Pittsburgh Yards, a community-driven hub for entrepreneurship in Atlanta, is marking its fifth anniversary this month.
The site, which opened back in December 2020, was previously home to the Great Southern Trucking Terminal, the second-largest trucking terminal in the world at the time.
Today, it serves entrepreneurs and nonprofits in the Pittsburgh neighborhood and surrounding areas in south and southwest Atlanta.
Since opening, Pittsburgh Yards has housed 114 small businesses and nonprofit organizations and served more than 256 coworking members (through its membership program).
The campus features 101 private offices, coworking opportunities, affordable workspaces and maker studios, all of which were designed to “nurture business growth and community collaboration,” according to a release.
“Pittsburgh Yards stands as proof that when communities lead, transformation follows,” said Chantell Glenn, senior associate of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, responsible for the development and operation of Pittsburgh Yards. “Since we opened in December of 2020, we’ve seen many types of entrepreneurs and founders of nonprofits grow their vision into reality within this place designed for connection, collaboration and community.
Located on University Avenue in Atlanta, the neighborhood of Pittsburgh was an original landing and creation place for Black-owned businesses, with the foundation set by formerly enslaved ancestors, said a press release.
Throughout its history, the Pittsburgh community established a number of firsts, including first Black orphanage, the first school for Black children to be admitted into the Atlanta Public School system, the first Black doctor to work at Grady Health, as well as the first Black president of Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University), said a Pittsburgh Yards release.
Stephanie Flowers, a 40-year Pittsburgh resident and coworking member, says that Pittsburgh Yards pays homage to the neighborhood’s history while simultaneously creating new opportunities for residents.
“This project was built from community vision and continues to be guided by community voice, and I’m so proud to have been a part of its development from the beginning,” said Flowers.
“Pittsburgh Yards truly honors the legacy of those who built these neighborhoods and is creating opportunities for generations to come. As Pittsburgh Yards has evolved, it’s unofficially become a ‘reclamation project’ bringing the land back to its purpose and once again pouring into the ancestors of the ancestors of the ancestors who founded the Pittsburgh neighborhood community.”
Looking ahead, Pittsburgh Yards plans to open the Container Courtyard, a consumer-facing retail area featuring 10 businesses, and The Food Studio, a plant-focused community kitchen, in 2026.
The development is also set to play a pivotal role when the FIFA World Cup matches get underway in Summer 2026.