Work to restore the City of Pittsburgh’s historic Oliver Bath House is underway. Elected officials said on Thursday that construction on the South Side landmark is expected to finish by the fall of next year.
The $8.7 million project leverages a combination of both state and city funds. City Council funneled an additional $3.1 million in city bond funding toward the renovation in December.
Councilman Bruce Kraus, who represents the South Side, said without that commitment the bathhouse might have fallen into private hands.
“There was a time when we could have actually lost this building because the need for repair was so significant and the cost associated with it,” Kraus said during a ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday.
The indoor pool is one of the last of its kind. Early 20th-century industrialist Henry W. Oliver gave the city land and money for the building with the stipulation that, when it opened in 1915, it would remain free to the public in perpetuity.
A 2017 report commissioned by the Peduto administration, however, found the building was in critical condition, and it closed at the onset of the pandemic.
“Buildings are the backgrounds of your life. So, think of how many stories everybody has about this building thing and how many stories they share with your kids and their kids,” Mayor Ed Gainey said. “That's why we want to restore this building.”
Officials with the city’s Department of Public Works said crews will replace the building’s entire steel base, install a new roof and update its mechanicals. Additional work will be done to ensure the building is ADA-compliant, while also maintaining its historical character.
