After plans to convert Pittsburgh’s historic Troy Hill Fire House into a taphouse, market and cafe fell through, the building is now set to be converted into commercial office space.
The redevelopment will include efforts to preserve and restore historic elements of the building, said Chad Chalmers, co-founder of local architectural firm Wildman and Chalmers, whose real estate redevelopment arm, QGE Holdings, plans to purchase the property.
Located on Ley Street, the fire house serves as a centerpiece of the Troy Hill neighborhood. It takes to the 1890s.
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority board on Tuesday unanimously voted to sell the fire house to QGE Holdings, which is based in Troy Hill.
The company plans to lease 2,200 square feet of commercial office space in the revitalized fire house to BioInterphase, a bioengineering firm currently located in Etna.
Chalmers, whose company has redeveloped four other sites within the Troy Hill neighborhood, said plans include fixing up the building’s brickwork, preserving the tin roof and installing new glass in windows that are currently boarded up.
“Our intention is to restore and preserve what’s there,” he told URA board members Thursday.
This comes after Chalmers’ previous plan to buy the structure and convert it into a community market, cafe and taproom fell through when potential tenants dropped out due to feasibility concerns. Chalmers said he tried to find other interested tenants who would use the space for similar purposes, but couldn’t find anyone else.
Instead, he said, they’re pivoting their plans to use the building as office space for the bioengineering company.
The URA is selling the site for $150,000. The total project cost is estimated at $410,000.
