Development proposal could see 31st Street Studio turned into housing and retail space
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - While Pittsburgh has become a hotbed for Hollywood filmmakers in recent years, big changes may be on the way for the 31st Street Studio that has housed some major productions.
What was once a sheet metal factory here in Steel City is now one of the largest studio spaces on the east coast.
Soon...that could all change.
It has seen some of the biggest productions and some of the biggest names in Hollywood have walked through its doors and performed on its stages but now the 31st Street Studio here in Pittsburgh's Strip District may be taking its final bow.
This is all due to a proposed redevelopment project from the studio's landlord, the New York-based North River Company.
The company, while proud to operate the building as a studio, said they're looking to the future and what the potential of the land could be.
With that, next week, North River is set to brief the Pittsburgh Planning Commission about possibly turning the over nine-acre site along the Allegheny River into a mix use development, housing several buildings with apartments, parking, retail, and restaurants.
Dawn Keezer, the Director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, says that redevelopment in the area has been in the works for a while and that even if this studio space goes away, it won't slow down Southwestern Pennsylvania's film industry, which brings in big bucks, thanks to the state's tax credit of $100 million dollars for film.
"In order for production companies to receive their tax credit, they are audited by an outside auditor," Keezer said. "So we know every dime they've spent and where they have spent it in Pennsylvania."
Those dimes have been adding up, providing a $2.5 billion economic impact for the state in recent years with over $340 million coming into the economy from the film industry in 2021 alone.
Keezer added that the industry is growing rapidly in the area and while developing the 31st Street Studio away from production space would be sad for the film office, filmmaking in the Pittsburgh region shows no sign of slowing.
"This is a growing thriving industry in southwestern Pennsylvania and the goal was to always keep growing infrastructure and having a business located here and continuing to grow it for both the people that work in this industry and the businesses," Keezer said. "So if we lose 31 Street Studio in two years, we will be sad, but we expect to have other developments coming in to take their place."
For the time being, 31st Street Studio will remain open but even if the space does have its curtain call soon, the show will still go on for the film industry in Pittsburgh.