A large semicircular trellis, twinkly lights over the streets, more trees and seating, and retractable bollards regulating traffic are all a part of the latest proposed redesign of Downtown Pittsburgh’s Market Square.
Field Operations, a design firm responsible for New York City’s High Line presented a new vision of the square in a presentation to the city’s Historic Review Commission Wednesday.
An earlier version of the plan banned traffic altogether, but was scrapped after pushback from Market Square merchants. Under the revised plan, traffic would be allowed on the north end of the square — the side that includes the Original Oyster House — but closed off on the side closest to PPG Place.
The new plan is all about balance, according to Jeremy Waldrup, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. Fewer cars and trucks mean more space for outdoor dining and events for the tens of thousands of people who cross through the square each month. On the south and west ends of the square, the plan would double the amount of space for outdoor dining. “That pulls the life and vibrancy that's right now, separated. This is going to make it so that outdoor dining really blends right into the square.”
And it allows businesses to get their fresh bread delivered and trash picked up, while letting the square become more pedestrian-focused after hours and for events.
“You're going to see the ability to kind of change the square or quickly,” Waldrup said. Movable and retractable bollards would shut off traffic for special events. They also plan to remove the cobblestone streets, which are not ADA-compliant, in favor of a smoother surface and upgrade the park’s infrastructure with a new plan for garbage removal and better irrigation for the trees.
A centerpiece design is a semicircular trellis-like structure, modeled after old pictures of Downtown’s market from the late 1790s. At night, it would light up along with twinkle lights over Market Street and other new lights throughout the square.
“All of these things, in some ways, are incremental but also powerful in aggregate,” said Lisa Switkin, a partner at Field Operations.
The planned Market Square redo is a part of the $600 million plan to transform Downtown announced last month. A $30 million mix of funds from government, philanthropy and private investment have been set aside to pay for the renovation along with reimagining the medians along Liberty Avenue and improvements to Point State Park.
A transformation in Cleveland
Market Square has been a cultural hub since the city put in a “Public Market House and Stalls” across from a new courthouse in 1794.
“Public squares or village greens, they've historically really been centers of communities,” Switkin said. “They've sort of been seen as the heart of communities of cities. They have even in some instances, really helped to even shape the identity or the character of an entire city.”
In the past two decades, cities — from Montreal to Detroit — have reinvested in these town centers aiming to bring people out onto the street and boost business in the center of cities.
Perk Park in Cleveland got a makeover more than a decade ago. The park had “very brutalist design that didn’t age well” according to Joel Wimbiscus, senior project manager at LAND studio, the firm that led its redevelopment. There were some trees that weren’t well maintained and concrete, walled off spaces, like bunkers. “I think it was meant to create spaces that were more intimate. But the truth of the matter is it was a place where a lot of people could hide. And people don't feel comfortable walking through urban areas if they feel people could be hiding in close by.”
Remaking Perk Park was seen by local leaders as a way to help boost the surrounding office space and grow downtown residents. A mix of money from the city and county and private investments funded the overhaul. The new design opened up the space, adding trees and greenspace, a bright red trellis, lighting, seating, pathways and public art. Food trucks park on the perimeter in the spring and summer.
Since the park’s completion in 2012, occupancy rates and property values around the park surged. And more residential spaces popped up nearby. “This project definitely led to a lot of spin off development around it and that would probably not have happened without the park project,” Wimbiscus said.
But design is only the start of a vibrant public space. Maintaining it is critical, according to Wimbiscus. Cleveland funds the park’s upkeep through a downtown improvement district — property owners pay an extra fee and that money goes toward keeping the space clean and safe. “By maintaining it well, you attract people. And people attract people.”
Coming soon
For now, the city of Pittsburgh and the Downtown Pittsburgh Partnership share Market Square’s upkeep. Waldrup said they’re looking to have a dedicated revenue source that will likely be a mix of public and private funds to keep the space maintained and a year-round schedule of programs such as concerts or the holiday market. Or it could spark new winter events under the trellis “that take a little bit of the edge off, whether it's fire pits or little lodges,” Switkin said.
The project team will be back before the Historic Review Commission in February to respond to feedback and hope to start construction next year. The goal is to finish the entire project before Pittsburgh hosts the NFL draft in the spring of 2026.
