Architecture Apprentices Envision New Uses for a Vacant Lot

Sixteen students from various high schools throughout Allegheny County presented their concepts for a vacant lot on Eighth Avenue in Homestead during the final session on December 12, 2013 of PHLF’s Architectural Apprenticeship program.

“Each student came up with a concept that would help revitalize the historic main street, serve the community, and be sustainable,” said Louise Sturgess, executive director of PHLF. “Student concepts included an environmental center providing information on recycling coupled with an artists gallery and rooftop garden; a sports bar; a kid’s club and sandwich shop; a restaurant and brewery; a nightclub; a clothing store and restaurant; a used toy store and recreation center; a bike/repair shop; a bookshop/cafe/library; and a community center with an urban garden, rooftop garden, cafe/coffee shop, and space for yoga and technology classes.

James Washabaugh (Michael Baker) helped teach the class, and Katelyn Shearer (Urban Design Associates), Patrick Shattuck (Mon Valley Initiative), and Kelley Stroup (Historic Preservation) critiqued the student projects. Architects Bob Baumbach, Ray Bowman, Roger Hartung, and Richard Schmitz helped the students develop their designs, and David Lewis, urban designer, inspired them.

Below is a gallery of 50 photos from the Architecture Apprenticeship program that consisted of five full-day classes over a three-month period.

The apprenticeship, sponsored by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, is also supported through funding from the Alfred M. Oppenheimer Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation and McSwigan Family Foundation. PHLF has offered the Architecture Apprenticeship program every year since 1984.