Those walking along the Allegheny River recently may have noticed the giant barges floating on the water. The 10 massive steel barges, linked like giant Lego pieces, float lazily between the Warhol and Clemente bridges. A vendor makes shaved ice in a concession stand powered by solar panels. There’s jazz playing. People lounge on net hammocks stretched over the water.
Shore Thing, a project by Riverlife, has become Pittsburgh’s wildest new addition to the riverfront. Promoted as a floating park, barge-based beer garden, and design experiment all in one, Shore Thing is, in the words of Riverlife CEO Matthew Galluzzo, “a gift to the city.”
“This project was 25 years in the making,” Galluzzo tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “Every single Riverlife plan, whether it was a citywide vision or a neighborhood-specific one, has talked about on-the-water programming. This is the first time we’ve been able to bring it to life.”
Galluzzo, who joined Riverlife in 2019, led the organization’s Completing the Loop initiative, an ambitious project focused on developing 15 miles and over 1,000 acres of local riverfront, building on the city’s original 2001 riverfront revitalization strategy. While past efforts focused on connecting trails, Shore Thing reimagines the riverfront as a place not just to pass through, but to inhabit.
After all, Pittsburghers have a deep, emotional connection to their rivers. “Think about it. Without our rivers, Pittsburgh is just a huge field in the middle of Western Pennsylvania,” Galluzzo says. “They’re in our DNA. People get excited when you do something interesting on the river.”
Planning began three years ago, with Riverlife navigating a mix of design, engineering, and permitting challenges. Thousands of Pittsburghers contributed their ideas through public input sessions, voicing a shared desire for spaces that go beyond infrastructure — they wanted places to gather, reflect, and recreate.
The project took shape in part through Riverlife’s “thought leadership initiative,” a program supported by the Hillman Family Foundations. The team visited riverfronts in Austin, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, and New York City — places that had creatively incorporated barges into public spaces and offered inspiration for Pittsburgh’s floating vision.
It is also rooted in Pittsburgh’s rich floating history. Riverfront spaces like the Woodwind Symphony barge, the Pilot House restaurant at Mon Wharf in the 1960s, and Donzi’s at the Boardwalk Complex in the 1990s laid the groundwork for what’s now docked at Allegheny Landing.
“We wanted this to really match and honor the industrial heritage of this region, with some polish,” Galluzzo says. “A little bit of grit, a little bit of glitter.”
The 4,800-square-foot floating platform is moored just off Allegheny Landing, near the Sister Bridges. It officially opened to the public on July 1 and will run through mid-October. Visitors can enjoy the new attraction six days a week — Tuesday through Thursday from 3-10 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 12-10 p.m. It’s closed Mondays, except for special events.
If the weather goes rogue or the river feels choppy, “the plan is to respond, not react to the river. To listen to the river,” Emily Balawejder, Riverlife’s Director of Communications, tells City Paper. Since this is the first season, nothing is set in stone. Shore Thing will adjust its hours or even its season to roll with whatever the river throws at it.
“It’s all about making sure everyone has a good time in a safe, relaxed way,” Balawejder says. “Health comes first, fun follows.”
While Shore Thing will, more or less, stick around its current spot for the season, it technically could move. “But should it move?” Balawejder asks. “Financially and logistically, let’s just say it’s not as easy as floating a boat on a whim.”
The platform features shaded seating, live performances, and whimsical lounge nets that dangle guests over the water. The modular design makes Shore Thing unique, and Galluzzo notes that it’s likely the only recreational platform in the country to use sectional barges in this way.
Shore Thing also features a fully ADA-compliant gangway and barrier-free layout, allowing people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to experience the riverfront.
Galluzzo urges Pittsbrughers to see Shore Thing as an extension of Allegheny Landing, the North Shore site touted as the city’s first modern riverfront park.
“We want folks to come in and treat this as they would a park,” Galluzzo says. “Yes, there’s world-class food and beverage, but we want people to understand they can play here, picnic here, and just hang out like it’s any other public park.”
The Shore Thing programming schedule — made possible through support from the Charity Randall Foundation, Giant Eagle, and the Fine Foundation — features yoga, live music and performances, and art-making. Food and drinks are provided by Brew Gentlemen, with a menu that includes wagyu hot dogs, poke bombs, furikake chips, and sprinkle-topped soft serve.
The project was made possible through a combination of public and private funding, with the Regional Asset District (RAD) as the initial investor. The Waterfront Development Tax Credit played a significant role in its development, and UPMC Health Plan, Highmark, First National Bank, Duquesne Light, and the Gateway Clipper all contributed to the project’s construction and infrastructure.
The off-grid, solar-powered container at the platform’s heart was developed in partnership with ZeroFossil, a Pittsburgh-based clean energy company, ensuring Shore Thing operates sustainably.
“Doing anything on the water is a challenge,” Galluzzo says. “There are reasons why this hasn’t happened before. It takes an organization that’s resilient and relentless in its pursuit.”
Permitting alone was a massive hurdle. “We had to figure out things like how to store liquids on a barge and fill the gaps between sectional barges, every logistical challenge you can imagine,” Galluzzo says.
That artistic vision was clear from day one. “We could have waited to do public art,” Galluzzo said. “We didn’t. We were super intentional.”
That includes Janel Young’s surface mural and Fran Flaherty’s shell-inspired chandelier. Flaherty tells CP that the chandelier was designed to combine her love for water and the cultural resonance of her homeland, the Philippines, with her adopted city of Pittsburgh. Her vision involved incorporating Capiz shells — also known by their indigenous name, lampirong — into the piece. These shells, once used as a substitute for glass in traditional Filipino architecture, now shimmer above the Allegheny River.
The chandelier also embodies Flaherty’s commitment to disability justice and community collaboration. During events like Chalk Fest, she invited individuals of all abilities to help string the shells. Her students from Carlow University patiently guided participants through the process, creating an inclusive, multi-sensory art piece built through shared effort.
“It means that I chose the right adopted home,” Flaherty says of seeing the chandelier installed so prominently in a public space. “It means that Pittsburgh is welcoming me, people like me, people from other cultures. And it also means that the Pittsburgh community can come together to build something.”
Galluzzo recalls standing on the barge just before the Fourth of July fireworks, watching families spread out on picnic blankets, taking selfies, and making the space their own. “Seeing them take ownership of the space affirmed all the years of work,” he says.
Riverlife’s Shore Thing. Open Tue.-Thu. from 3-10 p.m. and Fri.-Sun. from 12-10 p.m. Continues through mid-October. Two Federal St., North Shore. Free. All ages. shorething.riverlifepgh.org
This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2025.
