Pittsburgh's G-20 clean-up could include the transformation of an eyesore into artwork -- or, at least, an attractive ad -- if a bit of whimsy from a City Council office gets a developer's nod.

The eyesore is the former Edge Restaurant, which has sat empty and ugly next to the Monongahela Incline's Grandview station for 30 years, and is now slated for transformation into a 140-room hotel and 50 condominiums. That won't be done in time for the Sept. 24 arrival of world leaders for the G-20 summit on the global economy. So Councilwoman Theresa Smith and her aide, Chuck Wallace, want to cover the building in canvas and project something positive onto its facade while the world's eyes are on Pittsburgh.

Mr. Wallace has approached representatives of Chicago developer Steven Beemsterboer, who controls the site, asking if "we can cover just the front of it, because you can see it from [Downtown], and it's a disaster." The building also threatens to dim the impressions Mount Washington might make on wandering journalists or staff members -- not to mention the odd world leader who might venture outside of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

"With the wonderful view and the wonderful amenities that Mount Washington offers, we do plan to highlight it and showcase it, and make sure that, if we can, we direct people up to this wonderful community," said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl as he walked from the unveiling of a mural on the neighborhood's firehouse to the Grandview overlooks, where he planned to discuss trimming trees to improve the view.

The treetops are beginning to encroach on the view from the Grandview promenade, and Mr. Ravenstahl is trying to figure out how to address that without besmirching the pro-environment image that helped lure the summit here.

"The last thing you want to do is just come in and cut trees down, and so we want to try to make sure that we balance it out with the preservation of the view," he said. "I think we have some good ideas on how to do it in a way that can please everybody."

The city plans to put 10 to 15 new trash cans in the neighborhood, as well as a yet-to-be-determined number of bike racks, said city Neighborhood Initiatives Director Kim Graziani.

Already in place are 10 new street trees and the mural. Painted for free by artist Cory Bonnet, with materials donated by Distributor Service Inc., it depicts the view from the old firehouse, along with the silhouettes of firefighters in what looks like a post-blaze conversation.

Ms. Smith said the views from Mount Washington and the West End Overlook give the city's western neighborhoods added importance as Pittsburgh prepares for what might be its close-up.

"Working together with the administration and the residents, we're going to put up a beautiful view of the city," she said.

Now back to that eyesore.

Mr. Wallace noted that General Motors turned buildings into ads when the Super Bowl came to Detroit in 2006. Why not turn the Edge Restaurant's hulk into a billboard for the city, the neighborhood, or the One Grandview Avenue complex that Mr. Beemsterboer hopes to build there?

"The developer thinks it's a great idea and understands the importance to the community," said David Caliguiri of GSP Consulting, a spokesman for Mr. Beemsterboer. He's looking into whether the building can be clad in some material, how much it would cost, and whether it can be done in time.