'Truly transformative:' Pittsburgh Cultural Trust unveils name, more details of Eighth Street block overhaul Downtown
Written by Mark Belko
Pittsburgh, meet Arts Landing.
That’s the name for the new $31 million Downtown gathering and play space being proposed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on Eighth Street bordering Penn Avenue and Fort Duquesne Boulevard.
On Thursday, Cultural Trust officials dropped the name and more details about the four-acre spot, which will include a great lawn, a bandshell for concerts, a play area, a garden walk, pickleball courts, and a small running track.
In a statement, Kendra Whitlock Ingram, Cultural Trust president and CEO, said the new outdoor civic space is meant to host festivals and performances, be a hangout for residents and visitors, and provide opportunities for recreation and relaxation.
The rehab will involve the demolition of the Goodyear Auto Service store and the reuse of vacant land along Eighth Street bordering Penn and Fort Duquesne Boulevard. It is part of the $600 million Downtown rescue plan unveiled by Gov. Josh Shapiro in October.
David Holmberg, Cultural Trust board chairman and president and CEO of Highmark Heath, described the Eighth Street initiative as a “cornerstone” of the revitalization effort.
“Envisioned and developed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Arts Landing is truly transformative,” he said in a statement. “It is not a short-term fix or incremental improvement to an existing space. This is reimagining and building an entirely new destination that will delight and benefit our community.”
The centerpiece of Arts Landing will be the “great lawn,” a one-acre green space framed by the Allegheny River and the Andy Warhol and Rachel Carson bridges.
A bandshell will be located in the northwest corner of the gathering spot near Fort Duquesne Boulevard. It will be used for concerts and performances.
In addition, Eighth Street will be closed to vehicular traffic and repurposed into a garden walk that will also double as a spot for Cultural Trust operations and for use by emergency vehicles.
Other Arts Landing features include a play area for children and families and a visitor center to be located on the ground floors of two Cultural Trust-owned buildings at 819 and 821 Penn near the Ninth Street intersection. The center will include public restrooms.
As part of the plan, the Cultural Trust will keep the Giant Eagle Foundation Backyard, a gathering spot now used for live music and other events. It will offer seating, including picnic tables, and serve as a spot for food truck stops, pop-up markets, and other events.
Meanwhile, the 30,000-square-foot “Flex Zone” situated near Seventh and Fort Duquesne will include pickleball courts and a small running track.
The Cultural Trust already has won approval from the city’s Planning Commission to raze the Goodyear store on the Fort Duquesne side of the site. It purchased the property in 1997 for $1.9 million.
It plans to move quickly to clear the real estate and to start the Eighth Street makeover. It is planning a soft opening in April 2026 when the NFL draft will be held in Pittsburgh. A grand opening is targeted for June of that year.
Funding for the initiative is coming from the state, the Allegheny Regional Asset District, BNY, Dollar Bank, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, and a host of foundations – Buhl, Burke Family, Colcom, Eden Hall, Audrey Hillman Fisher, Grable, Heinz Endowments, and Henry L. Hillman.
