Wholey's Smiling Fish Building Being Razed For New Office Tower

PITTSBURGH, PA - A 21-story skyscraper will replace the New Federal Cold Storage building in the Strip District, best known for its large electronically illuminated outline of a smiling Wholey's fish on

one side.

JMC Holdings of New York, which purchased the building at 1501 Penn Ave. in 2018, plans a building with 13 office floors with 520,000 square feet of space; a tenant amenity floor featuring common conference rooms, a fitness center and landscaped outdoor terrace and 900 parking units on seven floors that will incorporate electric car charging stations and a bicycle parking and maintenance facility.

At ground level, the building will include public open space, a ‘cycle café’ and bike shop, along with other top retail and culinary offerings, JMC said.

“As a long-time owner of properties in Pittsburgh, we know and respect the incredible culture of
this city and are thrilled to be part of this opportunity to contribute to the exciting growth already taking place in the Strip District,” JMC's Matt Cassin said in a statement.

Although the iconic smiling fish will be gone, the new building will not impact the Wholey Fish Market store at 1711 Penn Ave.

Google Maps.