Hill District celebrates new Pitt community center, Granada Theater restoration
PITTSBURGH —
The Hill District celebrated the opening of the University of Pittsburgh’s new community engagement center and the next phase of the historic Granada Theater’s reconstruction.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at the community center included tours of the building’s revitalization progress, while attendees also explored the ongoing restoration inside the Granada Theater.
Representatives from the University of Pittsburgh and the Hill Community Development Corporation spoke about what the projects meant to the neighborhood’s arts scene.
“They’ve really set the vision for what this theater can bring back to the Hill District. A little bit of magic, a little bit of the jazz and a little bit of the celebration of the arts. So up here in the community engagement center, our core partners are Pitt Jazz as well as our Center for African American Poetry and Poetics,” Jamie Ducar said. Ducar is the associate vice chancellor for engagement and community affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.
Wednesday evening, residents were able to see the theater’s marquee lit up during the event.
The $36 million restoration project in the Hill District includes retail, office space and more housing.