SouthSide Works new owners to close cinema, add office space, apartments in renovation

After operating as a movie theater for nearly 20 years in the heart of the former of J&L Steel works, the SouthSide Works Cinema will soon be office space.

SouthSide Works’ new owners, Somera Road Inc., a New York-based commercial real estate investment and development firm, announced plans Monday to convert the theater into 77,000 square feet of “prime office space” called Box Office.

“The theater has been in disrepair for years and had extraordinarily low attendance,” said Ian Ross, Somera Road’s principal and founder. “We’re seeing a decline in the theater business across the nation. We’ve owned movie theaters across the country and this is not what we would call a healthy movie theater. There’s not enough demand to put (people) in the seats.”

But Ross said it’s not just about the bottom line business failure of the theater.

“It’s also about creating a healthy live/work/play ecosystem within SouthSide Works that can help all businesses thrive,” he said. “One way we’re going to be able to do that is by filling this building with people who are activating it on a regular basis. Having 500 people there Monday through Friday, they’re grabbing coffee in the morning, they’re grabbing some breakfast. They are there for lunch. They’re grabbing a drink or dinner after work.”

Courtesy of HOK

The movie theater at SouthSide Works will close and be turned into office space called the Box Office.

New food, beverage and retail options are also in the works.

Ross said Somera is also looking to add 230 apartments in the area, which he believes will “breathe life into the retail.”

Other changes include: “expanded greenspace options, wayfinding, adding public art and dog and children play areas, and connecting the complex more effectively to the riverfront and trails.”

Somera said it will invest $37 million for improvements to the complex.

Courtesy of HOK

The movie theater at SouthSide Works will close and be turned into office space called the Box Office.

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus, whose district includes the South Side, said that while he is saddened about the movie theater’s departure, he’s excited about the plans to turn it into office space.

“I think it’s a good reuse of the building,” Kraus said. “We have shown that residential and office space both have been consistently successful and this can only continue that success.”

Over the years, the SouthSide Works Cinema has filled a void for movie goers. In 2014, it was one of the few theaters to screen the controversial film “The Interview” about a tabloid TV host (James Franco) landing an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

In more recent years, the theater hosted premieres of movies made in Pittsburgh such as “Concussion” and the Mister Rogers movie “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” It has been the venue for film festivals such as JFilm, which shows international Jewish-themed films.

Kraus said he’s prepared to move on.

“The world is changing and markets are changing,” he said. “We have become so easily tucked away in our homes and information, whether it’s music or news or movies, is streamed into our homes. How do we to combat that and insure that people will still want to be out and about and socialize when we’re fighting that uphill battle?”