Pittsburgh's Arts Landing outdoor space is on schedule and on budget
Standing by what will soon be an 8-foot addition to Downtown Pittsburgh’s skyline, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust President & CEO Kendra Whitlock Ingram paused Monday to show reporters the view set to define Arts Landing: a clear stretch of the Allegheny River and a striking angle of the city’s iconic Three Sisters Bridges.
“As we get towards the center of the site, the elevation will change about eight feet,” she said. “That’s the highest point on the site, which gives you that river view, which is one of the really cool aspects of the design. I love to say this new spot is where you’ll get to see a new sliver of river from another green space in Downtown.”
From this vantage point, not only the river but the Three Sister Bridges — Roberto Clemente, Rachel Carson and Andy Warhol – will appear in view.
That’s just one aspect of the Arts Landing, a four-acre outdoor civic space, which will be operated by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Located in the Cultural District, the $31 million outdoor destination is a part of the Downtown Revitalization Vision announced in 2024 by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Allegheny County, City of Pittsburgh, and Urban Redevelopment Authority, as well as Governor Josh Shapiro’s 10-year $600-million-dollar plan to rejuvenate Downtown Pittsburgh. Shapiro’s plan is to convert unused office space to affordable housing, bolster public safety and create more community spaces.
The Arts Landing project, which had a groundbreaking in April, is on budget and on schedule, Ingram said, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony expected for early April. She said construction will continue throughout the winter.
The plans are to have a soft opening for the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh April 23-25. A grand opening will take place in June for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival and it will become the event’s permanent home.
Ingram said the space will be utilized for many events (look for some of those to be announced in the first quarter of 2026). She said they would love to host festivals, such as Picklesburgh, and something for the Fourth of July to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.
Arts Landing will have regular programming throughout the year, such as concerts, yoga, Salsa dance classes and a pickleball court that will be open regularly for people to play. There will be hours similar to other public spaces within the Cultural District, she said.
“It really is also a place just to relax with lots of places to sit and to hang out,” Ingram said. “That’s one part of having a green space in Downtown that we’re most excited about. The space is really meant to be free access. Because it’s so porous and there’s no gates or fences, we’re expecting that nearly everything that happens here will be free.”
She said it will be a place to engage with arts and culture in many different ways and hopes people will “linger in downtown a little bit longer.”
“Downtown has so many beautiful features,” Ingram said. “The topographical changes are more than just parking lots.”
Work in progress at Arts Landing in Downtown Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/qCsulTFlZ0
— JoAnne Harrop (@joannescoop) November 17, 2025
New York-based Field Operations — the landscape architecture and urban design team behind High Line park in New York City and the facelift underway at Pittsburgh’s Market Square — designed Arts Landing.
“Field Operations really had a vision to change the topography of the space,” Ingram said. “It was pretty flat before. They raised the elevation from Penn Avenue to the center of the site about eight feet to create that sliver of river that you could really never see from this site because it was so flat.”
They created a more interesting landscape design with a number of different types of perennials and annuals for a beautiful garden, native grasses and 100 trees. There will be places for bench seating wrapped around the entire lawn.
“This is going to be one of the most beautiful parts of the site, and there will be public art sprinkled in in different locations,” Ingram said.
It is one of the most transformative projects in the Cultural District’s history, according to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
A band shell for outdoor performances will be 50 feet wide by 30 feet deep.
“It’s a pretty sizable stage,” Ingram said.
There will be a pedestrian-friendly garden walk, a play area, a variety of seating options, picnic tables, games, planters and overhead lighting. Arts Landing will have three pickleball courts and a small running track. A building owned by the Cultural District at the intersection of Ninth and Penn will become a visitor’s center with public bathrooms.
Part of Arts Landing will host public art installations. Pittsburgh’s well-known artist, Thaddeus Mosley, will have sculptures on display as the inaugural installation. The development will be versatile, Ingram said, to host an array of events, from musical performances and festivals to food truck fairs and pop-up markets, according to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
The area was formerly known as the Backyard, located at Eighth Street and Penn Avenue in the Cultural District.
“It’s amazing the progress we’ve been making in such a short period of time,” Ingram said. “Every day I come out here, there’s something new.”
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust provided a time-lapse video of the space.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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