UPMC will move office Downtown

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will soon have a new home, high atop the city in… The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center will soon have a new home, high atop the city in the U.S. Steel Building, Pittsburgh’s tallest skyscraper.

Jeffrey Romoff, president and chief executive of UPMC, officially announced yesterday, at a press conference in the U.S. Steel Building, that UPMC’s corporate offices will move from Oakland to downtown Pittsburgh because of a lack of space in Oakland and in order to revitalize the downtown area.

Romoff said that the move will bring thousands of jobs to downtown Pittsburgh and, like the new arena, economically develop the downtown area.

“However large or however successful we become, UPMC is investing in this community,” Romoff said.

Romoff pointed out how Shadyside had benefited from the building of the Hillman Cancer Center and also Lawrenceville from the new Children’s Hospital. He is confident that downtown Pittsburgh will experience the same economic benefits.

Dan Onorato, the Allegheny County Chief Executive, said that there is not sufficient room in Oakland to support the growing needs of UPMC. He also said that the move will help to better connect Oakland, Downtown and Lawrenceville.

Romoff is confident that the move from Oakland won’t adversely affect the area.

“Oakland will remain as full of vitality and as crowded as it is now,” Romoff said. He added that the move will temporarily decongest Oakland, and it will be much easier to find parking there.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was there to welcome UPMC to its new headquarters and expressed pleasure toward the benefits it is expected to bring to downtown Pittsburgh.

“Any time you make an announcement like this, you don’t mind running for re-election,” Ravenstahl said.

The office space that UPMC will occupy is owned by the Oxford Development Company. David Matter, the president of the company, stressed the importance of UPMC to the region by hailing it as the successor of heavy industry as the main economy of Western Pa.

Matter said that the move will help develop downtown Pittsburgh by bringing people to the area that will eat at its restaurants, enjoy its nightlife and attend sporting events.

“More importantly, this transaction will leave a healthy leasing fee for my company,” Matter added jokingly.

However, there certainly is truth to the joke. UPMC is the largest integrated health care enterprise in Pennsylvania and one of the country’s leading nonprofit medical centers. It is a $6 billion organization, has 43,000 employees and is one of the biggest companies in Western Pa. It was one of 14 hospitals in America to earn “honor roll” status in U.S. News ‘ World Report’s 2006 “America’s Best Hospitals” survey.

UPMC will initially occupy five of the upper floors with 185,000 square feet of space at its new home on Grant Street and will bring approximately 2,250 employees to Downtown. It may lease as much as one-half million square feet within five years. The move is expected to begin in March of 2008.

The issue of UPMC’s awaiting $120 million merger with Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh’s first hospital, also came up at the press conference. Romoff rejected criticism that the merger is in violation of anti-trust laws and said that UPMC will raise prices for health care after the merger. He said that a merger is the only way to keep Mercy Hospital running and UPMC’s only desire is to see the hospital survive.

The U.S. Steel Building is a familiar landmark to many Pittsburghers. It is 841 feet and 64 stories tall. It houses the U.S. Steel Company’s World Headquarters and some of its other tenants include the H.J. Heinz Company, PNC Bank and Merrill Lynch.

UPMC plans to place a sign high on the building, which will be able to be seen for miles.