Falling debris from a Northside firehouse struck a visiting woman in the head in late July, highlighting years of unenforced building violations that have left public sidewalks and streets blocked throughout the Mexican War Streets neighborhood.
The woman, who declined to give her name, did not seek medical attention or file a police report, fearing it would disrupt her travel plans. Her injury put a scar on an otherwise memorable visit to Pittsburgh.
Residents of the Mexican War Streets have filed reports with Pittsburgh’s 311 and the Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections (PLI) about properties taking up public sidewalks and streets. They’ve largely been ignored. The properties in question have abandoned construction equipment blocking public sidewalks and roads. As the years have piled up, the city’s lack of response has made it a public safety issue.
Matthew Grebner has owned the old Engine House No. 3, a former city firehouse at 1416 Arch St., since 1996. The building was added to the City of Pittsburgh’s list of historic designations in 1995, the year before his purchase. Located across from Randyland and up the street from Mayfly Market, the property forces thousands of weekly visitors to navigate through abandoned scaffolding and overgrown weeds blocking the sidewalk.
Grebner has been a gadfly at community meetings, announcing projects that have never landed. The last notable tenant, War Streets Brewing, vacated when the firehouse’s sewage lines failed. The building has remained vacant ever since.
A real estate agent who requested anonymity said Grebner showed little interest in letting go of the property. “Grebner was more interested in talking about his firehouse than selling it,” the agent said. He added it was possible Grebner listed the property to avoid investing in repairs.
The property was reportedly removed from the real estate market by realtors after Grebner walked away from a closing less than an hour before the scheduled sale.
A neighbor, who requested anonymity, said Grebner once bragged that he erected the scaffolding to “show progress” and deter city inspectors.
The strategy worked. The scaffolding and a weather-beaten pallet in front of the building’s doors have remained untouched since 2022.
Grebner could not be reached for comment.
The problem extends beyond the firehouse. Down the street on Cameo Way, construction company owner Lee Bruder has used the public street as storage for his business, L.A. Bruder Inc., for more than a decade. Construction equipment, supplies, and debris have blocked unrestricted vehicle access to the residential street. His storage often spills over onto nearby Armandale Street.
Bruder owns a three-bay garage at 1525 Cameo Way. It collapsed, destroying an antique car collection inside. The crushed vehicles now serve as a home for feral cats and remain visible from the street. City inspectors responded only after the building’s collapse. Bruder temporarily cleared the road until the building permit was issued, then resumed using the street for public storage.
While Bruder and Grebner may have well-known nuisance properties in the Northside, similar violations occur on East Jefferson Street, where contractors use public streets and sidewalks for storage. Councilman Bobby Wilson has been unresponsive, and neither residents’ complaints nor the 311 reports we filed as private citizens during this investigation received a response.
The city’s Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections opened investigations into the properties only after media inquiries from The Pittsburgh Reporter this summer.
David Green, director of Pittsburgh’s building inspection department since Feb. 2024, did not respond to request for comment.
The enforcement failures reflect broader problems with city services under Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration. A website overhaul has created broken links across city online services, including OneStopPGH and PLI systems. The city’s new 311 complaint system, launched this year, has failed to properly record some violations reported.
Two candidates for city office, Controller Corey O’Connor, who is running for mayor, and Kim Salinetro, who is running for the District 2 City Council seat, have made reforming PLI a campaign issue.
O’Connor has criticized the city’s approach as too passive and called for more proactive leadership. He said permits take too long to issue and inspections are falling by the wayside. As a mayoral candidate, he has proposed revamping the system.
In Pro-Housing PGH’s primary questionnaire, Salinetro said she advocates for “an overhaul of our current permits, licenses and inspections systems to make them more efficient and transparent.”
With both candidates calling for major reforms, some residents see a chance that this decade-old problem could finally be addressed.
The investigations opened by PLI remain ongoing.