Pittsburgh's
Market Square is a public space located in
Downtown Pittsburgh at the intersection of
Forbes Avenue (originally named Diamond Way in colonial times) and Market Street. The square was home to the first courthouse, first jail (both in 1795) and the first newspaper (1786) west of the
Atlantic Plain, the
Pittsburgh Gazette. A public/private modernization in the late 2000s has re-established the square as a social and cultural hub. Numerous restaurants, ranging from
fast casual to
fine dining, cafes and retailers occupy ground level buildings immediately facing the square, while housing units and offices occupy upper levels.