After the slow-motion collapse of the steel industry in the â70s and â80s, Pittsburghers got used to the presence of empty buildings. But today, with the city growing and thriving in so many ways, itâs worth asking: Why are there still so many empty and seemingly abandoned eyesores in prominent places?
Our curiosity here is about the individual buildings that have inexplicably stayed vacant for a long time in busy areas. Here are nine we wish would get rehabbed and reopened very soon.

2223 Murray Avenue, Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hillâs long, lively Murray Avenue doesnât have many missing teeth â except this building here. On a street within one of the great urban neighborhoods in America, this structure has been empty for nearly two decades. It was once Greenbergâs Kosher Poultry, according to the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, who otherwise declined to comment. Itâs not an especially attractive building, but surely there has to be a way to bring it back to life. Or knock it down and build something useful?
Squirrel Hill Theater, Forward Avenue, Squirrel Hill
The long-vacant Squirrel Hill Theater further down on Forward Avenue is also definitely an eyesore. There are plans to do something with this space, though theyâve been slow-moving. An empty movie theater may not be as easy to adapt and reuse as, say, a storefront. But still, itâs been empty for nine years now, which shouldnât happen in a neighborhood as vibrant as Squirrel Hill.

Anthonâs, Penn Avenue, East Liberty
Hereâs an odd case of a storefront that actually looks great, in an amazing location â but nobody seems to want it. The classic art deco facade touts âAnthonâs: Bakery, Restaurant, Deli,â which are some of my favorite words. Unfortunately, whatâs delivered is only dust and fading memories of what once was. Like prehistoric artifacts from a bygone age, weâre left to ponder questions like these: Was this really a bakery and a deli?â Did the waitresses say things like, âJâeet jet?â Most importantly: Can it ever be anything again? An exterior this cool is begging to be used. A report in 2017 indicated that an Italian restaurant was coming here, but itâs either moving very slowly, or not at all.

3404 Penn Ave. at Doughboy Square, Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville is bursting with new restaurants, music venues and boutiques. Every week, it seems something new opens. Yet at Doughboy Square, which could serve as a fairly grand entrance to the neighborhood, there are two boarded-up buildings sitting like sentinels from the neighborhoodâs long-gone days of neglect. Adding to the mystery, Pac-Man and two ghosts peek out from second-story windows. To be fair, this spot is a bit removed from the heart of the neighborhood. And it connects with a rather forlorn stretch of the Strip, known mainly for the scrapyard with the massive Magneto mural. Still, these buildings stick out in a bad way. Itâs puzzling that they havenât been given a new life yet. Update: ACTION-Housing told us that the building on the right âwill be torn down next month to make way for a 35-unit building and one commercial space.â ACTION-Housing is a nonprofit that provides affordable housing. The building on the leftâthe more architecturally-significant oneâis not part of this project.

Penn Avenue at 24th St., Strip District
The Strip District isnât necessarily easy on the eyes, but itâs always been a neighborhood that works. The odd mix of industrial and wholesale, along with nightlife and food shopping, buzzes with foot traffic (and, now, with robot car traffic). But even here, thereâs been a set of quirky cement condos empty for years. Theyâre just a short walk from the Stripâs main shopping district, but they feel to me like remnants from some lost civilization. Recently, a âfor saleâ sign has appeared. Hereâs the good news: These properties are going to be torn down and replaced with an eight-story, 21-unit condo building, with prices ranging from $461,000-$2.9 million. Read more about the project here in NEXTpittsburgh.