Contrasts in Clairton: Education Versus Demolition
A long-vacant commercial building on St. Clair Avenue in Clairton was demolished in December 2015.
On the morning of December 16, 2015 two noteworthy events were occurring simultaneously in Clairton: PHLF Executive Director Louise Sturgess was involving 100 teachers from the Clairton School District in a Poetry and Art workshop at Clairton Middle/High School on Waddell Avenue. In the gallery below, see photos from that inspiring event. Just a block away, a historic building on St. Clair Avenue was being demolished.
“When I left the school I was startled to see this contrast,” said Louise. Inside the school, teachers from all grade levels were sketching architectural details from their school or community landmarks and were composing poems about those details that made you care about the buildings. Outside, the stone façade of a long-vacant commercial building on one of Clairton’s main streets was being knocked down.”
A major article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in November 2015 described the community development challenges facing Clairton. PHLF’s survey of 1980 identified more than 50 significant architectural landmarks in Clairton that could provide the foundation for economic renewal.
