Mellon National Bank Building
Location | 500 Smithfield Street (Downtown), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°26′25.26″N 79°59′53.36″W / 40.4403500°N 79.9981556°W |
Built/founded | 1924 |
CPHD designated | July 1999[1] |
PHLF designated | 1976[2] |
The Mellon National Bank Building at 500 Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was completed in 1924 after Mellon acquired the property in August 1916 from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad which had their regional offices on the site.[3]
History and architectural features
[edit]Prior to the B&O office the site was the original home to the city's first public high school (Central High), which opened in the fall of 1855.[4] The Classical-styled building was designed by architects Trowbridge & Livingston with Edward Mellon. It was added to the List of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks in 1976,[2] and the List of City of Pittsburgh historic designations in July 1999.[1]
On July 30, 1999, May & Co. bought the structure for $9.250 million from Mellon.[5] The building's historic interior was gutted and converted into a department store despite the protests of historical preservationists. It opened as Lord & Taylor on November 1, 2000, after a $12 million refurbishment (21.2 million in 2023 dollars).[6] Lord & Taylor closed just four years later, in 2004.
On May 31, 2012 PNC Financial Services purchased the structure[7] and converted it to a call center.[8] In 2024, PNC announced their intention to sell the building.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Local Historic Designations". Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- ^ a b Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- ^ "Hotel Henry".
- ^ http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/chronology/chronology_driver.pl?searchtype=ybrowse&year=1855&start_line=0.
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(help) - ^ "Real Estate | Owner History | Allegheny County". Archived from the original on 2014-11-01. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
- ^ "Above Bellefonte: Mellon Treasure Plundered". 26 July 2011.
- ^ "PNC to purchase vacant Lord & Taylor building in Downtown Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Archived from the original on 2012-06-01.
- ^ https://ryconinc.com/projects/500-smithfield-street-call-center/
- ^ https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2024/08/06/pnc-selling-downtown-building.html