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When he was named Point Park University president last year, Chris Brussalis touted his school’s potential to spark a “Downtown Renaissance 3” with targeted development including a new venue for sports and recreation.
On Thursday, Brussalis unveiled a sizable part of that vision for the Golden Triangle.
He and the Downtown university are proposing a 2,000-seat community events center estimated to cost $80 million to $100 million. It would accommodate entertainment events and the school’s burgeoning athletics program — all while giving students practical experience in putting on professional quality shows.
“I’m excited to unveil a conceptual rendering of something that could be transformative for our city,” Brussalis said during a panel discussion Thursday on development that was held in the Point Park Playhouse.
He told the audience that the attractive venue they were sitting in — developed by Point Park — epitomizes the school’s ability to take on large projects and succeed.
“You know, we have the only fully equipped soundstage in Downtown Pittsburgh,” he said. “Just last year, we had 324 events.
“Point Park students don’t just perform here. They immerse themselves daily in mastering the intricacies of both performing and managing a world-class entertainment hub,” he said. “Just a few years ago, this remarkable venue was merely a concept. Today, it stands as a centerpiece of Point Park’s commitment to arts education and innovation.”
Point Park is home to the nationally known Conservatory for the Performing Arts. Its athletics program is a provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Mountain East Conference (MEC).
There is no established timetable to establish the center, university spokesman Lou Corsaro said.
“This was a call to action. We are looking for input and community support to build the momentum for it,” Corsaro said after the event. “We would still maintain our student center facilities.
“New space would be so we can play sports like basketball, volleyball, and wrestling in a facility with appropriate fan seating and athletics facilities.”
The president did not specify a potential site, though the university has real estate Downtown, including the former YMCA building along the Boulevard of the Allies and a nearby parking lot.
Corsaro said “community input and support may help guide the ultimate location. But it’s not locked into a specific site.”
Point Park, once a two-year business school, was founded in 1960 and has long promoted Downtown as its campus. But it has also sought to develop more of a physical campus by acquiring property and moving the Playhouse from Oakland to Downtown.
Brussalis assumed the presidency of the private 3,300-student school at a difficult time for higher education, with enrollment down nationally and growing skepticism of cost, student debt and the value of a bachelor’s degree. Shrinking numbers of high school age students are another woe.
A strategic plan that Brussalis and the university unveiled last October sought alternative routes to building enrollment.
Point Park wants to attract artists, single parents and retirees to live on its campus as part of an effort to reinvigorate Downtown Pittsburgh and add 30% to the school’s enrollment by decade’s end.
Thursday’s center announcement came as Point Park and Brussalis hosted a presentation and panel discussion of the final study on Downtown from the Urban Land Institute.
Panelists at the morning event were Rich Fitzgerald, executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and Audrey Russo, president and CEO and Pittsburgh Technology Council, among others.
Bill Schackner is a TribLive reporter covering higher education. Raised in New England, he joined the Trib in 2022 after 29 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where he was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. Previously, he has written for newspapers in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. He can be reached at bschackner@triblive.com.
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