‘Arts Landing’ To Make Blighted City Block Safe and Family-Friendly
A $31 million outdoor civic space will be a facelift to downtown Pittsburgh, where previously vacant lots on 8th Street will be transformed into a beautiful lawn, garden, visitor center, seating area and more starting this spring, with a soft opening planned for April 2026 when Pittsburgh hosts the NFL draft.
“Arts Landing will welcome residents and visitors, host festivals and performances, exhibit public art and provide opportunities for everyday recreation and relaxation,” says Kendra Whitlock Ingram, president & CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, who envisioned the project, in a news release.
The art-inspired renovation is being funded by a state plan that aims to overhaul the Downtown Pittsburgh area in a major way. That plan, announced in 2024, will
see $600 million pumped into the area over the next decade. It calls for a 1-acre lawn that will provide views of the Allegheny River and two of the Three Sisters Bridges, as well as a path through a garden. The children’s play area will be different from a typical playground. According to a news release, “visitors will not find typical swing sets and see-saws in Arts Landing’s family-friendly play area. Instead, the play equipment will have artful expressions, made with natural materials well-suited to the Cultural District.”
Arts Landing will also have a seating area that is being called the “backyard,” complete with seats, picnic tables, games, overhead lighting and planters. Another highlight of the new space is what is being called a flex zone, or a 30,000-square-foot recreation area that will be used for pickleball, track workouts and more.
David Holmberg, chair of the Cultural Trust’s board of trustees, chair of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development’s board of directors and president and CEO of Highmark Health, says that the space is not a short-term fix for an existing space.
“This is reimagining and building an entirely new destination that will delight and benefit our community,” he says in a news release.
Fresh International Market Opens in Point Breeze
Point Breeze is getting a new grocery store, and it’s not your run-of-the-mill destination. When Fresh International Market breaks ground this spring, it will bring treats and temptations from far corners of the globe to the area—many meeting the Pittsburgh market for the first time.
Specializing in Asian goods, Fresh International Market’s Pittsburgh store will be its 10th—but first in Pennsylvania.
There are familiar products for low prices at Fresh International Market, as well as things that you might have trouble finding at the average grocer. These include gaya melon, green bean starch, dried shrimp and more that can be essential in Asian cooking.
The new location will be in Point Breeze’s Rockwell Park development, which features eight buildings over 24 acres of space. The grocery store will be in a 40,000-square-foot warehouse located on Thomas Boulevard.
If you’ve been looking to get experimental in the kitchen or visit the other side of the world without leaving your apartment, run down to Fresh International Market with an open mind and an empty basket!
$200,000 Expands Offerings at Entrepreneurship-Focused School
A school focused on developing entrepreneurial skills in students received a sizable grant that will allow it to diversify its offerings in culinary, healthcare, education and technology courses.
Dominus High School in Pittsburgh is scheduled to open its doors next fall after receiving $200,000 from the nearby Richard King Mellon Foundation. The donation was made to Advancing Youth Initiative, a nonprofit that distributes donations to Dominus and its peer school, the Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship.
“This support will help bridge opportunity gaps and promote high academic achievement while driving greater economic mobility within the Greater Pittsburgh region,” says Wayne Jones, founder of Dominus High School and CEO of Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship.
Penn Hills serves kindergarten through eighth grade, while Dominus will initially serve ninth and 10th graders before adding an 11th grade in year two and a 12th grade in year three.
Dominus received approval from the Woodland School District in August 2023 and has hit the ground running since
then. Soon, students will be able to get a K-12 education in Pittsburgh that’s centered around entrepreneurial skills. The school will be led by Dr. M. Louis Robinson III, who has more than 20 years of experience in education, serving in various roles. ■
