Oct. 24–Gov. Tom Corbett delivered a $2.5 million state redevelopment assistance capital grant this morning to jump start Downtown’s latest hotel project — 104 rooms, three bars, and a brasserie-style restaurant at Wood Street and Sixth Avenue.
The $38 million independent boutique hotel will be housed in the Granite Building, a Romanesque-style structure built in 1889 and site of the former German National Bank. A building next door that once housed an Arby’s restaurant also will be part of the development.
The project is being developed by Holly Brubach, a former New York Times style editor who bought the Granite Building in 2006 with the intent of turning it into condominiums.
But that project was done in by the recession, prompting Ms. Brubach to change course.
The Forbes Hotel, the working name for the new project, is being started amid a hotel boom Downtown, with two others being built and a third, Hotel Monaco, getting ready to open next month. In all about 1,500 rooms are under construction or slated for the Golden Triangle.
Ms. Brubach sees her development as an “alternative to big brand hotels,” with sophisticated service while being Pittsburgh-centric.
She sees it as not only a destination for out-of-town guests but for local residents and visitors who want to grab a drink or a bite to eat.
“The premise behind the hotel is Pittsburgh pride, which not long ago would have been an oxymoron,” she said, adding she is thrilled with her hometown and its ongoing renaissance.
Construction is expected to start in April with completion slated for September 2016. The project is expected to create 208 construction jobs and 70 permanent ones.
The Granite Building, now eight floors plus a mezzanine, will be extended to 12 with an addition to the roof.
As he campaigns for re-election, Mr. Corbett also has been in town to dole out money for the move of the Pittsburgh Playhouse from Oakland to Downtown, the development of the Saks department store into parking, residential and retail space, and to assist with the construction of a hotel in Henry W. Oliver Building.
The latest project, he said, is “really part of an overarching mini-redevelopment of Downtown Pittsburgh right now.”
Assisting Ms. Brubach with the project will be Tsao & McKown Architects, ThenDesign, and Prospera Hospitality.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com.
