Buying Here: Downtown
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At the top of the CAPA building are two penthouse apartments. One of them is on the market. -
The front door to the penthouse apartment. -
The first-floor living room with views of the North Shore. -
The first floor with the staircase seen to the right. -
The kitchen features multi-colored panels on the cabinets. -
Some of the art, such as this chandelier, will be for sale. -
The downstairs powder room with a Murano glass sink. Note the staircase that is reflected in the mirror. -
The outdoor roof-top deck. -
The view of Pittsburgh's North Shore from the deck. -
Second-level open floor plan with master bedroom, shower and office space. The 26-by-30-foot area has a queen bed on the floor with banks of floor-to-ceiling windows. A flat-screen TV hangs on the wall and can be pulled out for nighttime viewing. Glass doors open to a second terrace. The floating staircase was created by Peter Michael Lambert of Red Star Ironworks. -
Another view of the second floor. -
The guest bedroom. -
The second-floor bath area.
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One of the city's coolest homes sits atop one of its best schools -- at 121 Ninth St., Downtown. The address may be familiar to some as home to the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School. But what's not widely known is that the property also houses two spectacular penthouses on the 10th floor that have amazing views of the Allegheny River all the way down to the Point.
At a glance
- Web site: www.downtownpittsburgh.com
- Size: 0.64 square miles
- Population: 2,721 (2000 census)
- School district: City of Pittsburgh (www.pghboe.net)
- Enrollment: 26,123
- Average SAT scores: Verbal, 535; Math, 516; Writing, 533 (CAPA High School)
- Annual taxes on a $100,000 house: $2,870; City: $1,080 (10.8 mills); School: $1,392 (13.92 mills); County 1: $398 (4.69 mills)
- Earned income tax: 3 percent (1 percent earned income and 2 percent School District)
- Fun fact: Downtown is home to 13 parks and plazas within its boundaries including the historical Point State Park that sits on 36 acres at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.
Penthouse 2 (MLS No. 858688) is a subtle masterpiece with open floor plans on two levels. On the market for $1.295 million, its 2,900 square feet of space was created to take advantage of the changing panoramas. Realtor Lori Hummel of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services (412-687-6000, ext. 221, or www.howardhanna.com) will have an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Homeowners Scott Bergstein and Jessica Coup purchased the property in 2006 and proceeded with renovations on what was then unfinished warehouse space.
The couple's active involvement in the arts community drove their design choices. The centerpiece of the home is a floating staircase created by Peter Michael Lambert of Red Star Ironworks. Its life began as a site-specific installation in the Mattress Factory's "Gestures" exhibit in 2005. Mr. Bergstein said as soon as he saw it, he knew where it had to live.
"I asked him [Peter] what he planned to do with it. He was taking it to a field to age. I approached him about making the staircase."
Mr. Lambert agreed and was commissioned to create staircase guards and banisters. Polished stainless steel and warm iron flows unobtrusively through both levels. The offset floating treads are made from French limestone. The original shield from the piece hangs on a wall at the top of the staircase.
First Published August 20, 2011 12:00 am
