MAKING ITS MOVE
Burlington to relocate to former Kaufmann’s department store Downtown
It’s a deal: Burlington is moving its Downtown location from one old department store to another.
Lubert-Adler Partners LP confirmed Friday that it had signed Burlington Stores to a long-term lease to take nearly 50,000 square feet of space in the former Kaufmann’s department store at Smithfield Street and Fifth Avenue.
Burlington has long been a tenant at the old Gimbels department store building a few blocks from Kaufmann’s. The Post-Gazette had reported earlier that the national retailer was in line to switch locations.
“This lease signing is another step forward in fulfilling LubertAdler’s vision of revitalizing the district that surrounds Kaufmann’s,” said Leonard Klehr, Lubert-Adler vice chairman. “Pittsburgh is a great city and ripe with opportunity for creating a truly vibrant downtown living community.”
Construction of the store is expected to begin as soon as permits are secured. Sue Cardillo, a spokeswoman for Lubert-Adler, said no opening date had been set.
The store’s entrance will be on the first floor of the 13-story building at the corner of Smithfield Street and Forbes Avenue. Burlington’s footprint will include about 3,600 square feet on that level. The bulk of the store will be on the second floor.
Landing Burlington is another coup for Philadelphia- based Lubert-Adler, which has already signed Minneapolis discount retailer Target to occupy 22,000 square feet of space on the first floor at Smithfield and Fifth under the building’s famous clock.
Target is currently building out its space and is scheduled to open next spring.
“The relocation and right-sizing of Burlington, along with the addition of Target, solidifies its status as one of Pittsburgh’s iconic buildings. This will anchor our next wave of redevelopment,” said Herky Pollock, executive vice president of the CBRE real estate firm and a top retail broker.
Since taking over the stalled Kaufmann’s Grand redevelopment last year, Lubert-Adler has injected $40 million into the building and has finished all 311 apartments, a 410space parking garage, and added amenities like a rooftop basketball court that will be converted into an ice skating rink in the winter.
The firm also is in the process of buying the Pittsburgher, formerly known as the Lawyers Building, on Forbes across the street from Kaufmann’s, with plans to convert it from offices into apartments.
It is working with Clevelandbased Stark Enterprises to transform another old department store — Frank & Seder — on Smithfield across the street from Kaufmann’s into another mixed-use development that could include offices, apartments, and retail.
However, the move by Burlington to the Kaufmann’s site will leave several floors — including the first — empty at the former Gimbels store, a landmark now known as the Heinz 57 Center. A representative for McKnight Realty Partners, the building owner, could not be reached for comment.