Lazarus

For more than two decades downtown Pittsburgh was without the likes of new stand-alone department store. However, with the new Lazarus department store, the city was on the leading edge of what was a renewed interest in urban retail. The city’s development arm, the Pittsburgh Economic & Industrial Development Authority (PEIDA), through a public/private joint venture, delivered the 250,000-sq.-ft. Lazarus department store to serve as an important anchor to the city’s retail district.

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The project was a collaborative effort between our firm and with Cooper Carry, to design the building to fit within the context of the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. It has an urban character, with the details and materials expected in traditional downtown retail buildings. Designed in the spirit of significant Pittsburgh buildings such as H.H. Richardson's Allegheny County Courthouse and the Burnham, Frick, and Oliver buildings, the building also meets modern requirements.

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Entrances to Lazarus were placed at the corners of the building, in order to align with pedestrian crosswalks, and to be identifiable to onlookers from a distance. Similarly, the architect used large windows both to add light and as a marketing tool. Below the four-story building is a three-level underground parking garage with a 500 vehicle capacity, to meet the parking demands.