YWCA attempting to sell Downtown headquarters
The YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh has put its Downtown headquarters on the market.
A planned sale of the 58-yearold facility comes a year after the nonprofit downsized staff and began laying out a strategy to refocus its mission on initiatives to eliminate racial and gender inequities.
“After considerable assessment of the physical and staffing requirements needed to carry out our mission, our board of directors has decided to sell our Wood Street property,” said Angela Reynolds, YWCA chief executive.
“The proceeds of the sale will enable us to move forward without the expense of an asset we do not fully occupy and that requires significant investment,” she said.
YWCA staff occupies only a small fraction of the seven-story building at 305 Wood St., Ms. Reynolds said
Last year, YWCA officials said the organization had received offers to sell its Downtown property but that it had not yet determined plans for the building, which has a current market value of $5.8 million, according to Allegheny County real estate data.
It has 88,000 square feet, including four floors above ground and three below.
Two tenants are on the street level: Mandarin Gourmet restaurant and Point Park University’s Center for Media Innovation.
Only 22 YWCA employees were in the building before March when most began working remotely because of the COVID19 outbreak.
The YWCA has offices at the Wood Street property along with a resource center that helps people secure critical needs such as housing assistance, free tax preparation and wellness.
Last year, the YWCA laid off 62 employees, or about half of its workforce, after it lost a state grant to manage child care centers for Allegheny County. Those laid off were based at the Downtown site.
The YWCA continues to operate a child care center and community programming at a building it owns on Frankstown Avenue in Homewood.
Real estate firm Jones Lange LaSalle Americas is marketing the structure.
“The location ... provides unparalleled access in the city’s
central business district to all the amenities that Greater Downtown offers,” said Mark Popovich, JLL’s senior managing director.
The property is zoned for multiple uses including office, hotel and multifamily.
The YWCA hopes to remain in the building for another year while it determines space needed for its headquarters, Ms. Reynolds said.
Last week, in the wake of widespread protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis, the YWCA said it was ramping up initiatives from its
Center for Race & Gender Equity.
“We will be focusing our lens on race and gender equity and working collaboratively with strategic partners to truly make a difference in people’s lives,” Ms. Reynolds said.