Point Park University students and Downtown residents who enjoy pleasant afternoons and evenings at Pittsburgh’s historic Point State Park now have Cafe at the Point, a unique open-air food venue at the southern edge of the city-side lawn which serves sandwiches, salads, beverages and ice cream.The cafe opened on Friday, Sept. 16 and will operate weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.This quaint, silver building, has the designs and maps of the original layout of the forts at the Point, and tables and chairs are placed to enjoy the scenery of Mount Washington and the Fort Pitt Bridge.Each tabletop features a different historical fact and illustration about the history of the site.”We think that people will come down and buy their lunch at their lunch hour, sit down on the benches, enjoy the Wi-Fi, take a break and enjoy the green,” said Lisa Schroeder, CEO of Riverlife, at the grand opening of the cafe on Friday.Riverlife, the nonprofit organization responsible for the expansion and restoration of Three Rivers Park, which includes Point State Park, is passionate about Pittsburgh and the riverfronts of the city.According to the organization’s website, its goal is to create a beautiful “13-mile interconnected loop of riverfront trails, parks and riverside amenities.”Jim Balaris, the PNC executive vice president of retail banking in Pittsburgh, attended the grand opening. He is passionate about reaching out to the people of downtown Pittsburgh.”Being one of the largest employers in Pittsburgh gives us a place here for our employees as well as our customers to enjoy Pittsburgh,” Balaris said, speaking of PNC. “Strong communities are important to our sustainability as well as Pittsburgh’s sustainability.”Besides being a fun and exciting new attraction in the city, the Cafe at the Point is also an environmentally-friendly building; it is constructed with recycled steel and masonry  and features a living roof and walls, natural interior lighting, high efficiency external LED light fixtures and a storm water control system.”We have a lot of green buildings, as you can see with 3 PNC [Plaza] and the building we’re going to build next to Point Park’s campus there,” Balaris said. “Our new corporate headquarters will be the largest LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] certified sustainable building.”The cafe opening was history in the making, and for Natalie Byrd and her one-and-half- year-old daughter Violet, there was no way they were missing out.Byrd is a landscape architect in the South Side and Squirrel Hill resident.She does not go to Point State Park often, but could not pass up the opportunity to take her daughter to another park opening.Being interested in landscape, she was pleased with the outcome of the cafe and its design. But when it comes to Violet, “Her favorite part is the balloons,” Byrd said.While the balloons will not always be there, the food will. Chahine Boulos is the cafe owner and works for Specialty Concessions, Inc. He has been involved in this business in downtown Pittsburgh since the mid 1980s.Boulos was involved in the making and designing of this cafe since the beginningl; saying it was his “passion.” He will be there working every day, overseeing the daily operations and was ecstatic to be able to have the opportunity to be a part of this aspect of Point State Park.While it might seem like an average concession stand, it just so happens to be located on the grounds of what used to be Fort Pitt, created in the French and Indian War, and is positioned right next to the oldest building still standing in Pittsburgh, the Fort Pitt Block House.These interesting historical facts, compiled with its environmentally friendly aspects, make it much more than that.”It makes it special,” Boulos said.