Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh

The Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh is a 26-story hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, with a prominent position in the area adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Cultural District. The hotel is connected via an enclosed walkway to the convention center. The building is part of Liberty Center, a two building complex which also includes the Federated Tower. Liberty Center was developed and built by Liberty Center Ventures, a partnership of Forest City Enterprises and Jos. L. Muscarelle, Inc. and opened in December 1986.[1] In August 2013, Liberty Center was sold by Forest City to Starwood Capital Group for $135 million.[2][3]

Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh
Hotel chainWestin Hotels
General information
Address1000 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
Coordinates40.4442°N 79.9949°W / 40.4442; -79.9949
Opening1986
OwnerStarwood Capital Group
ManagementWestin Hotels
Height324 feet (99 m)
Technical details
Floor count26
Design and construction
DeveloperLiberty Center Ventures
Other information
Number of rooms616
Number of restaurants1
Parking600

History

Liberty Center was developed and built by Liberty Center Ventures, a partnership of Forest City Enterprises and Jos. L. Muscarelle, Inc. and opened in December 1986. The $137 million mixed-use complex was the first major development following the Renaissance II burst of construction in downtown Pittsburgh.[4] The hotel broke ground on December 6, 1984, construction "topped off" on September 26, 1985, and the entire Liberty Center complex opened in December 1986.[5][6][7][8] The complex was financed from three sources: a $99 million loan from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, a $21 million from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, and the remainder from Jos. L. Muscarelle, Inc. and Forest City Enterprises.[4]

The hotel opened as the Vista International and was managed by Hilton International.[4] From 1995 to 2001, the hotel was managed by DT Management Inc., a subsidiary of Hilton Hotel Corporation and was known as the DoubleTree Pittsburgh Hotel at Liberty Center. In 2001, Starwood took over management of the hotel, rebranding it as The Westin Convention Center.[9][6]

In the 1980s it hosted the annual regional ad agency awards & banquet.[10]

Notable guests

Several notable figures have chosen the hotel:

  • September 25 - 28, 1988: Michael Jackson stays at this hotel in a penthouse suite during his Bad World Tour and even requested a professional wooden dance floor to be installed for dance practice.
  • December 6, 1991: South African leader Nelson Mandela visits the hotel for a major speech.[11][12][13]
  • January, 1992: Joan Collins while touring with the Private Lives stage show.[14]
  • March 25, 1992: Then governor and presidential candidate Bill Clinton visits the convention center hotel days before the commonwealth's primary as he fights back the recent Connecticut loss to Jerry Brown.[15]
  • December 2, 2003: President George W. Bush visits for a major speech.[16]
  • July 25, 2005: Vice President Dick Cheney visits for a major speech.[17]

Mascot

In 2016 as part of a partnership with Anthrocon, the hotel was given an anthropomorphic mascot named "Westie", a West Highland White Terrier.[18][19]

References
  1. Belko, Mark (3 January 2013), "Station Square, Downtown Pittsburgh tower for sale", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh
  2. "Forest City completes sale of Liberty Center complex in Pittsburgh" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2 Aug 2013. Retrieved 8 Aug 2013.
  3. Belko, Mark (22 January 2013), "Liberty Center and Westin hotel up for sale", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh
  4. Pellegrini, Michael (1987-05-03). "NORTHEAST NOTEBOOK; Pittsburgh: Vacancy Rate In Offices Rises". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  5. "The Pittsburgh Press - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. "Starwood Assumes Management of Pittsburgh Convention Center Hotel Under the Westin Flag" (Press release). Pittsburgh: Hospitality Net. 2001-01-19. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  7. "Historic Pittsburgh". Digital.library.pitt.edu. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  8. "Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh | Buildings". Pittsburgh /: Emporis. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  9. "Westin Selected to Manage Pittsburgh Convention Center Hotel; 618-room Property to Join Westin Hotels & Resorts' Collection" (Press release). Pittsburgh: Hospitality Net. 2000-12-22. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  10. "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  11. Belculfine, Lexi (2013-12-05). "Nelson Mandela visited Pittsburgh 22 years ago today - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette". Post-gazette.com. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2015-06-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-24. Retrieved 2015-06-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2015-06-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "George W. Bush: Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Luncheon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania". Presidency.ucsb.edu. 2003-12-02. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  17. "Richard B. Cheney: Vice President's Remarks at a Luncheon for Congressman Tim Murphy". Presidency.ucsb.edu. 2005-07-25. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  18. "Friends of Anthrocon: Westie — Weasyl". www.weasyl.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  19. "Anthrocon 2016 - Westie - the Westin Mascot - Friends of Anthrocon". Flickr. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17.


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