The latest building targeted for redevelopment by
The Penn Avenue Arts Initiative (PAAI)—which works to revitalize corridor properties between Negley and Mathilda Aves.—is former bar Pap’s ‘N Us.
Located at 5106 Penn Ave., the 2,500-square-foot property was recently purchased by the
Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation. Now vacant and in disrepair, the building’s sale price is $57,500. A liquor license is being sold separately for $42,500.
As part of its eighth annual building ownership workshop, PAAI is hosting a property open house on Sept. 18 at 4p.m. “We’ll have everything from technical assistance providers, the
CDCP and
URA, to business development folks and conventional banks,” says Matthew Galluzzo, with PAAI. “Anybody with the sophistication to put together a proposal is game. We’ve sold to individual artists for studios, developers, foundations, and institutions like the
Pittsburgh Glass Center.”
Galluzzo say the Victorian property’s first-floor restaurant, bar and kitchen areas are well suited for a food service model, while residential tenants previously occupied the upper floors. The project calls for interior aesthetic improvements, a façade renovation and a complete rehab of the second and third floors. “We’d like to see something funky or traditional that relates to renovated storefronts on the avenue.”
“We’ll determine what has the best chance to make this fit into where we see the avenue now and in five years—who has the capacity to pull it off,” adds Galluzzo, who says that 5131 Penn Ave. may also be slated for redevelopment. “We’re expecting a wide range of proposals and interests.”
Proposals are due Oct.17. To register for the program, call 412-441-6147 x4.
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Matthew Galluzzo, arts district manager, The Penn Avenue Arts Initiative
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen