Things I love about Downtown, No. 2: Time never stands still taken in Downtown (Weekly Features)

DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

The iconic Kaufmann's clock at the corner of Fifth Avenue, Smithfield Street.

There isn't a Pittsburgher alive, present or former, who doesn't have a tale to tell about the iconic Kaufmann's clock. Whether it's been a meeting place, a photo spot, or just a valued viewing unto itself, we've all got one.

Here's my favorite: That clock never stops ticking. Not literally, not figuratively.

Thanks to a Philadelphia-based developer, Dean Adler, and the Lubert-Adler company, the block-wide structure at Fifth/Forbes and Smithfield that for a century housed the massive Kaufmann's department store is now home to 311 apartments that are 99.3% occupied, a bustling Target store that opened last summer, two levels of internal parking, plus a rooftop that alternates between being an ice rink, a basketball court, and much more.

And yeah, I said ice rink:

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

That's atop the 13th freaking floor. Snapped that myself today. It's real.

We've met many of the residents there, and they're a mix of young and old who'll tell you they're excited by being part of their own little community. There are organized activities in there, not just on the rooftop but also in the lounge at ground level that ... well, if you recognize this room, that's because it used to be the shoe department on the Kaufmann's mezzanine:

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

Looks crazy familiar, right?

Even the same hue to the walls and pillars!

So much of the old scenery's been lovingly preserved, and the same goes for the old brass elevators, a shelf full of store artifacts ...

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

... and naturally, a couple of the old-fashioned Christmas windows facing outside to Fifth:

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DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

I don't know Adler at all, but I'd welcome meeting him someday. I love to hear from developers who come from out of town, even out of the country, and appreciate things about Pittsburgh that maybe we don't appreciate ourselves. There's currently a couple from the Dominican Republic redoing two buildings, one on Wood, another on Penn. I also recall that it was a woman from New Zealand who many years ago was a pioneer in creating our first small wave of condos on First Side. 

Adler's been so floored by the success of the Kaufmann's Grand project, which will soon add a Five Below store and a two-floor Burlington next to Target, that he's already put into motion a plan to invest another $125 million into two more large buildings in the immediate vicinity. And his reasoning's sound: More people equals more need for retail, more workers closer to their jobs, more vitality for his existing properties.

He's not alone, either. I've got several such stories to share in the near future.

Oh, and if you're interested in Kaufmann's Grand in any capacity, here's a link. But again, it's packed. With a waiting list.

NEXT WEEK: The still-unreported but massive success of this Target

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