Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Why is the Caped Crusader Coming Here?


Lex Luthor hasn't bothered us for a few years. What gives?

"They're still nailing down actual locations, but what they really fell in love with was the diversity of architecture and the gorgeous buildings that we still have in Downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas," [PFO director Dawn Keezer] said. (P-G, Barbara Vancheri)


So you're saying, it's fortunate we haven't made a habit of blowing it all up to construct run of the mill plug-and-play Plexiglas boxes.

[She] said, “Film production means jobs for Pennsylvanians, it’s as simple as that. A single film can mean millions of dollars and many local jobs. A franchise as prestigious as Batman opens our region up to an entirely new audience as filmmakers and studio executives experience southwestern Pennsylvania.” (Pgh Film Office)


Iconic, unique architecture leads to jobs, tax revenue and vibrancy. Let's jot that down on a yellow sticky.




10 comments:

  1. A decade or so ago they filmed a movie about the Temptations here, because apparently Bloomfield looked more like Detroit historically, than Detroit presently.

    I wouldn't say our architecture is exceptional, but compared to the homogeneity these young filmmakers typically hail from and the bleaching L.A. does to the psyche, the cover of the book of Pittsburgh evokes a nationally familiar timescape of humble prosperity by way of middle class dominance.

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  2. The Igloo becomes the evil Penguin's hideaway. They blow up the seating bowl but not the building..phase one of the vision complete paid for by Hollywood!

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  3. Sounds like you're trying to deny the Hill District a Ben & Jerry's, Infy.

    " ...the cover of the book of Pittsburgh evokes a nationally familiar timescape of humble prosperity by way of middle class dominance."

    Well said, n'at.

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  4. I noticed they met with "representatives of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl". Does he show up for anything?

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  5. Anon 9:09 - "Infy?" Is that a typo or do you suspect me of the mad scheming brilliance of running 2 blogs on 1 topic with 2 personalities?

    As far as denying the Hill District its whatever, I really do mean put it on a sticky because I'm given to understand that politically speaking, that train has left the station. There are enough members of council who would prefer Councilman Lavelle vote for something they want, sometime, while they are both still alive, ever. It's possible that the best thing that could happen to the Igloo is if all four incumbents candidates running for reelection lose, and so stop caring about such things and begin acting on a different calculus.

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  6. Maybe you're trying to keep the Hill District from getting a Ben & Jerry's and an Infy?

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  7. Infiniti dealership?

    Anyway, I assume Bram is not in fact holding out hope for Sudden Death II. Regardless of how you feel about the Civic Arena, in general, it is correct that our varied architecture is a competitive asset, and whenever feasible (again, hold aside the Arena), we should be preserving that asset.

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  8. Our varied architecture is a competitive asset so long as somebody else is paying for upkeep.

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  9. MH 3:54 - I ... I don't ... really want to engage through all that malarky anymore, but suffice to say if a national developer used a Ouija board and discovered there was an opportunity developing with the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, they would have been referred to the Pens, and the Pens would have said, "Oooh, sorry, we already have a plan! Here is a drawing with many lime green, perfectly round trees! Just ignore the cut-off watermark which reads, 'Of Capri!'"

    Now I'm interested in who gets the construction jobs and what happens to the parking lot revenue which we all hope is reasonably interim. I'm actually fairly optimistic that the city planning will be better than serviceable.

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  10. The developer wants to have a surface parking lot anyway.

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