Station Square

For other uses, seeStation Square (disambiguation).

Station Square

Location	South Shore,Pittsburgh
Developer	Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
Management	Brookfield Asset Management
Public transit access	Station Square: Blue Line Red Line Silver Line South Busway
Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Complex
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
TheP&LE Railroad Stationat Station Square
Location	Smithfield and Carson Sts.,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40°26′6″N80°0′27″W
Area	52 acres (21 ha)
Built	1897
Architect	Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad
NRHP referenceNo.	79002161
Added to NRHP	December 31, 1979

Station Squareis a 52-acre (210,000 m²) entertainment complex located in theSouth Shoreneighborhood ofPittsburgh,Pennsylvania,United Statesacross theMonongahela Riverfrom the Golden Triangle ofdowntown Pittsburgh.Station Square occupies the buildings and land formerly occupied by the historic Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Complex, including thePittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Station,which are separately listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.

It features restaurants and entertainment venues, includingHighmark Stadiumand the 396-room Sheraton at Station Square. As one of Pittsburgh's largest tourist destinations, it attracts more than three million people annually, including many Pittsburgh natives. The retail development was built at the location of a former station on thePittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad,with many of the original structures such as the freight house building and the concourse being converted into restaurants. Proximity to astopon thePort Authority of Allegheny County'T'Pittsburgh Light Rail systemand the dock for theGateway Clipper Fleetof local river cruise boats makes Station Square a major parking and jumping-off point for activities and events around the city. The property is operated byBrookfield Asset Management.

In 1979, the Station Square complex was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesas the "Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Complex."

History

Station Square and Mt. Washington seen from across the river, c.1905

Station Square was conceptualized byArthur P. Ziegler, Jr.,one of the founding national leaders of historic preservation in the United States and President of thePittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation,or Landmarks. Landmarks developed the site in 1976 as a mixed-use historicadaptive reusedevelopment that gave the foundation the opportunity to put its urban planning principles into practice.

The Fountain at Bessemer Court in Station Square features a retiredBessemer converter.

Aided by an initial gift from theAllegheny Foundationin 1976, Landmarks adapted five historicPittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroadbuildings for new uses and added a hotel, a dock for theGateway Clipper Fleetand parking areas. Now, shops, offices, restaurants and entertainment anchor the historic riverfront site on the south shore of theMonongahela River,opposite theGolden Triangle (Pittsburgh).It reflects a $100 million investment from all sources, with the lowest public cost and highest taxpayer return of any major renewal project in the Pittsburgh region since the 1950s. In 1994, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation sold Station Square toForest City Realty Trustwhich created an endowment to help support its restoration efforts and educational programs. Each year the staff and docents of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation introduce more than 10,000 people — teachers, students, adults, and visitors — to the architectural heritage of the Pittsburgh region and to the value of historic preservation.

Station Square area looking west along the Monongahela River showing the back of P&LE Railroad Station c.1951

See also

• Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Station

External links

• Station Square website
• Post Gazette article on possible sale