Building receives face lift

While crowds of people grumbled as they took alternate routes around the large equipment… While crowds of people grumbled as they took alternate routes around the large equipment blocking the road on Meyran Avenue, Sara Smith looked at the construction as a treat for her young son Sheadon — who is fascinated by the men working large cranes.

“While everyone else is griping about it, it’s a field trip for him,” Smith said, a Travel Advisor for STA Travel, located on Meyran Avenue across from the building under construction.

Smith and her co-workers have been following the construction outside of their storefront since it began in the summer. Occasionally they look out their window to observe jack hammering, falling windows and other telltale signs of progress.

The construction project will renovate the Pitt-owned Loeffler Building, located on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Meyran Avenue.

A group from UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Institution and Clinic will occupy most of the three-story building, while the first floor will be reserved for commercial space leased to merchants.

John Fedele, assistant director of news for Pitt’s Office of Public Affairs, said he expects that after the renovations are made, the University will try to fill the first-floor space.

He said that the design would resemble the Sennott Square building with a mix of offices on the upper floors and commercial businesses on street level. Pitt expects the construction to be completed by the end of the year.

Burchick Construction Company Inc. is currently working on the project. Burchick has also completed construction on Pitt’s Biomedical Science Tower 3 and renovated the Honor’s College floors in the Cathedral of Learning.

The construction on the Loeffler Building includes renovations to the Got Used Bookstore, which is part of the building. The Got Used Bookstore will receive a new back door and fire escape and new electric and air conditioning systems.

Ben Lambert, manager in training at the Got Used Bookstore, said that although some obstacles of the construction, such as the large scaffolding blocking its storefront, may be an inconvenience, they do not seem to hurt business. He said that he believes the construction will be “all for the better” of the building.

While the scaffold, which covers up the store’s sign, may cause some people to think that the store is closed, the employees have taken measures to retain recognition. Mara Pierce, a sales associate for Got Used, gives customers alternative directions to the store.

“People know we are here,” Lambert said. “We are just trying to keep the lights on and let everyone know that we are open.”

Derek Betchy, Pittsburgh resident and member of the United States Army, said that he hopes the renovations will bring in new business and create more jobs for students and residents. Examining the equipment and neon orange barriers blocking the road, he concluded that the construction proved to be an obstacle instead of an inconvenience.

Amanda Charpentier, branch manager for the STA Travel located across from the Loeffler Building on Meyran, said that the construction has not inconvenienced her or affected business. She said that once the project is finished, it might be good for business on Meyran Avenue.

Charpentier and Smith recalled the sight of boarded windows and closed storefronts on Meyran Avenue before the construction began. They both agreed that an aesthetic change would be good for the street.

“This whole street has been boarded up and ugly for some time,” she said. “Hopefully with a new fa