Pittsburgh Glass Center debuts $15 million expansion

Forget about shattering the glass ceiling — Tuesday was about breaking the glass ribbon.

The Pittsburgh Glass Center debuted its new $15 million facility expansion in the only way that would be appropriate — by cutting not just a ribbon, but one made of glass.

Artists gathered to pull a ribbon of 2,000-degree molten glass from a new glass furnace. In glassblowing terminology, creating this type of glass is typically called “pulling cane,” an elaborate Italian technique.

Dignitaries and Pittsburgh Glass Center representatives were invited to use glass-specific scissors to cut the ribbon in the finished space on Penn Avenue in Friendship.

”Pittsburgh Glass Center has truly shattered all expectations,” said Cass Zielinski, board president, to the gathering of more than 100 guests on the third-floor patio. “As with every big dream, getting it done requires the contributions of many … our staff, board, volunteers, our talented artists, contractors, partners, patrons, our neighbors and government representatives and, of course, our many generous donors and funders. Today is a celebration.”

Kristina Serafini | TribLive

A glass artist prepares to make a glass ribbon to be cut as part of a grand reopening ceremony of the Pittsburgh Glass Center on Tuesday.

”We are thrilled to have a state-of-the-art facility in the center of our neighborhood helping to grow Pittsburgh’s creative economy,” said State Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, D-Allegheny. “It is inspiring to see how much the Pittsburgh Glass Center has invested in the neighborhood, boosting the Penn Avenue Arts District. It is creating a brighter future for the entire neighborhood.”

The new space will allow the center to more than double the number of people who visit and inspire them to create glass art, Zielinski said. This is one of the top three glass centers in the country in terms of the capabilities of the studios and the technology, he said.

The glass center was featured on the Netflix show “Blown Away.”

From the outside, the transformation included an expansion up and over the parking lot. Indovina Associates Architects designed the project that allows for an additional 11,000 square feet and nearly double its capacity to help accommodate the increasing demand for glass programs and studios and also make room for more community programming, according to the Pittsburgh Glass Center. The third floor has a second glassblowing studio for professional artists and a spacious patio that overlooks Penn Avenue.

There is better accessibility throughout the building. A retail shop features work from aspiring and established glass artists and the art studios have been expanded.

The colorful, energy-efficient glass façade was donated by Vitro Architectural Glass, said Ricardo Maiz, Vitro Architectural Glass president.

Vitro purchased a part of PPG Glass in 2016 and Maiz said they are committed to honoring that legacy of glassmaking in the state. The glass on the building, optimizing daylight and clarity, is made of vacuum-insulated glass that helps lower carbon emissions.

Kristina Serafini | TribLive

Heather McElwee, the Randi & L. Van V. Dauler Jr. executive director, speaks during a grand reopening ceremony of the facility on Tuesday.

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission executive director Rich Fitzgerald, the former Allegheny County executive, is on the Pittsburgh Glass Center board. He said what Heather McElwee, the glass center’s Randi & L. Van V. Dauler Jr. executive director, has done in the community is nothing short of spectacular.

”This is more than just a neighborhood draw and more than just a city or even a county draw,” said Fitzgerald, who grew up in the East End. “It is regional. I grew up in this neighborhood and remember what it was like back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. … The Pittsburgh Glass Center really is a great example of how art can foster economic development and community. Now in this expanded space, this impact will be even greater.”

“This is not a reopening,” said Jim Patrinos, chair of the fundraising campaign along with his wife, Kathe. “They never closed (during the construction), which is really amazing to do something this complicated. They could have relocated and looked elsewhere. But Heather and her board wouldn’t even think about it. They were so dedicated to this neighborhood.”

McElwee said it was incredible to be standing in the spot where a year and a half ago glass poured out of the second-floor window to get the expansion in motion.

”So today we are standing in the new hot shop in the completed building,” she said. “I’ve been watching the transformation just like I do when I see glass art being made. Glass is a material that literally transforms itself and you can watch that transformation. Watching glass artists you can see they are highly skilled … they often don’t have to say anything. It’s like a dance. They anticipate the next move. It’s a magical material.”