Pittsburgh officials on Thursday painted a bright picture of a Downtown in the midst of revitalization efforts that will allow the city to shine during the 2026 NFL Draft next month.
They vowed also to build on efforts to make the Golden Triangle safe, clean and vibrant long after the three-day event ends.
“This is a great time to be in Pittsburgh,” Mayor Corey O’Connor told a standing-room-only crowd during an annual meeting of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit community development organization. “We have to continue to build on the momentum that’s going on.”
Officials during Thursday’s meeting highlighted projects that will be completed ahead of the NFL Draft, including a $15 million facelift for Market Square and the construction of Arts Landing, a new outdoor civic space coming to the Cultural District.
Jeremy Waldrup, CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, said Market Square renovations — which include upgraded lighting, a new trellis under which events will be hosted and increased opportunities for outdoor dining — will be completed in the days before the draft.
“We could not have asked for a bigger deadline,” he quipped.
But the upgrade won’t just be a benefit for draft weekend. It also will welcome some of the 50,000-plus people expected to be Downtown for the city’s annual marathon the following weekend — and for a slew of events throughout the year.
The newest addition set to land in Market Square in May will be roller skating, Waldrup said, projecting an image on the screen of himself as a child, donning red-wheeled roller skates.
Similarly, the new four-acre Arts Landing space will be unveiled in time for the draft, according to Kendra Whitlock Ingram, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Beyond the draft, it will host festivals and special events — and offer opportunities for more casual recreation on the great lawn and at Downtown Pittsburgh’s lone playground.
She said people can expect to see food trucks, pickleball tournaments, movie nights and Pittsburgh’s yearly arts festival at the site in the coming months.
Whitlock Ingram said state-of-the-art surveillance cameras and partnerships with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to have ambassadors and a “clean team” on hand will ensure the space remains clean and safe, she added.
“It’s a breathtaking new destination in the Cultural District,” she said. “Yes, it will be open in time for the NFL Draft — but more importantly, it’s going to be here for the rest of our lives and for future generations.”
Officials also spotlighted an array of ongoing efforts to revitalize Downtown. Many ramped up ahead of the draft but will continue long after the event, leaders said.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership last year collected nearly a million pounds of trash and pressure-washed almost 2 million square feet of sidewalk. They provided over 200 shuttle rides per day for homeless people looking for transport to shelters and services, Waldrup said.
He pointed out also that the partnership hosted over 350 events Downtown, including major festivals like The Thaw, Picklesburgh and Oktoberfest.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato promised to continue focusing on ongoing investments to create more mixed-income housing Downtown and move people from homeless camps into shelters and permanent housing.
Pittsburgh Police Chief Jason Lando vowed to continue work to help people facing mental health crises and reduce violent crime.
In the final weeks before the draft, O’Connor said, officials will continue filling empty storefronts with pop-ups.
They’ll paint “disgusting-looking” railroad trestles. Already, they removed 104 empty newspaper kiosks that littered Downtown.
The draft will bring a major spotlight, Waldrup said, but leaders are contemplating also how to keep the momentum going afterwards.
“I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of Downtown.” he said, “and that our best days are still ahead.”
