Creative Chem Co. occupies the footprint of its former life. The building on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield was once a chemical manufacturing plant, a relic of Pittsburgh's industrial past. Now it is a coffee shop, a coworking space, and a maker studio, its 8,200 square feet reimagined as a gathering place for the neighborhood's creative class.
The conversion is thorough. The raw industrial envelope remains—high ceilings, exposed brick, oversized windows—but the interior has been completely reimagined. Long communal tables for working. A coffee bar for community gathering. Small studio spaces for makers and artists. The building's industrial past is visible but repurposed, serving the present rather than defining it.
Industrial Past, Creative Future
Bloomfield has been home to artists and makers for years, but the neighborhood has lacked the kind of shared infrastructure that working creative communities need. Creative Chem Co. provides it: a place where a photographer can rent a studio, a freelance designer can work at a table, and a coffee roaster can sell next to them.
"We wanted to take this beautiful industrial building and make it a space where creativity could happen naturally."
Creative Chem Co. Founder
The pricing is intentional. At $175 per month, memberships are accessible to early-stage makers and young professionals. The goal is density, not revenue extraction. A packed coworking space with affordable memberships creates the kind of community cross-pollination that makes neighborhoods worth living in.
The model is replicable. Pittsburgh has other industrial buildings. Bloomfield has proven there is demand for this kind of space. Expect more conversions like it across the city.