The Katsafanas Coffee Company moved from Downtown Pittsburgh to a two-story building located on Pittsburgh’s Central North Side around 1925. The coffee company remodeled the facade of an existing building and added an Art Deco-inspired sign that spells “Katsafanas Coffee Co” in its limestone cornice.
Q Development purchased the vacant structure in 2014 and renovated it using Federal Historic Tax Credits to include Q’s headquarters and additional private office space.
One of the few remaining architectural details in the building was an elegant cast iron spiral staircase. To complement the staircase, Pfaffmann + Associates architects added a modern suspended and cantilevered system of stainless steel that supports recycled wood stair treads made from salvaged Pittsburgh trees by Urban Tree Forge.
In addition to the staircase, Urban Tree also created a one-of-a-kind wooden shelf that wraps the Q Development offices and is made from reclaimed wood from Q’s Eighth and Penn development in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.
Nearly 20 window bays in the building that were bricked have now been replaced by high-performance windows designed to match the old industrial window pattern.
Unique art installations were commissioned from local artist Ron Copeland including a 3-foot high illuminated ‘Q’ and two other pieces inspired by and created from scraps salvaged from Q’s other redevelopment projects.