Glasshouse Breaks Ground in Pittsburgh

By Beata Lorincz

Trammell Crow Co. subsidiary High Street Residential, together with Northwestern Mutual, commenced construction on a five-story, Class A residential building in Station Square, Pittsburgh. Glasshouse will be located on the former site of Pittsburgh’s historic glassmaking factories, on the bank of the Monongahela River, overlooking the city’s central business district.

The community is scheduled to provide 319 residential units, including studio, one-, one+den and two-bedroom apartments, ranging in size between 665 and 1,200 square feet. Ground-floor retail and 335 indoor parking spaces broaden the variety of facilities on the property. 

“Northwestern Mutual sees the strength of the Pittsburgh market and is excited to be involved in what we consider to be the premier apartment community in the city. We’re proud to partner with High Street Residential on this unique and exciting project with spectacular views of the city skyline,” said Tom Zale, vice president of real estate with Northwestern Mutual, in a prepared statement.

Strategic location

The project is located adjacent to the Station Square mixed-use project, a $100 million conversion of historic railroad buildings into a mixed-use development including office, retail and leisure facilities. Residents of the Glasshouse will have access to all the new amenities at Station Square, as well as to the new Highmark Stadium.

The site has excellent connections to interstates 376 East and West and 279 North, but can also be accessed through waterway by ferries and boats, docking in front of Station Square. Downtown Pittsburgh is just across the river from the property and can be reached by crossing Smithfield Street Bridge, the oldest river bridge in the city, located just at the entrance of the site.

Indoor amenities include a resort-style club room, game room, e-lounge, entertainment kitchen, fitness center, yoga room, as well as a conference center, all overlooking three large outdoor courtyards. The development will include sustainable features and is planned to achieve National Green Building Standard (NGBS) certification.

Common amenities are set to include:

• landscaped courtyard
• pool
• multiple outdoor kitchens
• communal turf area for movies and recreation
• dog wash
• bike storage and shop
• sculpture park with outdoor restaurant seating

The general contractor is Rycon Construction, while Hord Coplan Macht provided architectural and landscaping design.

In September, Trammell Crow broke ground on another, 178-unit residential garden-style community in Billerica, Mass., expected to be completed in December of 2018.

Images courtesy of Hord Coplan Macht