History

The William G. Johnston Building is located at 900 Penn Avenue in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District and the Penn/Liberty National Historic District. A native of Pittsburgh, William G. Johnston originally constructed the building in 1890. Mr. Johnston was an adventurer, writer and entrepreneur in the printing industry. He entered his father’s printing business upon returning from the gold rush in 1850. In 1857 he founded the company that bore his name and later relocated the company offices to 900 Penn Avenue. The building was constructed on the former site of Jim Jones’s Drug Store, a popular spot for young Johnston and his friends to sit and dream of gold and adventure.

900 Penn Reimagined

TREK Development Group, in cooperation with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, historically renovated the former printing factory into 25 luxury loft apartments. Many of the original historic elements of the building were preserved and refurbished, including the original wood and tin ceilings and exposed brick. Exterior elements that were lost over the years, such as the full size round-top windows, cornice caps and the pier cap have been reconstructed to restore the building to its original beauty.