The City of Uniontown in Fayette County, about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, has found itself at many historical milestones since the birth of the nation. The first milestone was its own founding on July 4, 1776. Others include the building of the country's first federally funded highway, the National Road, through Uniontown during the 1810s, and the birth of famed World War II army general George C. Marshall in 1880. The most recent local milestone has been Uniontown's physical rehabilitation over the past three years.

After sharing in the Pittsburgh region's industrial decline, Uniontown received a big break that it dearly needed—infrastructure upgrades and façade improvements. A local philanthropist, the late Robert E. Eberly, cooperated with the Fayette Chamber of Commerce to lay the plans for an improved Uniontown before his death in 2004. Beginning that April, the Honorable Joseph Hardy, a Fayette County Commissioner and founder of 84 Lumber, invested millions of dollars to make this plan a reality by taking cues from the city's past. Mr. Hardy's "Marshall Plan II" has helped Uniontown rehabilitate its industrial era architecture for continued use. Improvements have ranged from coats of paint to new streetlights, benches, and reconstructed façades reminiscent of their original designs.

Uniontown now boasts amenities that some urban areas still lack in a walkable environment. A pharmacy, grocery store, cafés and restaurants, public parks, an arts center, and mixed housing and commercial uses are all available near the city center. Uniontown is also the Fayette County seat and home of the county courthouse, a hub of legal work. A day-to-day streetlife is already beginning to increase, already rivaling the pedestrians visible in old postcards.

Because of its rich architectural and industrial history, Uniontown has real estate opportunities with unique character.  One “cool space” is the Fayette Building at the corner of Main and Pittsburgh Streets—the crossing of the National Road with Route 51. This building was originally the First National Bank Building, a mixed commercial and residential 11-story skyscraper built 1901-02. Bank president and coal magnate J.V. Thompson envisioned this building as the tallest in Uniontown and hired renowned skyscraper architect Daniel Burnham to design the building. Renamed the Fayette Building, it now houses professional offices and apartments giving a wide view of the surrounding city. The main bank lobby remains intact, featuring a rounded corner of windows, a service counter and floors of terrazzo marble, and the original crown moldings. Above the old bank, offices on each floor are easy to configure for tenants' needs. The building's continued integrity has earned it a place on the National Register of Historic Places. A number of the Fayette Building's spaces are currently available for lease. The building also occupies a Keystone Opportunity Zone, with many Commonwealth and local commercial tax abatements available through the end of 2013.

Uniontown also features a recently rehabilitated arts and recreational facility, the State Theatre Center for the Arts. Dating from the 1920s, the State Theatre presented movies and vaudeville performances. The new Center for the Arts now houses a multi-use performance space for musical, dramatic, and spoken performances from a variety of local and national acts.

Uniontown's physical improvements and the success of nearby four-star resort Nemacolin Woodlands have helped to incubate new businesses while supporting existing ones. The mix of services ranges from high-end luxury to the day-to-day, and everywhere in between. The DiMaio Sisters Groceria and Ristorante serves deli-style meals in a well-preserved interior, resembling a turn-of-the-century tavern with big city food offerings. The side of the building boasts that it’s a piece of Pittsburgh's Strip District markets "without the trip." Uniontown takes pride in its small-town feel along and its urban advantages.

Life is returning to buildings and streets as Uniontown continues to rehabilitate its architecture and discover the opportunities of urban life. At its current milestone in history, Uniontown's success has come from celebrating the past.

Links

Fayette Building

Former First National Bank

State Theatre

DiMaio Sisters Groceria and Ristorante