Pittsburgh's Ninth and Penn Garage set for demolition

Workers will demolish one of Pittsburgh’s oldest parking garages next month in preparation for a larger replacement.

Friday is the last day to park at the downtown Ninth and Penn Garage before it closes for demolition, according to the Pittsburgh Parking Authority.

There are about 600 spaces in the garage, which will be replaced by a garage with 700 spaces, set to open in fall 2020.

The project is the culmination of a five-year capital plan that included major renovations at four other garages: Smithfield-Liberty, Fort Duquesne and Sixth, Third Avenue, and the Grand Street Transportation Center, said Pittsburgh Parking Authority Executive Director David Onorato.

Those repairs cost about $26 million, and extended the projected lifespan of the four garages by about 20 years, Onorato said.

Now that those projects are done and the garages are at full capacity, the demolition of the Ninth & Penn structure can begin.

“It’s one of our oldest garages in the city, it’s 62 years old,” Onorato said.

Customers who lease spots in the Ninth and Penn garage have been assigned spots in other facilities.

Demolition will cost about $2 million. The price for building the new garage has not been determined, Onorato said.