Fire-damaged Gulf Tower undergoing repairs in Downtown Pittsburgh

The Gulf Tower won’t be disappearing from the Downtown Pittsburgh skyline anytime soon, its owners said Monday.

The 89-year-old, 44-story Art Deco skyscraper at 707 Grant St. was damaged May 19 when an electrical fire broke out in a sub-basement. Last Wednesday, the city’s Permits, Licenses and Inspections department posted a condemnation notice on the building.

The PLI notice is about public safety in accessing the building, not the prospect of a demolition, city officials and the building’s owner, Rugby Realty Co., said Monday.

“We are aggressively and actively pursuing the restoration,” said Larry Walsh, chief operating officer and principal with Rugby Realty. “The building will be fully restored and open as soon as possible.” When the skyscraper opened in 1932, it was the city’s tallest structure, a status held until the U.S. Steel Tower opened down the street in 1971.

The notice was issued to alert people that the building was unsafe until the repairs are made, PLI Director Sarah Kinter said.

“It is a matter of the process with the city. They do it to ensure the property owner makes the repairs necessary,” Walsh said.

There are about 200 people working “around the clock” to make those repairs, Walsh said.

“We are well on our way toward doing what is needed to get the building repaired and reopened,” he said.

The mid-morning fire on May 19 rose to five alarms. Smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the building as it traveled through the building’s ventilation systems. It was caused by a failure of the building’s electrical systems, fire officials said.

About 200 people were working in the building at the time, down from about 1,000 who would have been in it before the coronavirus pandemic, Walsh said.

About 40 businesses rent space in the building. Rugby, which also owns the Koppers and Frick buildings Downtown, said it is working to provide temporary space in those buildings until the repairs are made, Walsh said.

Until the city issues a new occupancy permit for the building, tenants’ access to their offices is limited and they must be accompanied by Rugby staff when doing so, Walsh said.

Rugby hopes to know more about the extent of the damage and what needs to be done soon, Walsh said.

Last year, the masonry was restored in a $1 million project on the stepped pyramid at the top of the building, which was designed to mimic the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in present-day Turkey that’s touted as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.