Open Space at Fifth Avenue Place

Renovation rendering courtesy of Highmark Health

By Layla Joseph

Fifth Avenue Place has transformed in recent years. The headquarters of Highmark Health, located at 120 Fifth Ave., now features enhanced retail storefronts and modernized, high-tech workspaces. To round out the upgrades of one of Downtown’s most iconic buildings, Fifth

Avenue Place is searching for tenants to fill retail space on the first floor of the 31-story, high-rise mixed-use building.

The structure is currently home to PNC Bank, the Beanery, Hallmark, Visionworks and 30

stories of office space that also include tenants like Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, Chubb Insurance Co and VisitPittsburgh.

In Sept. 2019, Highmark Health disseminated a press release announcing significant renovations to Fifth Avenue Place. The upgrades started before COVID-19 and were completed in May this year due to the interruption of construction during the pandemic.

Kelly Thomas has been the Director of Corporate Real Estate Services for Highmark Health for seven years and said the renovations were a multiphase approach and took almost three years to complete.

“Our retailers who remained operational throughout the construction duration were

incredible partners. We did a number of changes to the interior retail storefronts,” Thomas said. “The entrance facades were updated with automatic revolving doors, new glass vestibules were installed along with new elevator lobbies and cabs.”

“We are hoping to increase the retail presence in our space,” she continued. “We want Fifth Avenue Place to be an attraction for people that remember it for its retail presence.” 

Fifth Avenue Place has served as Highmark’s headquarters since the building’s completion in

1988, but the first-floor retail space has been a hub for Pittsburghers since the days of the Jenkins Arcade. Highmark invested in and modernized a space that has been a community asset for generations.

“We are hoping to increase the retail presence in our space,” she continued. “We want Fifth Avenue Place to be an attraction for people that remember it for its retail presence.”

Thomas said that before the renovations, the building had been well-maintained but had not underwent significant changes since it was originally built.

“We really wanted to create a more modern and updated look to the space,” she said. 

Her favorite part of the structure’s renovation is how the building is so open and full of light.

The newly renovated space has five retail spaces available on the first floor ranging from 400 to 1,300 square feet, she said. There is also a 5,000 square foot space available that would serve as a perfect host for a restaurant on the edge of the Cultural District.

“We have created a specific space that we would like to find a restaurant for, and that is something Fifth Avenue Place has not had before,” Thomas said. “It’s right at the corner of Penn and Stanwix and has an outdoor patio space available as well.”

As employees return to work Downtown, Thomas said she enjoys hearing positive feedback about the renovation.

“I absolutely love seeing the reactions when people come in. I’ve heard people say they thought they were in the wrong building. It seems like people are excited to return to such a beautiful space,” she said.

Anyone interested in filling available retail space at Fifth Avenue Place should contact Justin Walbert from JLL Retail Brokerage by phone at (724) 884-5050 or email at Justin.Walbert@JLL.com