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The Clark Building has been famous in Pittsburgh for some time. It’s home to a series of apartments, and the ground floor is composed of several shops. Or, well. It used to be. Now, it’s composed of a single bar. That bar is the Diamond, recently opened by the state's own James Fielding. He bought out the three floors above, and several of the shops along the ground floor, expanding the original bar’s location to take up the ground floor and part of the second floor.
The building’s theme is an upscale dark interior with dark wood accents and majorly black furniture, especially on the first floor. Downstairs, there are larger tables and a looping bar for bigger groups to sit at. The walls are lined with secluded booths, all in black and dark oak like the rest of the downstairs. A large black and dark oak staircase lines the right-hand side wall of the bar, leading up to the second floor, where a large central section of the floor has been removed to make the space feel more open.
The upstairs houses the actual bar and the small kitchen in the back. Behind the bar is a tight and steep staircase down into the cellar, where many of their more popular restocks and their more expensive bottles reside. The bar itself is lined with a backlit rack of everything you could possibly want, including a small fridge of energy drinks and juices and sodas, to use as mixers. The hightop bar has tall, leather stools in a lighter tan shade than the rest of the decor, which remains mostly dark oak.
One side of the second floor is entirely windows, offering a lovely view of the rest of the block and beyond. The general lighting could be described as moody, but bright enough to see what you’re doing, as the owner doesn’t want any kind of injuries from people not being able to see the staircase. One time was plenty. The music is soft, and the bar mostly plays droning music that borderlines goth and easy listening simultaneously. The music is often attributed to the female bartender, who goes by Lazuli to most of the clientele. The male bartender, Raphael, tends to shrug it off and gesture in her direction when asked about it.
The bar had quickly become a hotspot for both casuals and businesses alike. With its offering of secluded booths downstairs, many higher-end clientele often come by to conduct business meetings. All booths are available, with the exception of the very far back booth on the right-hand side, beyond the stairs. That booth, as many of the bargoers know, is reserved for Mr. Fielding himself, who can be found there during the day conducting his own business, dressed in dark suits with his red curls combed back from his face.
The owner is known for being friendly and talking to the clientele when he isn’t busy working. James is just as likely to chat you up as he is to disappear up the outside staircase into the upper floors of the building. No one is quite sure what’s been done to the apartments upstairs, only that he seems to live there, as do both the primary bartenders.
The parking outside is generous- after all, this used to primarily be an apartment complex. With the exception of a closed-off garage and fenced-in area, the entire back lot is used for free parking so long as you’re at the bar. The bartenders, however, have been known to be strict with watching who’s been drinking, and after your second drink, if you try to drive yourself home, security is liable to take your keys and return them to you in the morning when you’re sober. After all, they make their drinks strong at the Diamond.
Why don’t you come inside and relax for a little while? After all, you’ve had a hard day, haven’t you?
