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Summer in the City: Highland Park.  Photograph by Brian Cohen
Summer in the City: Highland Park. Photograph by Brian Cohen

Development News

Downtown Pittsburgh property gets major makeover, new tenants along Ross St.

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Downtown’s 225 Ross St., a 26,000-square foot office property with prime street level space, is getting a fresh new name, look and tenants.

The building’s $500,000 makeover calls for a facade facelift and interior improvements. Local developer Nic Applegate—CEO of Downtown-based Applegate Snayd Industries, Inc.—purchased the property in February, changing its name to C.I. Applegate Building in memory of his father.

Constructed in 1910 and renovated in 1988, the six-story property also features 13,000 square feet of available office space. Some 12,000 people work within a three-block radius of the building. Applegate is partnering with Grant Street Associates, which has already finalized leases with Crazy Mocha Coffee Company and Subway. The building’s proximity to a Hilton Garden Inn also planned for Ross St. makes it a prime location for tenants.

“There aren’t any convenient restaurant services in that area. We wanted to change the building’s amenities. Subway will be a place for quick services and Crazy Mocha will be a place for people to meet and gather,” says Jared Imperatore, with Grant Street Associates. “The idea with the new hotel is to open up that corridor—we wanted to be a part of that.”

Expected to open in July, Crazy Mocha will feature a conference room, interior brick and wood beams, and a garage door along Third Ave. Property upgrades call for new signage, awnings, outdoor seating, and flower boxes and pots. The building’s exterior brick will be power-washed and new restrooms will be installed.

The project received $29,110 from Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Paris to Pittsburgh grant program. Designed to activate Downtown streets, the project provides business/property owners with incentives for improving streetscapes, increasing pedestrian-friendly areas and expanding indoor/outdoor spaces.

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Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Jared Imperatiore, retails and brokerage manager, Grant Street Associates

Image Courtesy of Peter Margittai Architects, LLC