Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh

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Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh
Vista International Hotel Pittsburgh.jpg
Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh
Hotel chain Westin Hotels
General information
Address1000 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
Coordinates 40°26′39″N79°59′42″W / 40.4442°N 79.9949°W / 40.4442; -79.9949
Opening1986
Owner Starwood 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

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]

Contents

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:

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]

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References

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