Vote set next month on historic status for theater

Thursday, October 04, 2007
Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The city’s Historic Review Commission expects to vote next month on a proposal to designate the Garden Theater an historic landmark. It heard public support for it — with no objections — yesterday.

“It’s a no-brainer,” said Greg Mucha, a member of the Mexican War Streets Society, citing concurrent planning for new housing, a new branch of the Carnegie Library and development proposals in the pipeline for a dozen or so properties that form the Federal Street-North Avenue corridor.

“We would like to see all of North Avenue become a historic district, and this would be an important first step,” said Steve Paul, executive director of Preservation Pittsburgh.

Dan Holland, founder of the Young Preservationists Association, said the Garden was overlooked in his group’s report last year citing 130 properties that should be protected.

The 91-year old structure, one of the last nickelodeon-style theaters in the country, was a porn theater for decades until earlier this year, when the Urban Redevelopment Authority purchased it after a lengthy battle of court appeals.

First published on October 4, 2007 at 12:00 am