Progressburgh opens
After five or so years of construction, Disney's Progressburgh was finally complete. Located in Gibsonia, forty minutes north of downtown Pittsburgh, the new structure was based on what was originally planned to be the core of Walt's ill fated initial plans for the Progress City he wanted to build in Florida. Progressburgh was built in collaboration with several of the surviving steel mills throughout the Pittsburgh area along with PPG and Pittsburgh Paints.
Among the founding tenants were Mellon Bank, the Giant Eagle supermarket chain and the HJ Heinz Company. Heinz in particular, had already been the official ketchup of the restaurants at Walt's theme parks. Other tenants include the administrative and practice facilities for the NFL Steelers and NHL Penguins. The University of Pittsburgh, or Pitt for short, will have a satellite campus at the facility where they intend to open an animation school. On the retail levels of Progressburgh, AMC Theatres, a fast growing national cinema chain, will open the largest multiplex in Western Pennsylvania at 16 screens equipped with THX sound systems. Other tenants on the retail levels will include familiar national brands along with local favorites.
The grand opening on September 6, 1986 saw black and gold balloons decorate the blue sky like sprinkles on a cupcake. Walt himself cut the ribbon with his wife Lillian, his daughters Diane and Sharon and son in law Ron Miller by his side. Also joining him were Pennsylvania governor Dick Thornburgh and Pittsburgh mayor Richard Caliguiri, along with Art Rooney, Michael Keaton and Mister Rogers as honorary guests.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was quoted as saying the grand opening was a "dream come true" for the Greater Pittsburgh area.
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