The Hill Community Development Corporation will receive $1 million from Pennsylvania’s Main Street Matters program to support ongoing efforts to revitalize the New Granada Building.
The building, on Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood, was originally built for the fraternal order Knights of Pythias and later served as a theater that hosted jazz and entertainment legends like Duke Ellington, Billy Eckstine and Ella Fitzgerald.
Construction was completed on the Pythian Temple in 1928, and it became the New Granada Theatre in 1937, according to the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
The theater closed in the late 1970s.
Marimba Milliones, president and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corporation, said the $1 million infusion from the state will be “critically important” to funding the community group’s efforts to breathe new life into a historic site that has sat empty for decades.
The group is nearly finished with the first phase of the project, which includes fixing up the facades of the building on Centre and Wylie Avenues, installing security systems and building out a community engagement center in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh.
The next portion of their work will include creating a first-floor cafe and lounge, as well as a second-floor multipurpose event space.
Milliones said the corporation is currently fundraising and getting final cost estimates for the upcoming phase.
“There are a lot of memories connected to music, food, business, community when we talk about the Hill District — and yet, when we look at the Hill District, oftentimes those physical structures are no longer there where those stories took place,” Milliones said.
Her goal is to see New Granada again alive with culture, entertainment and community gatherings and to make it an “anchor development” for the neighborhood.
The New Granada project was one of 56 community projects throughout the commonwealth to receive a combined $17.2 million from the Main Street Matters program, which aims to revitalize downtowns, support small businesses and strengthen local economies.
The latest round of funding saw more than 220 applicants requesting over $68 million, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development.
“Pittsburgh is a historic city. We love our landmarks, iconic buildings,” Milliones said. “New Granada is right there on the top of the list of Pittsburgh’s most historic, iconic buildings.”