Union Trust Building (Pittsburgh)

For the building in Cleveland, Ohio formerly known as the Union Trust Building, see Huntington Bank Building. For the building in Seattle, see Union Trust Building (Seattle).

Union Trust Building
Exterior of the Union Trust Building on Grant Street in Downtown Pittsburgh
General information
Type	Offices
Location	501 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates	40.440°N 79.997°W / 40.440; -79.997
Completed	1916
Opening	1917
Cost	$1,497,000
Height
Roof	237 ft (72 m)
Technical details
Floor count	15
Floor area	550,000 sq ft (51,097 m2)
Elevator count	10
Design and construction
Owner	Mika Realty Group
Main contractor	George A. Fuller Company
Architect	Frederick J. Osterling
Developer	Henry Clay Frick

The Union Trust Building (501 Grant St., downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), was erected in 1915-16 by the industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The Flemish-Gothic structure's original purpose was to serve as a shopping arcade. The building is modeled after the famous Municipal Hall at Leuven, Belgium, partly destroyed during the World Wars.

History

Known as the Union Arcade, it featured 240 shops and galleries. The mansard roof is adorned with terra cotta dormers and two chapel like mechanical towers. The interior is arranged about a central rotunda, capped by a stained glass dome. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The roof of the Union Trust Building

Designed by Frederick J. Osterling, the building was constructed on the site of Pittsburgh's nineteenth century St. Paul's Catholic Cathedral. The Union Trust Company purchased the structure in 1923, renaming it from the Union Arcade to the Union Trust Building, as well as remodeling the first four floors. Its current owner is the Mika Realty Group and is being remodeled as a LEED-certified building.

The building's unique roof is the result of a restrictive covenant placed on the land by its previous owner, the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The bishop at the time (Rev. Richard Phelan) placed the restrictive covenant on the land when Frick purchased it so that, although it would now have commercial purposes, residents would always remember the cathedral once stood there.

On May 31, 1984 San Francisco 49'ers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Maulers owner Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. purchased the building.

Popular Culture

The building is featured in the 2010 rap video Black and yellow, from the streetscape.

External links

Media related to Union Trust Building (Pittsburgh) at Wikimedia Commons

• Construction of the Union Arcade
• Union Trust Building at the City Of Pittsburgh
• Union Trust at Pitt Library
• Union Arcade Info
• Article On Restoration
• Restoration with LEED certification