Developer wins appeal to raze building next to Froggy’s

Structure in danger of collapsing, firm argues

It’s not Froggy’s, but one of the buildings standing in the way of a proposed 30-story office and residential tower Downtown could be coming down.

Troiani Development got approval Friday from the board of appeals in the Pittsburgh Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections to raze a six-story building at 209 First Ave. next door to the old nightspot.

The developer, which argued the building was in danger of imminent collapse, turned to the board of appeals after an emergency application to demolish the structure was rejected by the department.

Ken Doyno, Troiani’s architect, said he was pleased with Friday’s ruling, which came after a two-hour hearing.

“It’s not safe. It’s starting to collapse,” he said of the building. “There are bricks compressing on the side. It’s a real danger.”

The decision to grant the emergency application could take the fate of the building out of the hands of the city planning commission.

The commission is scheduled to hold a hearing and vote Tuesday on

Troiani’s proposal to raze 209 First and several other buildings on Market Street, including Froggy’s, to clear the site for the new project, which would feature 200,000 square feet of office space and 151 residences.

Clifford Levine, a former planning commission member who is Troiani’s attorney, said the board of appeals ruling takes the decisionmaking away from the commission, at least as it relates to 209 First. “We will take the position that it’s a moot issue at this point,” he said.

The ruling would not affect the commission’s deliberations on the other buildings.

Mr. Levine said Troiani will move next week to obtain the permits needed for the demolition of 209 First. Quick action is needed because of the dire state of the building, he added.

“This was a serious concern. We’ve had debris falling from the rooftop. The brick continues to collapse. The owner was just concerned about the danger to the public,” he said.

“We’re going to proceed fairly expeditiously on this in the interest of public safety.”

During a briefing last week, several planning commission members expressed reservations about demolishing the buildings at 100-102 and 104-106 Market and 209 First.

They noted that all are part of the Firstside Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Commission chairwoman Christine Mondor told Troiani that members would like to “see something that really shows some way of trying to preserve some element of these buildings.”

She urged the developer to meet with staff to get to a point of a “meeting of the minds” on the project.

The proposed demolitions also have come under fire from local preservation groups, including the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. The Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh named Froggy’s as its top restoration opportunity in a list released in December.

Arthur Ziegler, PHLF president, said Friday he was surprised to learn that the board of appeals voted to allow the demolition in advance of the planning commission hearing and vote.

“We continue to feel these buildings are important elements of our most historic street and should not be demolished,” he said.

In a June 17 statement, the foundation, working with the IKM architectural firm, unveiled three options for incorporating parts or all of the buildings in the design of the office and residential tower.

“We have shared these findings with Troiani Properties and their architects and have consistently tried to engage with Troiani Properties on the idea of how to save and reuse these buildings,” it stated at the time.

Because of plans for underground parking, trying to preserve Froggy’s — a famous nightspot visited by the likes of Mario Lemieux and actor Jack Nicholson before closing in 2003 — and the other buildings would require extensive shoring and bracing for an extended period.

That, Mr. Doyno has said, would “create an extraordinary physical imposition on the community and substantial burden on the project.”

He has said Troiani is willing to include interpretative elements and reuse of salvaged building materials in the tower.

The Troiani family has been assembling the property needed for the redevelopment since 1990. It acquired the 209 First Ave. building in 2015. The building has not been used for more than half a century, according to Troiani.

Mr. Doyno has described the new tower — which would border the Boulevard of the Allies, First and Market — as a symbol of the city’s resiliency in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The buildings that housed the former Tramps and Papa J’s Centro restaurants on the boulevard were demolished last year as part of the plan for the building.