Lower Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA - Former Schools on Waymarking.com

The Catalyst group has aquired the building and converted it into luxury apartments. The interior fixtures, such as blackboards mounted on the walls, have been left intact to preserve and examplify its history.

from a business weekly of March 2004:
Strip District developer Jim Aiello has been developing both residential and commercial buildings in the Pittsburgh area for years.

Developments done by Mr. Aiello include the Wal-Mart in North Versailles, Cherrington Corporate Center in Moon Township and the Shops at Scott Town Center in Scott Township. He also has multiuse developments under way in the Chicago area, as well as Ontario, Canada.

But when a small, three-floor, 32,000-square-foot schoolhouse that was built at the turn of the century came on the market in 2000, the opportunity proved too intriguing for Mr. Aiello.

In August 2000, Mr. Aiello, and a group of partners that includes his father, Ross Aiello, and his son, Jim Aiello Jr., and architect Rob Pfaffmann of Downtown, bought the building for $250,000, according to Allegheny County property records.

"I fell in love with the building," Jim Aiello told the Business Times during a recent tour. Mr. Aiello's love of the building, coupled with the fact that his family has had the Commonwealth Warehouse building on 36th Street in the Strip District for 50 years, made him decide to take on the project.

"Our family has a commitment to the entire area," Mr. Aiello said. "I think Lawrenceville is a couple of years away from turning around."

Still, the question was what to do with the building. Initially, Mr. Aiello said he thought about transforming the former schoolhouse into a residential building. That idea, however, fell apart, he said.

At the time when Mr. Aiello and his partners bought the building, the technology industry was booming. Small, technology-oriented companies were springing up all over the place. And these kinds of companies wanted nontraditional kinds of office space.

Unfortunately, just a year later, the technology bubble burst and a number of these companies went out of business. At the same time, the local office market collapsed as well, spurred on by the declining stock market and the nationwide recession.

Still, Mr. Aiello said he decided to convert the building to offices. He said this was the highest and best use for the building. Plus, he said office conditions are improving. It is all just a matter of time, he said.

"I decided to call the building the Catalyst Building because I want it to be a catalyst for small companies," he said.

The first three floors of the Catalyst Building, including the basement, are being used for offices. The third floor of the building -- the school's former gymnasium -- is being kept as an open space. In fact, Mr. Aiello has lent the building out to various Lawrenceville groups as meeting space. It is now being used several times a week by School House Yoga, which was formerly in the Strip District. Mr. Aiello said Catalyst Building tenants will be able to take yoga lessons at a discounted rates.

The first and second floor of the Catalyst Building were former classrooms. In keeping with the schoolhouse theme of the building, Mr. Aiello has kept the chalkboards that currently feature artwork by local artists on them. In addition, the building features 13-foot-high ceilings.

"We would like to market full floors on the building," said Mr. Aiello, adding that he is willing to consider subdividing the space. Space in the Catalyst Building will rent in the mid-teens, said Mr. Aiello adding that he has no listing agent for the building.

"It's an open listing," he said.

Besides renovating the space, Mr. Aiello has completely rewired the building, installed a new HVAC system and made the structure handicapped accessible. He also put parking on the side of the building and installed elevators.

The basement will also have offices. In addition, Mr. Aiello has installed showers and a board room for companies to use. He declined to say how much was spent renovating the building, but said the work took 18 months to complete.

He said he is talking with two potential tenants right now, both of whom are in the medical industry.

"It seems like we're getting more activity," he said. "Maybe that's because of the parking problems Downtown."

The building's first tenant -- Clear View Strategies LLC, a startup, female-owned firm that specializes in transportation consulting, communications and marketing will be the first office tenant in the building. Clear View is scheduled to move in April 1.

"We're a startup business and were fairly certain we couldn't afford space Downtown," said Laurie Andrews, a Clear View principal. "We then met Jim and saw the building. The exposed brick and the fact that Lawrenceville is an up-and-coming community sold us. It's also an easy location to get in and out of."

Loretta Taylor, a broker with Beynon & Co. Inc., a Downtown commercial real estate brokerage and insurance firm, represented School House Yoga when it was looking for new space.

"The building itself is great," Ms. Taylor said. "They did an incredible job of renovating and restoring the building. Clients are impressed when they are touring the space, especially the top floor with all of its openness. There's also a lot of exposed ceilings, plus arched windows. The location is a bit of a concern, but it would be the right location for the right company."

Address: 141 41st st pittsburgh, pa usa 15201 Web Site: [Web Link]

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