PITTSBURGH
It has taken longer to build than some of the biggest construction projects
in recent Pittsburgh history, from the North Shore Connector to Three PNC
Plaza.
Some five years after it first started, a modest 20,000-square-foot addition
to the former Hilton Pittsburgh hotel Downtown still has not been finished. It
is 57 months and counting, based on the city building permit issued for
construction on Aug. 15, 2007. It is now set to be finished by Aug. 30,
according to Brian Fitzgerald, general manager.
Following the delays, which stemmed from financial woes--including work
stoppages due to unpaid bills and the hotel's eventual bankruptcy, which produced
a new owner—the hotel's name has even changed during the construction. Hilton
chain removed its name because of the various troubles and was replaced by
Wyndham.
The 712-room hotel is now the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. It will
feature 52,000 square feet of meeting space.
