3 Pittsburgh Destinations Are Set for a Fresh Look

THE STATION SQUARE COMPLEX INCLUDES SHOPPING, A HOTEL AND RESTAURANTS, INCLUDING THE GRAND CONCOURSE AND THE GANDY DANCER OVERLOOKING THE MONONGAHELA RIVER. | PHOTO ADOBE STOCK

Could Station Square once again become a hot destination for Pittsburgh visitors and residents alike?

The nearly 50-year-old entertainment, hotel and restaurant complex that has struggled financially since the pandemic, is facing a new future.

WS Development, a Boston-area company that has a portfolio of 100 other properties across 14 states, has purchased the 27.5-acre site on the South Side along the Monongahela River; previously, Brookfield Properties owned it.

“We’re inspired by Station Square’s legacy and excited to shape its next era as a dynamic, community-centered destination where Pittsburghers and visitors alike can shop, dine, gather, and connect,” WS posted on its LinkedIn account.

Headquartered about 6 miles from Downtown Boston in Chestnut Hill, WS has redeveloped such sites as Seaport, a vibrant mixed-use complex in Boston, and Hyde Park Village, a six-block area of luxury shops, restaurants and work spaces in South Tampa, Florida (which offers complimentary parking in its garages).

On its website, WS says: “Our goal is simple: build and operate what people love.”

THE LANDMARKS BUILDING IS THE FORMER PITTSBURGH & LAKE ERIE RAILROAD TRAIN STATION THAT NOW HOUSES THE GRAND CONCOURSE RESTAURANT AND OFFICES. | PHOTO ADOBE STOCK

Station Square — which decades ago was the go-to destination for out-of-towners as well as locals — is the site of the former Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad; the opulent Grand Concourse Restaurant, still a special-occasion destination, is the former train station.

Starting in 1976, the site was redeveloped by Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation into a mixed-use historic adaptive project. The Sheraton Hotel was added as well as the dock for the Gateway Clipper fleet and parking areas.

The foundation sold Station Square in 1994 to Forest City Enterprises, which completed an expansion to the hotel and added the Bessemer Court entertainment district. Forest City sold the hotel to a separate entity in 2013 and in 2018, Brookfield purchased the Station Square complex as part of an overall acquisition of Forest City properties.

The 646,000-square-foot Station Square property last year had faced foreclosure over a $143 million debt, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. Brookfield put the complex up for sale in August 2024, the second time it tried to unload the development.

WORK IS UNDERWAY TO CONVERT THE BUILDING AT THE CORNER OF WALNUT AND IVY STREETS FROM BANANA REPUBLIC TO RH. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

Changes Coming to Walnut Street

Shadyside’s trendy shopping district will soon be welcoming new tenants.

Work already is underway to bring RH, the luxury furniture and interior design store formerly known as Restoration Hardware, to the former Banana Republic space that’s been empty since March at the prominent corner of Walnut and Ivy streets. Banana Republic had filled that 14,000 square-foot space for 30 years. A sign on the building said it’s coming Winter 2025.

AT PRESS TIME, PARIS BAGUETTE WAS JUST ABOUT READY TO OPEN IN THE FORMER WILLIAMS SONOMA SPACE ON WALNUT STREET. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

Elsewhere, the eagerly anticipated South Korean chain Paris Baguette is about to open at 5514 Walnut St. The space has been empty since Williams Sonoma closed in early 2022. The chain has 4,000 locations around the world, with one in Ross and about 20 other sites in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, as well as a few in Canada.

While the Walnut Street location has been promoting a November opening, earlier this week there were still hiring signs on the outside window and lots of work underway inside.

In another recent change, the Apple store reopened in August in a larger space in the former GAP store at 5436 Walnut St. It moved there from 5508 Walnut St.

MAYOR-ELECT COREY O’CONNOR, FAR LEFT, AND PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCILMAN BOBBY WILSON, FAR RIGHT, HELP ORR’S OWNERS CELEBRATE THE OPENING OF THEIR JEWELRY STORE IN THE STRIP DISTRICT ON NOV. 25. | PHOTO COURTESY ORR’S JEWELERS

Orr’s Gets a New Home in the Strip

The third-generation family owners of Orr’s Jewelers cut the ribbon Nov. 25 at their new home across from The Terminal in the Strip District at 1674 Smallman St. The maker of designer jewelry and fine watches was started in Midland, Pennsylvania in 1952. The business is now owned by David and Marcia Gordon and their daughters, Aliza and Leslie.

Orr’s announced in September that it was closing its Squirrel Hill location — where it had a prominent spot on Forbes Avenue for two decades — to take advantage of the Strip District’s rapid growth. The more than 8,500-square-foot showroom is located next to the Argentine restaurant Balvanera. Orr’s also has a location on Beaver Street in Sewickley.