When the calendar flipped and we announced the construction of the new DK Pittsburgh Sports headquarters/shop Downtown, three of our readers -- two in comments, one in person -- asked if we might include a legacy wall of sorts.
The kind where anyone contributing to the cause would get their name and maybe a message on one of the walls inside the place.
Dali and I liked the idea right away, and not just because the bill for everything we're building will approach $50,000. We also connected it to another concept I'd broached in November 2020 that'd offer symbolic ownership shares, Green Bay Packers-style. That wound up really complicated, confusing and, to be honest, not all that tangible from the reader's perspective, so we let it go.
This is different.
That Pittsburgh-gold plate above is an example of what'll adorn a 13x13 wall on the right side of the place that we'll call Building Bricks. It'll be the backdrop for our open podcasting studio, actually. And all across this wall, we'll present your Bricks, with your names and/or messages, professionally embossed by the talented people at Tri-State Signs and Reprographics in the Strip.
The wall will look a little like this:
DALI KOVACEVIC / DKPS
And it'll be based loosely on this:
GETTY
Hope you'll understand that it's tough to show what all this looks like visually until it's made. Ultimately, we're going for top-shelf quality.
There'll be three categories of Bricks:
• GOLD, $1,000: Yeah, I know. That's a ton. But I also know we've been blessed beyond words to have a few well-to-do benefactors over the years -- like one of those readers who suggested this -- and it'd obviously be a boon to the project if even a handful stepped up. These Bricks will be 12x6 inches, they'll allow space for your name and a significant-sized message, plus you'll get an exact replica of the Brick to keep.
• BLUE, $250: These are 10x3 inches, they'll allow space for your name and a message, plus you'll get an exact replica of the Brick to keep.
• BLACK, $75: These were the biggest challenge to price because they're expensive enough to make that not a penny would make it to the cause if we also gave out replicas. So these are 5x2, and they'll allow space for your name.
If you're interested in being part of our first wave, email me directly with your preference at DK@DKPittsburghSports.com
All of them, every single one, will be appreciated equally. And if/when you come visit us, which we hope you do, you'll have the red carpet rolled out the same as we would for any of our business partners. Which, again, kind of goes back to the Green Bay thing. Because you'll be helping us craft this into a place of which we all can be proud.
As ever, I'll be in comments for any questions.
HQ/SHOP UPDATE
Wow, not sure where to start this week, but lots and lots and lots happening at 224 Fifth, including, just yesterday, our first-ever coat of paint:
DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS
Freshly painted wall, 224 Fifth Avenue, Downtown, yesterday.
And yes, we're both geeky enough to have rushed there after working hours to check it out for ourselves.
The progress has been significant, actually, with only minor setbacks. We've done most of the electrical, most of the patching up, now even most of the painting. Looks like floors and baseboards will be down by next week. And along the way, Dali's purchases for fixtures 'n' at have been arriving, stored in the back and ready for placement.
One thing I hope visitors will appreciate: Even though we'll have a modern look to the design, we're leaving parts of the original structure visible with a nod to this building being historic. The exterior was restored brilliantly by Millcraft seven years ago, a big part of why Fifth has been reborn. We'll respect that in every way.
Still don't have a hard date. Would love to know more about the status of our sign, which has to approved by the city, before coming up with that.
So exciting.
WEEKLY APP TIPS
Ways to make the app experience even better:
• Use the menu! I know that'll seem obvious, but there's a lot there, and it's easy to tell from questions we get that it's being underused. Everything's neatly organized, easy to find. As is the menu itself: It's the hamburger-looking thing in the top right corner.
• With every game coverage file we offer, there's an accompanying collection of a boxscore, standings, scoreboard and much more. All are rooted in our software, and we love what all of them offer.
• We're in the process -- ran a test this week -- of replacing the bottom right button on the app with a direct route to our podcasts. That button now takes readers to our live Twitter feed, which will move to the horizontal blue bar across the home page.
BACK TO BUSINESS
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