The U.S. Steel Tower. (JIM HARRIS/PBT)

By Mitra Nourbakhsh, Pittsburgh Business Times

Those visiting Pittsburgh could soon have the chance to experience a vertigo-inducing thrill atop the U.S. Steel Tower, akin to Chicago’s famous tilting ledge on the Hancock building or New York City’s Empire State Building observatories.

The building’s leasing agent, CBRE, has been approached by multiple companies wanting to develop a tourist attraction, said Vice Chairman Jeremy Kronman. Ideas range from view booths that tip forward to harnessed walks along the ledge. The proposals are currently under evaluation.

“We’re trying to figure out which would be the best one in terms of their creativity of experience, of tourist experience, and the uniqueness of their offering,” Kronman said. 

He said the experience could also include educational components, like a film on the windows giving historical context to the bird’s eye view of Pittsburgh.

The concept of an observatory atop the tower is not an entirely new one. In 2012, students and staff at CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center put together a plan for a three-story glass enclosure at the top of the building, but it never gained much traction. Kronman said the difference this time around is that Pittsburgh has experienced a tourist boom over the past few years.

In addition to uniqueness, Kronman said proposals need to prove they would be feasible and wouldn’t affect regular office building operations. The attraction would use a separate entrance and elevator, he said, so existing tenants would not be disturbed.

People’s reaction to news of the development, Kronman added, has been “universally” supportive.

“[The response] has been rather astonishing and has encouraged us to try to figure out how to make this work even faster,” he said. “We’re hoping to see if we can work out something this year with them, such that they can get started with the actual advanced design and permitting processes.”

Kronman says that if all goes to plan, the attraction would open in 2026. But he emphasizes that the project is far from a given; there are plenty of details still to be worked out. Construction costs, for example, will be hard to estimate for a custom project. He is optimistic nonetheless.

“There’s only positive things about it,” Kronman said. “There’s nothing negative.”

Mitra Nourbakhsh is a student at Northwestern University and one of 10 Pittsburgh Media Partnership summer interns. Mitra is interning with the Pittsburgh Business Times.