Pitt destroys the old Burger King, plans a park

Pitt demolished the Burger King on Forbes Avenue and two of its neighboring buildings this… Pitt demolished the Burger King on Forbes Avenue and two of its neighboring buildings this summer, to replace them with a small park, as part of an ongoing effort to improve Oakland’s overall appearance.

The City Planning Commission gave the University the go-ahead in May to tear down the unoccupied Burger King, along with an office supply shop and a video game center, according to project manager Ron Leibow.

All three of the vacant buildings are being replaced with a small park that will stretch from Fifth Avenue to Forbes Avenue along South Bouquet Street.

The small park will consist of a concrete sidewalk with several light posts, an arrangement of trees within patches of grass, a circular seat wall, stone benches and a bamboo stand with ornamental grasses, Leibow explained.

“It will look more like a transitional passive area,” he said in May.

Ultimately, Pitt wants to develop the sight into something more, according to Eli Shorak, associate vice chancellor for business. But the University has not yet decided upon any specific plans.

“The thinking is long-term, but for the time being, the University does not want to own vacant, run-down buildings,” Shorak said during the summer.

Andy Hardie, chair member for the Oakland Business Improvement District and owner of Dave and Andy’s Ice Cream, agreed with Shorak.

“The ‘time being’ might be 10 years,” Hardie said. “It is a much better idea to put something there for the meantime, until they figure out what to do with it.”

Tom Armstrong, chair of the City Planning Commission, said that having a bit of open space in the middle of a dense campus would be a nice addition.

“They’re going to create a pleasant place,” Armstrong said. “Visually it will feel like an extension. You’ll have the perception of a nice, pleasant space.”

Leibow estimated the cost for this project to be about $25,000.

Pitt began tearing down the buildings in June and expects to finish the small park by the fall.

Assistant News Editor Bilal Muhammad contributed to this report.