Starting Monday, the SEA is free to demolish the old Mellon Arena.  I guess it’s more like taking it apart piece by piece.  They have to remove all the tiles from the roof to get to the asbestos first.  I bet it’s going to look pretty gnarly for a while.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11267/1177238-53.stm

Here’s some interesting past and present pictures of the Hill District.  I can’t even imagine the Hill District being as lively as it used to be.  So many buildings and businesses and people.  It seems like it truly was connected to the hustle and bustle of downtown at one time.

http://multimedia.post-gazette.com/ThenNow/Hill/Center/default.asp

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11226/1166781-53.stm

a nice write up in the Wall Street Journal on how houses in the Pittsburgh area keep increasing in value even through the housing bubble pop.  It even goes into some specific houses and neighborhoods around the city.  It’s a great place and time to buy… *cough* *cough*
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303657404576363150295506130.html?mod=WSJ_RealEstate_LeftTopNews

Alright, now that we’re into the summer and for sale signs are posted, here’s a break down of all the houses that are for sale in the Hill District:

113 Erin Street – $143,900 : My neighbor’s house who passed away in February 2011 and now his son is selling it. If you’ve been to my house, it has the same exact floor plan, but has a deck. Listing & County Assessment

117 Erin Street – $63,319 : My neighbor’s house who declared bankruptcy in September 2010. If you’ve been to my house, it has the same exact floor plan, but has a deck.  She also put in expensive tile throughout this house.  You have to do some research on how to get a house on sheriff sale, but come June 6th, this thing will be sold to the highest bidder. Instant equity here. Listing & County Assessment

9 Davenport Street – $93,500 : This house is just across the parking lot from me. If you’ve been to my house, it has the same exact floor plan.  Listing & County Assessment

139, 147, 153 Erin & 129, 139 Davenport = $150, 000 : New constructions in 2010.  Garages and yards.  Listings & County Assessment

There are a bunch more, ranging from older/smaller/cheaper to new/larger/more expensive listed here.  All of these houses are about a mile to downtown and about half a mile from the new Shop n’ Save and YMCA going into the Hill District.

Here’s a cool overlay of the Mellon Arena / Civic Arena site and what it used to look like.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11107/1138810-455.stm

The hill district has the first-in-the-nation off-campus university-run community pharmacy!  If you remember back with all the grocery store talks, Kuhn’s was supposed to build a full service store with a pharmacy in it, but now that they backed up, Duquesnse University stepped up and built one.  I’m excited to see the relationship with the community and school develop and also see if any other colleges around town introduce their own community plans!

Read more and watch the video:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10354/1112226-100.stm

Pittsburgh Housing Authority announced their plan to demolish Addison Terrace in the Hill District. If this goes through, it will only leave the Bedford Dwellings as the last remaining barracks style housing projects in the Hill District. For those of you not familiar with the Hill but hear about shootings and crime, 99.9% of all shootings occur on Chauncey or Bentley Drive. Chauncey (Bedford Dwellings) is in the middle of the hill, along Bedford Avenue, and Bentley (Addison Terrace) runs around Elmore Square, between uptown and oakland. It’s across Kirkpatrick Street from the Oak Hill apartment community. Addison Terrace is the one that you can see from my house, so getting that area cleaned up and turned to a positive community would be great for the Hill.

read more : http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10322/1104357-100.stm

When you use google earth, the red dot indicating the Hill District is on my house.  Weird.  How appropriate that I’m the ambassador now. 

http://goo.gl/maps/OwT1

Here’s an awesome time lapse video of the new consol energy arena from start to finish!

http://penguins.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=19&id=72562

Here’s an update on some Hill District projects:

YMCA: This is going in 2 blocks from my house on Centre Avenue. It is currently slated for an early 2012 completion. Should be awesome to have an indoor basketball court and pool so close! Also, it’ll be one of the city’s largest green certified buildings. Post-Gazette

Grocery Store: Shop ‘n Save has committed to putting in a full service store (FINALLY!). It is scheduled to be completed in November of 2011. This is going to be 3 blocks from my house. Post-Gazette

Consol Energy Center: The new home of the Pens will be opening with Paul McCartney on August 15th. On my walk to work, it’s looking just about done from the outside. still some paint, shrubs, and lights to finish though. It’s on its way to being the highest LEED certified sports center in the nation. http://www.consolenergycenter.com/

Connelley School: At the upper corner of the Mellon Arena’s top parking lot, there’s this old school that has been closed due to asbestos. Now, there’s money to convert it into a place for green start ups and research facility for Pittsburgh Green Innovators. Seems like a pretty cool thing.Post-Gazette

Pharmacy: Duquesne has announced they’d open a pharmacy in the Hill. I’m not sure exactly which store front it’s going in, perhaps the old Carnegie Library Space? That might be too large though. It is slated for later this year. >Post-Gazette

Cambria suites Hotel: The hotel in between the Washington Plaza apartments and Consol Energy Center is close to being structurally done. It has all the blocks in place, now just time to brick it up and put some windows in and finish the interior. Looks like it will open in December 2010. More & pictures

Kaufmann Auditorium: Right next to the Hill House, they’re making a bunch of modernizations and upgrades to this auditorium. Plans also include an outdoor amphitheater. link

Dinwiddie Street: Not sure what all is included here, but they are tearing down a bunch of abandoned houses and blight. I think they plan to build new houses, but maybe it will be apartments. I’m watching the HDCG for updates.