Helltown Brewing is getting ready to pull its last pints in the Strip District, with its taproom at Penn Avenue and 17th Street set to close on Aug. 30, 2026, after more than a decade as a neighborhood watering hole. The closure comes as developers move ahead with a redevelopment plan for the property, while the brewery keeps its production and distribution operations running and waits for the project to work its way through city review.
The decision was announced in a post from Helltown on Instagram and picked up by TribLIVE, which reports the Strip District taproom’s final day of service will be Aug. 30 and that the bar will go out with a run of live shows. That includes a Jerry Garcia tribute on Aug. 2 tied to Helltown’s 15th anniversary. According to TribLIVE, the brewery’s post also noted that Helltown plans to stay in Pittsburgh at a new location while continuing its regional distribution and operating its other taprooms.
Developers’ plan for 1700 Penn
On deck for the corner spot at 1700 Penn Avenue is a major overhaul. Developers Francois Bitz and Jonathan Moritz have proposed demolishing the existing two-story building and replacing it with a condominium tower that would bring roughly 64 residential units, two floors of retail and an integrated parking garage, according to the project’s filing with the city’s zoning board. The application describes a 14-story structure of about 160 feet in height and asks for exceptions on height, setbacks and a nearly 10:1 floor-area ratio, as laid out in the City of Pittsburgh. Reporting by the Pittsburgh Business Times notes that Bitz and Moritz revised the design after hearing from community members.
Where the proposal stands…