PHLF Apprentices Show Solutions for Homestead Lot

Seventeen high school students from throughout Allegheny County presented their proposals for a vacant lot at Eighth Avenue and Amity Street in Homestead. Ideas included the following: a greenhouse and grocery (shown here); the Oasis (a frozen yogurt and radio station); a multi-purpose community center; a therapeutic psychiatric office and snack shop; a bakery and branch library; a bike shop (with a running track and skylight); Rusty’s Restaurant; the Steel City Diner; and an apartment building with a rooftop restaurant.

“The purpose of the design challenge was to give the students experience in developing a program that both serves the community and attracts people from the Waterfront to the historic main street,” said Louise Sturgess of PHLF. “They had strong, creative ideas and made convincing arguments for their program. We were impressed.”

The final presentations on December 11, 2012, were part of the annual Architectural Apprenticeship offered by PHLF through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. PHLF thanks the following people for commenting on the student projects: Architects Bob Baumbach, Raymond Bowman, and Shaun Yurcaba; Lance Chimka and Zachery Wilfong (Allegheny County Economic Development); Davy Jones, Homestead resident; and Erica Rogers (Mon Valley Initiative).