction for the Victory Heights and Cardiac Hill projects on the Pitt campus above De Soto St. in Oakland Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.  (Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette)
Renderings of Panther Overlook, a new project at Pitt that will offer students the chance to bypass “cardiac hill” while enjoying an amphitheater, hammock grove and greenery.  (Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh)
Renderings of Panther Overlook, a new project at Pitt that will offer students the chance to bypass “cardiac hill” while enjoying an amphitheater, hammock grove and greenery.  (Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh)
Students walk up De Soto St. by the Petersen Events Center, next to construction of the Victory Heights and Cardiac Hill projects on the Pitt Campus in Oakland Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.  (Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette)
Stairs under construction above O’Hara Street near the Victory Heights and Cardiac Hill projects on the Pitt Campus in Oakland Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.  (Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette)
Renderings of Panther Overlook, a new project at Pitt that will offer students the chance to bypass “cardiac hill” while enjoying an amphitheater, hammock grove and greenery.  (Courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh)
Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette
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