Wabash Bridge piers along Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh for sale
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Standing 50 feet above the Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh, the Wabash Bridge piers are looking for their next owner after their previous owner passed away three years ago.
AJ Pantoni, director of industrial services with Hanna Langholz Wilson Ellis, has the monumental task of selling them.
"We've fielded phone calls from a lot of folks across the United States," he said. "A lot of them saying, 'Hey, what could I do? Could I build a tiny house on top of them?'"
The piers used to support the Wabash Bridge, which carried freight trains through the Wabash Tunnel. It was torn down in 1948, and the piers are all that's left.
The most recent owner purchased them in 1979 for about $18,000 and found plenty of ways to repurpose them, including being used to fly flags for the arts festival.
"They've been used for advertising," Pantoni said. "So a lot of historical shots of the city, you'll see where barges were parked with advertising on them. They were also used for fleeting and other services along the Mon."
Pantoni told KDKA-TV that people have proposed plenty of new possible purposes for the piers, from advertising to art installations.
"In '58, there was a proposed restaurant to be put on top of it. So, could we use this for a marina, could this be used for rock climbing, could we integrate it along the path that goes along the river?" said Pantoni.
No matter what the future owner decides to do with it, they will need to consult with the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Coast Guard. And no, the piers do not have to move unless they pose a hazard to navigation.
The seller could not discuss the asking price but did say he has a lot of serious inquiries.