Renovation lets the sun shine into old Islay's in Lawrenceville

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - February 13, 2010
By Kevin Kirkland

From Skyscraper cones to sky-baring windows, from chip-chopped ham to sandblasted brick, this 125-year-old building in Lawrenceville has undergone a transformation.

For 75 years, it was an Isaly's. Now, thanks to Brian Mendelssohn, it is a funky commercial space for his wife's store and two large bright apartments with a modern-industrial flair that's as delightful to old building lovers as an Isaly's shake was to legions of Pittsburgh kids.

"I wanted it to blend in historically with a hint of sexiness. It came out better than I was hoping for," says the 33-year-old principal of Botero Development.

It was also better than all but two entries in the 2009-10 Renovation Inspiration Contest sponsored by the Post-Gazette and Community Design Center of Pittsburgh. The apartments above Rebecca Morris' WildCard store on Butler Street between 42nd and 43rd streets were chosen as a runner-up in the large project category (costing more than $50,000).

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