SomeraRoad, Inc. Redevelops Movie Theater into "Box Office", a New Class-A Modern Office Space in Pittsburgh's SouthSide Works

PITTSBURGH, Dec. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SomeraRoad, Inc., a Nashville and New York-based commercial real estate investment and development firm has completed the first new product offering in its master planned live-work-play-stay redevelopment of the SouthSide Works property in Pittsburgh's Southside. The firm acquired the project in March 2020 and intends to inject over $130 million in development across the microneighborhood.

SomeraRoad, alongside architectural partner HOK, has completed an ambitious adaptive reuse of the former SouthSide Works Cinema. The "Box Office" project has transformed the former movie theater into a new 77,000-sq.-ft. Class-A office space. The modern interiors, surrounded by tremendous natural light and outdoor spaces, provide prime workspace within this dynamic and amenity-rich neighborhood. The product is geared toward forward-thinking tech and creative tenants looking to find a new or expanded home in Pittsburgh, and companies looking to attract top talent by providing exceptional office space.

Box Office boasts expansive views and premier amenities, including a 7,000-sq.-ft. open lobby, complete with a grand staircase and open verandas, and a 1,700-sq.-ft. private outdoor patio. The immediate neighborhood is highly walkable, with convenient access to biking and walking trails, expansive food and beverage retailers, grocery stores, coffee shops, bars and restaurants, outdoor amenities, and Carson Street. The project will add an estimated 400 people to the daily traffic on the property, offering an added incentive for its new retail tenant mix.

"The cinema's grand entry, high ceilings and efficient usable floor plate, coupled with steel and glass facades, and the adaptive-reuse appeal, create a unique office conversion opportunity that, especially when coupled with this vibrant, walkable, amenity-rich neighborhood, provides a product that Pittsburgh hasn't seen before," said Jonathon Reeser, SomeraRoad's Director of Acquisitions and Asset Management.

SomeraRoad engaged HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm, for work on the design of Box Office. Work on the project began in Summer 2020.

"We were thrilled to have the opportunity to reimagine a segmented, dark theater into a flexible, light-filled workplace for the tech industry and creative class," said Eric Linebarger, Senior Project Designer at HOK. "The design honors the building's former use but incorporates elevated amenities, ample outdoor space and industrial-inspired design components that infuse the workplace with energy. SomeraRoad's redevelopment of the Box Office is critical to cementing SouthSide Works as a vibrant destination to live, work and play for decades to come."

Box Office is an anchor for SomeraRoad's live-work-play-stay model for SouthSide Works. Located in the heart of one of Pittsburgh's most bustling neighborhoods, the company's leadership team envisioned a vibrant urban campus with a focus on accessibility and amenities. The property boasts ample parking; a central location to downtown Pittsburgh and the med-ed-tech epicenter of Oakland and the city's East End; and direct trail and riverfront access via the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Abundant amenities include a diverse tenant mix of retail, entertainment, art and food and beverage concepts, with more on the way.

"The Box Office is a microcosm of Pittsburgh.  It is a repurposed movie theater, resting on a former steel mill site, and ideally suited for a prominent transformative white collar use. This transformation mirrors that of our regions from an economy based predominantly on blue collar industry to one that is the epicenter of white collar resurgence," said Herky Pollock, Executive Vice President and Northeast Director of the Retailer Services Group of CBRE, Inc.

SomeraRoad and its leasing team at CBRE, have added a variety of new tenants to the existing mix of retail, lifestyle, and corporate tenants like Amazon, General Dynamics, American Eagle headquarters, Duquesne Energy, REI, and Urban Outfitters. Fred Rogers Productions and Rite Aid will take occupancy in the Spring 2022. Additionally, Pins Mechanical is set to open Summer 2022 with over 30,000-sq.-ft. of space  housing duckpin bowling, pinball, classic arcade games, bocce ball, patio pong and much more.

"Although other recent adaptive reuse projects have been executed here, no other adaptive reuse in the history of the City of Pittsburgh can match the character and distinctiveness of the Box Office at SouthSide Works," said Carmine DiLucente, Vice President CBRE, Inc. (Pittsburgh Office). "From the spectacular lobby which doubles as an all-hands meeting area with collaborative monumental stair, to the 17-foot ceiling heights on the second floor, to the private balconies overlooking the new Town Square, no other office building compares. Box Office also provides unparalleled branding opportunities to an anchor tenant who will be able to utilize the former cinema's marquee signage to create an unprecedented identity in the heart of a flourishing live, work, play, stay environment."

SOURCE SouthSide Works