420 Boulevard of the Allies Office Building Receives NAIOP Pittsburgh’s Office Renovation of the Year

The building at 420 Boulevard of the Allies, which was renovated in 2018 by M & J Wilkow, Ltd., has won NAIOP Pittsburgh’s prestigious Office Renovation of the Year award.

The 93-year-old building, located in Pittsburgh’s Central Business District, was home to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for seventeen years. A full redevelopment to transform the historic building into a state-of-the-art office complex began after the school vacated the building in 2017. The renovation process included completely gutting the interior to create open office floor plans, a rooftop terrace with views of the Monongahela River, a modern tenant lounge, a 60-person conference center and state-of-the-art fitness facility.

“We are gratified to receive such a prestigious award and thank NAIOP for recognizing our efforts,” said Marty Sweeney, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Asseet Management at M & J Wilkow. “Inspired by the special features of this vintage property, our goal from day one was to conceive and implement a redevelopment plan that would take maximize the potential of this asset, and so we started the planning process after we acquired the property in 2014, even though AIP had signed a three-year lease. When the school’s lease expired, we quickly went to work to execute our plans. Our team methodically took the building back to its bare bones to rebuild an up-to-date office interior, rich with modern amenities, while simultaneously restoring and updating the main lobby and gallery with contemporary touches. Together with our partners at CenterSquare Investment Management, and our colleagues at Strada Architecture and Shannon Construction, our goal was to restore a generally forgotten property to its rightful place among Pittsburgh’s architectural jewels. We could not be more pleased with the results and eagerly look forward to our next project together.”

NAIOP Pittsburgh awards commercial real estate developers, owners, investors and professionals for outstanding contributions to the local Pittsburgh commercial real estate markets.