Category Archive: Preservation News
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Moving pupils first step to closing school in Woodland Hills
By M. Ferguson Tinsley,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, March 15, 2007Last night, the Woodland Hills school board was to decide whether to start the controversial process of closing East Junior High School.
In conjunction with that, they were beginning to think about remodeling West Junior in Swissvale and transferring up to 350 seventh- and eighth-graders from East to West by the 2008-2009 school year.
At an agenda meeting on March 7, Superintendent Roslynne Wilson said the closing would consolidate staff and administration and would ensure educational consistency. Further, joining the schools would foster a healthier sense of competition, which heretofore the small population at East has not known.
She also said the district would save $986,151.
Under the plan, about 750 pupils would attend West in 2008-09, according to state enrollment projections. West, about 126,500 square feet in dimension, was built in 1978. In the past, the school has housed more than 900 pupils.
Still, the new setup would require extensive renovations, especially to the cafeteria and other classrooms, she said. “It’s going to cost at least $5 million.”
The new configuration would keep seventh-graders on lower floors and eighth-graders on the upper, Dr. Wilson said. The only time seventh-graders would go upstairs would be to visit the library, she added.
Board members William Driscoll and Robert J. Tomasic had concerns about the plan.
Dr. Driscoll said he did not want to see each classroom stuffed with up to 28 pupils.
“I would like to know how many sections we’ll need,” he emphasized. “I did divide by 25,” Dr. Wilson replied.
Mr. Tomasic said he would not vote for any move unless West is equipped with video cameras throughout.
A West pupil who attended the agenda meeting said the school is already bursting at the seams.
“Right now we are standing outside for 15 to 20 minutes … in the morning … to go through the metal detectors,” said Amanda Stumme, 13, of Wilkins. “The halls are packed. It’s really hard to get from class to class. People are bumping into each other and people are fighting because they’re mad at each other about it.”
At the end of the discussion, Bob Mock, a Turtle Creek resident who has vociferously opposed closing East, asked the board: “What are you going to do with the closed building?” Mr. Mock is an alumnus of the old Turtle Creek High School, which became East Junior High.
State law requires the district to hold a public hearing at least three months before deciding to close the school. A notice of the hearing must be advertised 15 days before the hearing is held. The vote last night was a small first step in the process.
In other business, the board:
heard David Johnston, the pupil services director, present information on the Student Assistance Program.
The SAP is administered by the state Department of Education’s Division of Student and Safe School Services to assist school staff in identifying drug use or emotional and mental health troubles affecting student performance, according to the state Web site, www.pde.state.pa.us.
Mr. Johnson said 177 high school students were referred to SAP this school year.
By March 2, unacceptable behavior sparked 60 percent of referrals; 31 percent resulted from poor academics. Drug and alcohol abuse spawned 17 referrals. Ninety percent of the referrals were staff-initiated, 1 percent parent-sought.
unanimously voted to adopt a resolution asking voters in the May primary if they favor the “district imposing an additional 0.7 percent earned income tax.”
The increase would take the tax from 0.5 percent to 1.2 percent, which would fund a minimum homestead/farmstead exclusion of $405 for those who qualify.
Board Member Randy Lott was absent.
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Turtle Creek may lose junior high
By Daveen Rae Kurutz
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, March 15, 2007Two months after rejecting a consolidation plan that would have closed three schools, the Woodland Hills School Board Wednesday night took steps to close East Junior High School in Turtle Creek.
The board cited declining enrollment and a deteriorating building for the move, which is expected to save the district about $748,000.“The process will result in establishing the Woodland Hills Middle School for all seventh- and eighth-grade students in the district for the 2008-2009 school year,” according to the motion that was approved by a 6-1 vote. Robert Tomasic cast the lone dissenting vote. Dr. Randy Lott and Fred Kuhn were absent.
Public hearings will be scheduled on the proposal. A final vote could come in August.
“It’s not a done deal when you begin a process. We want to get the facts. If I don’t like it, I am not going to vote for it,” said board vice president Marilyn Messina.
If the school is closed, the nearly 290 seventh- and eighth-graders at East Junior High School would attend West Junior High School in Swissvale. Based on the district’s enrollment this year, about 750 students would attend West Junior High School.An architect will do a comparison of the costs of renovating West Junior High School and the cost of constructing a new building.
“The decision made by this board tonight in this economically challenging time will not be particularly popular or happy or easy,” said Cindy Leone, of Edgewood, who has three children enrolled in the school district.
The proposal to close only East Junior High School arose after a comprehensive school consolidation plan designed by Superintendent Roslynne Wilson was rejected by a 6-3 vote at the Jan. 10 school board meeting because of significant opposition from parents.
The original plan would have closed Shaffer Primary School in Churchill, Rankin Intermediate School in Rankin and East Junior High School by the start of the 2009-10 school year. The closings would have begun with Shaffer Primary at the end of this school year.
Parents packed the January meeting, concerned that the closings were being rushed and that too many students would be in one school.
