Tennessee developer Leigh Burch III likes to describe himself as a "brain damaged guy." And he'll probably get no argument from the six or so other developers who have taken a crack at resurrecting the Highland Building in East Liberty.

For at least two decades, the vacant 13-story high-rise has resisted all of them -- "chewed them up and spit them out" is the way Rob Stephany of East Liberty Development Inc. puts it.

But Burch, president of Terminus Real Estate Inc. of Knoxville, is hoping to reverse that pattern. He is confident that he can turn the building into a meal ticket by converting offices into 84 condominiums with an average sales price of $167,000.

Terminus has purchased the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, from the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority for $1,000 as part of its $14 million plan to recycle the property at 121 S. Highland Avenue for residential living.

Burch has had plenty of success doing that in Knoxville, where he turned the historic Sterchi office building downtown into 100 loft apartments, an $11 million project. He sees the same potential for the Highland Building, which sits in the heart of the burgeoning East Liberty retail corridor.

It might even give him a sense of deja vu.

The Sterchi building, for many years a furniture wholesaler, was built in 1926 and had been vacant for about 20 years. The Highland Building was built by industrialist Henry Clay Frick in 1910 and has been unoccupied for at least two decades. Both have historic designations.

Mindful of the way the Highland Building has devoured developers in the past, Burch admits the conversion won't be easy. He said historic rehabs in general can be money pits because you "just start finding things you wish you hadn't found. It's so much easier to start from scratch."

"A project like that is a lot of brain damage," he said. "It's so difficult."

In fact, it wasn't so long ago that Burch himself was ready to walk away from the building. He wasn't sure he wanted to invest a year or so away from his family in Knoxville to oversee a project in Pittsburgh. Plus, the lack of parking near the building was proving again to be the same development killer that had crushed previous attempts.

"Six months ago I was ready to throw up many hands," he said. "It was just too complicated."

But then things began to fall into place. The big break was Terminus' deal to acquire the adjacent Stadterman Building. Terminus plans to demolish that structure, erect a multi-level parking facility, and build a 132-room hotel above it, all for $17.8 million.

"Parking was the key. That's what we had to do," Burch said. "That was the biggest hurdle so far."

With that resolved, Stephany, director of commercial real estate development for East Liberty Development Inc., believes the Highland Building finally has a shot at making it.

A decade ago that probably would not have been possible. But that has changed with the burgeoning commercial activity nearby, including Whole Foods Market, Home Depot and restaurants and nightspots.

"I think the market has finally come to the Highland Building. It's not isolated or an island development anymore," Stephany said. "It's actually part of a spillover."

Burch said he is working with an unidentified Alabama group in building the hotel, itself an oddity that would have been unheard of not long ago but which now is possible because of the proximity of the Hillman Cancer Center and university-related medical facilities.

He hopes to begin the Highland Building rehab and the other work in six months or so, with a 12- to 14-month construction period. He plans to have the first buyers in the Highland Building by summer 2007.

To help finance the redevelopment, the URA is providing a $1 million Pittsburgh Development Fund loan and up to $60,000 in facade grants.

It also is seeking $2 million in state grants and loans for infrastructure for the project. The building also is eligible for historic tax credits. All other financing is private.

Burch said he plans to spend a lot of time in Pittsburgh over the next couple of years as he oversees the project. Outside of the time away from his family, it won't be a bad gig for Burch, who calls himself a Steelers and Pitt fan and who lived in Baldwin Borough while in third grade.

"Pittsburgh's just really fun. If I had a choice of living in Pittsburgh or Atlanta, it would be hands down Pittsburgh," said Burch, whose company's name, Terminus, was the original name for Atlanta.

His project will go before the city planning commission tomorrow for site plan review. It's a big step forward for a guy who was ready to throw in the towel and walk away a short time ago.