Defunct Pittsburgh Power Plant to Become Residential Tower

A decommissioned steam heat plant will be redeveloped into almost 100 affordable housing units.

1 minute read

July 4, 2025, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Google street view of red brick multi-story power plant building in Pittsburgh, PA.

The Pittsburgh Planning Commission approved a plan to convert the former steam heat plant into housing. | Google Maps / 120 Cecil Place

A former power plant in Pittsburgh will be converted to housing, reports Madaleine Rubin in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Pittsburgh Planning Commission approved the adaptive reuse plan last week. “Developers will maintain an existing smokestack atop the structure that once generated steam heat and energy for other Downtown properties. But new stainless steel tiles will adorn the facade, while inside the building, 97 apartments will add to the city’s affordable housing stock — the latest in a string of conversion projects in Downtown.”

The new development will reserve 40 percent of units for the Pittsburgh Scholar House, a nonprofit that helps single parents access education. “Most units will be large enough to accommodate families, and affordable to residents earning between 20% and 80% of the area’s median income,” according to Rubin.

Tuesday, July 1, 2025 in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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