Gateway Center (PAT station)

Gateway Station
Pittsburgh Light Rail station
Gateway Center Station entrance
Location	Stanwix Street and Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA
Coordinates	40°26′30″N 80°00′12″W / 40.4416°N 80.0032°WCoordinates: 40°26′30″N 80°00′12″W / 40.4416°N 80.0032°W
Owned by	Port Authority
Line(s)	Red Line – Overbrook Junction   Red Line – South Hills Village   Blue Line – Library   Blue Line – South Hills Village
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	July 3, 1985 (old station) March 25, 2012 (new station)
Closed	October 30, 2009 (old station)
Services
Preceding station   The "T"   Following station North Side toward Allegheny Red Line – Overbrook Junction Wood Street toward Overbrook Junction Red Line – South Hills Village Wood Street toward South Hills Village Blue Line – South Hills Village Blue Line – Library Wood Street toward Library   Former services   Terminus Brown Line Wood Street toward South Hills Junction

Gateway is a station on the Port Authority of Allegheny County's Pittsburgh Light Rail network,^[1] and until October 30, 2009 it was the "T" system's westernmost extent within downtown Pittsburgh. The Port Authority closed Gateway Center as part of construction work on the North Shore Connector project, and a new station opened in 2012 (though its name was truncated from "Gateway Center" to simply "Gateway"). The former station entrance was demolished and a new station was built.^[2] Gateway Station and North Side station lie at the southern and northern ends of the Allegheny River Tunnel, respectively.

History

Platform at the original Gateway Center Station, prior to its closure.

New Gateway T Station platform

Gateway Center Station was opened on 3 July 1985 as part of the new subway system that replaced the remaining downtown street running trolleys.^[3] Named for Gateway Center, the adjacent office complex, the station served the western portion of downtown. The stop also served major buildings such as One PPG Place and Fifth Avenue Place, the shopping and dining district at Market Square, and the historical and recreational hub of Point State Park.

Original Gateway Center Station entrance, prior to its closure.

Gateway Center closed on October 30, 2009 as part of the North Shore Connector project, and a newly constructed station (named Gateway) opened just north of the original station on March 25, 2012. The original outbound platform under Liberty Ave was left intact, but the inbound platform was demolished to make the curve onto Stanwix Street.

The station features a mural by artist Romare Bearden. Commissioned by the Port Authority as part of the original station complex, the mural is now valued at $15 million.^[4] The Heinz Endowments has pledged $250,000 toward the costs of removal and refurbishment.^[5] The mural was removed when the station was demolished, but was reinstalled in the new station. The original mural had one tile which had accidentally been placed upside-down, and the reinstallation of the mural faithfully reproduced this error.^[6]

See also

• Gateway Center (Pittsburgh)

References

1. Official Port Authority information page
2. Schmitz, Jon (November 2, 2009). "Subway station closing causes no major delays". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
3. "The Antique Motor Coach Association of Pennsylvania - The 80's at PAT - 1980 - 1989". 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
4. "Pittsburgh subway station tile mural worth $15 million". Associated Press. April 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
5. "Heinz Endowments gives $250,000 to restore $15 million mural". Associated Press. May 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
6. Thomas, Mary (14 March 2012). "Romare Bearden's tile mural once again shows his love for city and its people". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 25 March 2012.