Downtown is getting a fresh supply of housing with the conversion of a 120-year-old office building.

Why it matters: The city is working to redefine the Golden Triangle after a pandemic-era shift to hybrid work increased office vacancy rates. Converting older office buildings into housing is a key part of that plan.

Driving the news: New York-based developer Victrix last week celebrated the grand opening of its 253-unit residential tower, Livewell Apartments, in the former GNC headquarters.

• Located at 550 Wood St., the building's first tenants started moving in late last year.

Catch up quick: Victrix bought the 14-story, 314,000-square-foot building for $9.4 million in September 2021, according to county property records. Construction started in early 2023.

• Pittsburgh-based health and wellness brand GNC moved its headquarters to the Strip District in 2022 after emerging from bankruptcy in late 2020.

Zoom in: Livewell Apartments offers studios and one-, two- and three-bedroom units with 12-foot ceilings, coworking facilities, a rooftop clubhouse, and a fitness center. The ground level has more than 13,000 square feet of retail space, partially occupied by a KeyBank branch.

• Rent is market rate, ranging from about $1,500 to $3,800.
• Developers did not disclose the total project cost, but it was funded in part by $6 million in gap financing from Strategic Investment Fund Partners.

The intrigue: The building was designed in the early 1900s by renowned architect Daniel Burnham as the McCreery & Co. department store. Burnham also designed the Flatiron Building in New York City and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

What they're saying: Each new development brings the city closer to its "collective and ambitious goal to double [the Golden Triangle's] residential population to 15,000," says Jeremy Waldrup, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership president and CEO.

By the numbers: The Golden Triangle's population increased 23%, up to roughly 7,000 people, from 2019 to 2024. The district had a 91% apartment occupancy rate in the last quarter of 2024, according to the partnership.

Go deeper

The office vacancy rate in metro Pittsburgh is climbing.

The big picture: Reduced demand for office space after the pandemic is still shaking up the region's real estate market.

• Office vacancies hit a new high nationwide last year with 20.4% of office space in the country's top 50 metro areas empty, per Moody's latest tally.

By the numbers: The Pittsburgh region's vacancy rate reached 21.9% in 2024, accelerating after 2020. That's up from 12.4% in 2000.

Moody's suggests two adjustments could reduce vacancies, Axios' Emily Peck reports, including converting offices into residential properties like the GNC building project.

What's next: A report by real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle this year noted Pittsburgh's proposed $600 million Downtown revitalization plan that includes office-to-residential conversions may start to balance supply and demand — at least in the city's core that had a vacancy rate as low as 19.6% in the second quarter of last year, according to the firm.

🏠 Butler native Marc Fogel, recently released from Russian prison, is back in Western Pennsylvania after completing his medical evaluation in Texas. (WTAE)

🎻 The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will debut a composition from Mt. Lebanon native Hannah Ishizaki this weekend at Heinz Hall. (NextPittsburgh)

• "I'm excited for so many people that I love to be able to come to this performance because a lot of the time, my performances are in Princeton or New York, so my whole family can't go to a live performance," Ishizaki told NextPittsburgh.

📺 Max's Pittsburgh-based hospital drama "The Pitt" was renewed for a second season. (Pittsburgh Magazine)

🎞️ Arts nonprofit Pittsburgh Sound + Image is fundraising to restore and preserve more than 10 films by local independent filmmakers. (Kickstarter)

Friday

Try new brews at Pittsburgh Winter Beerfest, one of the largest craft beer events in the country.

• 📍 David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Downtown
• ⏰ 7:30pm
• 💵 $55+

Watch singer-songwriter and "The Voice" contestant Addison Agen perform live at a Folk February concert series.

• 📍 Sweetwater Center for the Arts, 200 Broad St., Sewickley
• ⏰ 7:30pm
• 💵 $25

Saturday

Sip craft cocktails from the region's top distilleries at the Spirits of the Burgh Festival.

• 📍 The Pennsylvanian, 1100 Liberty Ave., Downtown
• ⏰ 6pm-9pm
• 💵 $55+

Take the kids to the National Aviary's family-friendly Flamingo Fest and learn all about the flock in their wetlands habitat.

• 📍 700 Arch St., North Side
• ⏰ 11am-3pm
• 💵 $17-$20

Sunday

Grab friends for a Schitt's Creek Drag Brunch, a high-energy tribute to the popular Canadian sitcom.

• 📍 Pittsburgh Improv, 166 East Bridge St., Homestead
• ⏰ 2pm
• 💵 $25+

We recently wrote about fans of Pittsburgh filmmaker George Romero who are hoping to preserve a piece of the Monroeville Mall after Walmart's purchase, and readers raced to our inbox to share their thoughts.

Context: Romero filmed his zombie classic "Dawn of the Dead" at the mall, and it's still home to Living Dead Weekend.

What they're saying: David K. said Romero was likely "indifferent" to the mall itself — the shopping center just served as a backdrop for Romero's satiric jeers at American consumerism.

• "But it's one of the only horror film locations of its size that anyone can go visit," he said. "It's about appreciating George, who never really realized the full impact he had on the genre."
• Marcus H. left us with a fun fact: "Did you know Romero got his start working with Fred Rogers?"