Old Town Entrance Building Dedicated
Dave Roberts, ANTIOCH PRESS, December 21, 2007
A new building combining apartments, offices and commercial space at the entrance to Pittsburg’s revitalized Old Town downtown district was welcomed with a grand opening ceremony on Nov. 29.
“What do you think of this new building? Isn’t it great?” asked City Councilman Ben Johnson, who presided over the well-attended ceremony for Entrata (“gateway” or “entrance” in Italian) at 10th Street and Railroad Avenue.
“This has been a labor of love, and it wasn’t an easy project. We had to go through a lot of trials and tribulations to make this happen. It’s all about getting things done – and we did get this done. It looks beautiful, and it’s going to work great.”
Entrata, one of several new development projects deemed critical to the revitalization effort in Pittsburg’s downtown, cost over $12 million and includes 28 apartments and 8,000 square feet of commercial space around a central courtyard. It was financed in part through $8.9 million in loans and assistance from the Pittsburg Redevelopment Agency. Thirteen of the apartments are reserved for low-income and very-low-income residents.
On the east side of the first floor of the building is the city of Pittsburg’s Community Access Department, formerly known as the Pittsburg Housing Authority. The west side of the building is currently available for lease, and may become a restaurant or café. Public art is on display in the courtyard along with several clocks showing the time in Pittsburg’s sister cities around the world.
