PITTSBURGH, PA – Today in the Hill District, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis joined local and community leaders to highlight the completion of phase one and the start of phase two of the historic New Granada Theater’s revitalization, supported with $1 million from the Shapiro-Davis Administration’s Main Streets Matters program. The Main Street Matters initiative — signed into law by Governor Shapiro in 2024 — supports physical improvements to communities that are undertaking revitalization to restore downtowns and residential neighborhoods.
In its latest round of funding, Main Street Matters received more than 220 applications requesting more than $68 million ― underscoring the continued need for strategic investments in Pennsylvania’s Main Streets. Since taking office, Shapiro and Davis have secured $40 million for Main Street Matters and sustains $20 million in funding to support the program in their 2026-27 proposed budget.
“The Shapiro-Davis Administration is committed to making investments that strengthen communities and support economic growth across Pennsylvania,” says Lt. Governor Austin Davis. “The New Granada Theater is a cultural icon in the Hill District, and the Main Street Matters investment is helping bring new life to the community, and I’m excited to support the next phase of this important project.”
Davis has previously visited the Munhall borough, and Beaver, Cambria, Columbia, Crawford and Erie Counties to announce Main Street Matters grants awarded to improve its main street businesses.
“The Hill CDC is grateful for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's investment into the Hill District,” says Marimba Milliones, President and CEO of Hill Community Development Corporation. “We believe that investing in the New Granada project, and the Hill District's business corridor, signals that Pennsylvania is vested in the 'Great Return of the Hill. The Hill CDC is able to deliver impactful results when support meets the scale of the challenge and opportunity. We look forward to continuing our redevelopment efforts for the next phase of this nationally important project that we get to see reinvented right here in the heart of the City of Pittsburgh.”
With phase one being complete, the University of Pittsburgh's Community Engagement Center is fully operational inside the building – home to the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics, Jazz Studies studio, and STEAM facility and programming – honoring the Hill CDC and the community's vision for reuse of the building's third floor. Historic facades and the Art Deco marquee are also fully restored, life safety systems are complete, and sidewalk improvements and tree plantings are in.
Now, with the support of the $1 million investment, phase two can begin: the first-floor buildout, which includes:
- A cafe/lounge
- Commercial kitchen
- Black Box Theater
- Restrooms
- Grand staircases
- Main entrance
- A second elevator
- Continued retail and commercial tenant buildout
"For generations, the New Granada Theater was a cornerstone of art, culture and community in the Hill District and today we’re celebrating the first phase of its preservation and redevelopment,” says Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor. “Thanks to the investment of the Shapiro-Davis Administration, Hill Community Development Corporation, URA and all of our partners, this iconic landmark will create opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, expand housing and bring new energy to Centre Avenue. Projects like this strengthen neighborhoods, fuel economic growth, and help make Pittsburgh every family’s first choice.”
Strategic investments like these are vital to the success of Pennsylvania's communities ― rural, urban, and suburban alike ― and the Shapiro-Davis Administration is committed to ensuring that businesses have the support they need to thrive.