The site still has the smokestacks of the 19th-century steel works that helped make Pittsburgh the greatest Steel City in America. In 2005, Industrial Workers of the World celebrated their 100th Anniversary, having formed in there in 1905. The local celebration included events held at the Pump House on the site of The Waterfront.
Homestead strike
The Pump House is the location of the landing of the Pinkertons who navigated the river in 1892 with the intention to provide security at the plant that was subject to a labor strike of the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers at the instruction of Henry Clay Frick. The battle that followed, known as the Homestead Strike / Battle of Homestead, left sixteen people dead and set back the cause of organizing the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh for decades. The Battle of Homestead is one of the most noted strikes in American Labor History.
Layout and features
The Waterfront, unlike the SouthSide Works located a few miles up the river, was developed in a more suburban fashion, with retail, residential, and office spaces all being separated from each other by vast parking lots. However, unlike the Southside Works, the Waterfront did not benefit from proximity to, and unrestricted access to, a thriving urban commercial area. Also of note; while comparisons of relative tax yield are often made, these comparisons do not take into account the sizeable public investment required to facilitate the Southside Works. The Waterfront was predominantly a private investment, although there was a tax increment financing of approximately $ 25 million approved by three separate municipalities, one county, and one school district, a notable accomplishment. Traffic congestion within the development is common due to the large distances between outlets and the lack of sidewalks and pathways; the limited entrances into and out of The Waterfront also add to the congestion. The complex is separated from the original sections of Homestead, West Homestead, and Munhall, via railroad tracks and does not physically or visually connect with the older sections of the municipalities, which was impossible due to the active rail lines. To facilitate access, Allegheny County constructed a new access ramp to the site from the Homestead High Level Bridge, and also partnered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1993 on the construction of the East Flyover Ramp in Munhall Borough. The construction of this ramp was well in advance of development plans which were announced in 1997. This resulted in a ramp which ultimately proved to be less than optimal. The Town Center area of the development is home to stores one would find in most malls, including a Victoria's Secret, Express, and Lane Bryant. Macy's, Barnes & Noble, and a Loews Cineplex are located in this area as well. The eastern end of the development resembles more of a traditional suburban strip mall, with many big-box retail stores fronting a large parking lot. Stores here include Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Dick's Sporting Goods, Giant Eagle grocery, Lowe's, and Target. Around the perimeter of the complex, particularly along the Monongahela River, are most of the development's restaurants, almost all of which are typical chain restaurants like Uno Chicago Grill, LongHorn Steakhouse, Panera Bread, Red Robin, T.G.I. Friday's, Eat'n Park, and P. F. Chang's China Bistro, as well as several fast food locations. An apartment complex, a few office buildings, fueling station, and multiple hotels are also located along the river perimeter.
In 2002, Kaufmann's parent company, May Co., announced it would construct a scaled-down version of its department store at The Waterfront. It was the first of its kind in the now-defunct department store company. On September 9, 2006, Kaufmann's became part of the Macy's company. The store has since been replaced with the Macy's nameplate. It remains one of the smaller Macy's department stores in the chain. In 2018, Macy's announced the closing of this location. It now sits vacant. In August 2019, it was confirmed that the location would house 2 new tenants. Them being Siemens and Commonwealth Charter Academy. The state of the building, as of January 2020, appears to be gutted on the inside. It is currently unknown when these 2 locations were open
Community involvement
Every May, The Waterfront welcomes The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania and many local youth mentoring agencies to the Town Center to talk to shoppers about the importance of mentoring and the number of local children waiting for mentors. In the month of October, The Waterfront recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness month in conjunction with Womansplace. Additionally, they host walks to support research for cancer and polycystic kidney disease.
