IN THE LAST WEEK
Pittsburghers will line up at Heinz Field Monday to honor the life of one of the city’s great native sons, and luminaries from far beyond will gather in Oakland Tuesday for his funeral.
Steelers owner Dan Rooney was a giant of the NFL whose strength of character touched people far beyond the gridiron. While lauded as a humble man, his death Thursday at age 84 inspired mourning and glowing remembrances of a kind reserved for the most exalted public figures.
Everyone from players, coaches and management peers to everyday people and former President Barack Obama, who made Mr. Rooney ambassador to Ireland, had a story about how he touched their lives well beyond turning the Steelers from NFL laughing stock to dynasty.
“He was like a father, a friend, a mentor, a boss who inspired others around him,” said former coach Bill Cowher. He was a people person and he never forgot where he came from. He epitomized Pittsburgh.”
A key part of Mr. Rooney’s legacy beyond the Steelers’ six Super Bowl titles is the NFL’s 2003 Rooney Rule, drafted under his guidance to ensure minorities receive consideration for
all openings as head coaches and general managers. He rose from team ballboy helping his father, the similarly revered Art Rooney Sr., to become one of the leading figures in NFL management without ever losing the respect and friendship of players. “We’ve lost the heart & soul of
Steeler Nation. Incredible person humanitarian & true patriot,” tweeted former Steelers star Troy Polamalu.
A public viewing for Mr. Rooney, who died after a brief illness at age 84, will be held at the PNC Champions Club at Heinz Field from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday. A Mass will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Cathedral. Downtown Pittsburgh has been an increasingly popular place to live, dine, visit and do business. The biggest sign of the latter is in office rents, as the laws of supply and demand have the cost of premium space approaching an unprecedented average rate of $30 per square foot. Premium office rents are rising by about 4 percent annually.
“It seems like a shock to a lot of people who haven’t been in the market the last eight or nine years,” said a representative of one real estate firm.
The Golden Triangle has similarly become more appealing for residents, and that’s symbolized by a 136-unit residential complex at Penn Avenue and Eighth Street that’s expected to receive Urban Redevelopment Authority approval Thursday. Trek Development Group and Q Development hope in two years to complete the $46.2 million project converting two vacant eightstory office towers and constructing an 11-story addition to them.