Former Alcoa Building could become your future residence

07.2012Building, Places

By Leah Patgorski

PMC Property Group of Philadelphia has asked Strada to help guide the transformation of the 410-foot-tall Regional Enterprise Tower to include residences. Designed by noted mid-century architects Harrison & Abramovitz, the building was completed in 1953 as the headquarters of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa). It was the first skyscraper with an all-aluminum façade, and boasts varied creative uses of aluminum throughout the interior. Also, the characteristic rounded-corner windows rotate 360 degrees to allow for cleaning from the inside. Strada’s design tasks will include converting floors 14 through 31 from offices to apartments, coordinating relocation and fit-out for existing tenants who will move to lower floors, and securing historic tax credits for the project.

This building went through a previous transition when Alcoa moved its headquarters to the North Shore in 1998. Re-branded as the Regional Enterprise Tower, the building’s floors became home to a variety of non-profits and county offices. The iconic quality of the exterior, with its unique windows and iridescent gray color, will remain a part of Pittsburgh’s skyline while the interior adapts to the times once again.

A post in Steeltown Anthem with photos of the building’s construction

The conversion of office towers for other uses, particularly residential, is increasingly common for older buildings as offices are requiring less space and downtown living is on the rise. Strada recently worked with PMC to convert part of the former Verizon Building into a new home for City Charter High School, while the developer renovated the upper floors of the building into apartments.