Caliguiri's departure from the city council necessitated the 1978 special election which allowed independent Democrat Michelle Madoff her seat.

Long time industrial giants which had Pittsburgh headquarters such as Gulf Oil and Koppers were both victims of the 1980s arbitrage and hostile takeover climate.

Gulf was absorbed by Chevron and Koppers by British firm Beazer, both resulting in the region losing several thousand high salaried corporate headquarter jobs.

Caliguiri as well as longtime Erie Mayor Louis Tullio and Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey were all diagnosed with the incurable and usually fatal disease.

In October 1990, a commemorative statue of Caliguiri sculpted by Robert Berks was dedicated on the steps of the Downtown Pittsburgh City-County Building on Grant Street.

According to Caliguiri's son David, previous ideas had included a renaming of Grant Street and the Pittsburgh Civic (later Mellon) Arena.