At the back of the construction site for the Mosites Company’s Eastside development on Centre Avenue in East Liberty, there’s no glaring backlit sign, no Golden Arches. Instead, the site is marked with sculpture: Rising to the rear of the new buildings, next to the valley that separates East Liberty from Shadyside, are three tall, thin, tapering concrete pillars, like artistically re-imagined pool cues.
These pillars will also mark one end of a new pedestrian bridge, which will span the railroad-and-busway gorge to connect the Eastside development to Shadyside. Last week, about 40 East Liberty and Shadyside residents turned out for a meeting on the construction site to see and hear the latest plans for the bridge.
And, as Chris Minnerly, of the Design Alliance Architects, told the group, they’re seeking even more artists to help make the bridge a festive connection between the two neighborhoods.
The pedestrian bridge reaches from the parking deck of Eastside’s middle building – also near the Whole Foods parking lot – and lands near Spahr Street and Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside.
On the East Liberty side, the bridge leads to public sidewalks and steps within the Eastside development. During business hours, an elevator on the property will also be open to the public.
This spring and summer, the new retailers in the development will be open for business, including a Walgreen’s drugstore, a PNC Bank branch, a Starbucks and a Pennsylvania liquor store with possibly the state’s largest wine selection.
Source: Public meeting, Mar. 16, 2006