2 - Modern Steel Construction

Waterfront
Revitalization
A new steel addition to an old warehouse in Pittsburgh's
historic riverfront district allowed the developers to
create needed office space
PBy William Hartlep, AlA
reservation and expansion can
go hand-in-hand, as evidenced
by the recent transformation of the
former Shields Rubber Co.
Warehouse in Pittsburgh into a
much larger office building.
The warehouse was built in 1904
along the Monongahela River in
the now historic Firstside District.
For most of the 18th century, the
district was the center of
Pittsburgh's riverboat trade. But
when railroads began to dominate
the transportation industry, Firstside
fell into a long period of
decline.
Recently, though, the burgeoning
rehabilitation movement, combined
with many cities renewed interest
in waterfront areas, has led
the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission
to begin efforts to revitalize
the area. The project's developer,
The Casto/Skilken Group,
turned to L.D. Astorino & Associates,
Ltd., a Pittsburgh-based
architectural and engineering firm,
to create a plan to expand the
building and convert it into office
space while maintaining its turnof-the-century
appearance.
Eleven Story Addition
The architect's plan for the
renamed First & Market Building
involved completely renovating
the existing 56,OOO-sq.-ft., 10-story
building, constructing an ll-story,
28,845-sq.-ft. addition, and adding
42 1 Modem Steel Construction I March-April 1990
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