This forty-acre rehabilitation of Beaux-Arts and industrial buildings constituted Pittsburgh's first recycling of an integrated complex of buildings. Initiated by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, the renovation and adaptive reuse had a profound effect on the revitalization of the entire South Side.

The centerpiece remains the seven-story former passenger terminal of the P&LE Railroad, which, though it made most of its revenue hauling iron ore and coal, lavished considerable expense on the waiting room. This elaborate space under a barrel-vaulted stained glass skylight was among America's more dramatic railroad station interiors. It was restored in the 1970s for use as a restaurant, which works well in that ceremonial space.

The adjoining office building, freight terminal, and warehouse also found new uses as office and retail space, in the process bringing thousands of suburbanites back into the city for work or entertainment.