PITTSBURGH — The first phase of the $28 million historic New Granada restoration in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and community celebration took place Wednesday, marking the reopening of the landmark structure with the University of Pittsburgh as its anchor tenant.
Originally constructed between 1927 and 1928 as the Pythian Temple, the building was designed by Louis A.S. Bellinger, one of the first African American architects in the United States. The completed initial phase delivers the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center, restored historic facades, updated life safety systems and a newly illuminated Art Deco marquee that had been dark for more than 50 years.
The project was led by the Hill Community Development Corp. under the direction of Marimba Milliones, the organization’s president and CEO. Milliones, a Hill District native, first entered community development through her work on the New Granada project.
“The Historic New Granada is an example of how the Great Return of the Hill is unfolding,” Milliones said. “This building was designed by one of the first Black architects in the country, envisioned by this community as a newly transformed place and now it will belong to the next generation. The work continues toward Phase 2, but this moment must be marked as extremely significant for the region.”
During the jazz era, the building hosted legendary performers including Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Billy Eckstine, Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne and Ella Fitzgerald, according to records submitted to the National Register of Historic Places. Initial stabilization for the site began in 2007 through a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant, alongside funding from The Heinz Endowments and the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.
Phase one represents the second finished segment of the New Granada Square block, following the 2022 opening of the $16.7 million New Granada Square Apartments and Retail building.
The University of Pittsburgh joined as a project partner in 2018. The university’s Community Engagement Center inside the building focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and math programming. The center includes production and small performance spaces designated for use by the university’s Jazz Studies department and the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics.
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development recently awarded a $1 million Main Street Matters grant to support the upcoming Phase 2 development. Phase 2 plans include a first-floor cafe and lounge, commercial kitchen and Black Box Theater. A second-floor multipurpose event space will be programmed in partnership with Live Nation to return live performances to the venue.
Fundraising and development efforts for Phase two are underway following the completion of the initial phase.
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