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
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Brentwood landmark slated for demolition
Brad Pedersen
Staff Writer, South Hills Record
Trib-Total Media
Thursday, March 15, 2007British comedian Eddie Izzard once said that Americans “love to tear your history down,” and Brentwood Medical Group seems to be following suit as it prepares to tear down Brentwood’s Point View Hotel and Restaurant on Brownsville Road.
A three-story medical facility will be built at 3720 Brownsville Road, where the Point View stands, for now. The projected plan is to tear the Point View down to build the facility for Brentwood Medical Group, but demolition has not been scheduled, due to several zoning issues.
“It’s under agreement right now,” said Ralph Costa, Brentwood building inspector. “They came up for a hearing on a height variance on the building, and that was granted. It is contingent upon that. I don’t know where they actually stand at this point.”
According to Costa, without the variance, instead of a three-story building, Brentwood Medical Group would have had to build an expanded two-story building, in accordance with zoning restrictions. The main concern was how it would affect parking at the facility.
Dawn Synborski, zoning and ordinance chair, said the new building could be completed by early 2008.There are no specifics on when the Point View was built, although most estimate it was built during or before the 1820s along the Brownsville Road carriage route. When it was constructed, it was a part of Baldwin Township, which was broken into several villages, including Point View. Brentwood became a borough in 1915.
Early records show that the original owner was Lucast Dudt, who sold it to the Gartner family. The business was then purchased by Joseph Clendening, who sold it to the Andolina family in 1936.
The Andolina family controlled the Point View until 1976, when they sold it to the Vickless family.
The hotel boasted eight modest rooms and the most famous was referred to as the President’s Room. Prior to their presidencies, three presidents stayed in the room.
While on the campaign trail in the late 1820s, Andrew Jackson stayed at the hotel during a horseback trip from Fort Cumberland to Allegheny City, now known as Pittsburgh.
The hotel had its next presidential visit in the 1840s, approximately 20 years later, when Zachary Taylor stopped at the hotel with a large group of campaign supporters. Like Jackson, he was on his way into the city as a part of his presidential campaign.
President James Buchanan made several trips to the Point View prior to holding the office, according to a 1917 letter written by Birgitta Grad, who copied the information from two earlier newspapers dating back to 1865 and 1871.
Grad said that the picky Buchanan traveled in a “splendid traveling coach,” which he required to be meticulously cleaned at each stop, and always required clean linens.
Although the presidential stays are famous and well noted, the Point View is also famous for having undocumented stops as a part of the Underground Railroad during the 1860s.
The Point View is one of few structures standing that served as an Underground Railroad “station” in Allegheny County, along with the Bingham House in Chatham Village and the Morning Glory Inn, Southside.
In the basement underneath the sitting room was an extensive tunnel system leading from the hotel to the other side of Brownsville Road, which was referred to as Brentwood Farm. There is no documentation on how the system worked, though it is mentioned in Grad’s letter.
Grad wrote that the trapdoor leading into the Point View’s cellar was located under the sitting room in a “blind cellar.”
It is reported that the tunnel system collapsed when the borough widened and lowered Brownsville Road, which used to be level with the Point View.
In her letter, Grad wrote that there was a trapdoor and blind cellar under the sitting room, where slaves from Maryland and Virginia “were hidden for a short time.”
Since the time of the presidential stays and Underground Railroad, the building has gone through several updates, including the addition of the kitchen and bar area, aluminum siding and many other changes. These changes have helped deny the Point View a historical landmark designation. A high cost to restore the Point View to its original state has kept previous owners from earning the designation.
“It’s time consuming and a little bit expensive with all the research that needs to go into it if you are not doing it yourself and use a consultant,” said Frank Stroker, assistant archivist with the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. “With all the research and multiple sources and cross reference and quality archival photographing, it can be quite time consuming.”
The historical value of the house kept people like Sarah Martin into Brentwood to visit the Point View.
“The Point View Hotel has been identified as one of the safe houses in this area, along with the Bingham house in Mount Washington, as well as a few others,” said Martin, who works with the Pittsburgh Board of Education. “For many years, the proprietor of the Point View allowed me to bring small groups of administrators and students to see the area in the basement where slaves were reportedly hidden.”
According to Martin, when she returned to schedule her yearly visit, there was a sign on the door with a number, indicating the hotel was for sale. To her dismay, when she called the number, Martin found that USA Housing was in talks with a possible buyer.
“I am sure that many people were involved in the decision to sell this establishment and that the decision to sell was in the best interest of all the parties,” said Martin. “I have nothing to say about that business decision, however knowing the history of the place, I would trust that someone would be willing to discuss how we might be able to document the historical significance of the Point View before it is torn down or renovated.”
Stroker said that he is unaware of any attempts to designate the Point View as a historical landmark.
Although the Point View is not designated as a landmark, it will always be a landmark to borough residents.
“It happened and they are going to expand,” said Lockhart. “There are plans for a medical building. I just heard a couple residents saying it’s a shame that it’s gone.”
But for others, the Point View being torn down is a chance for the borough to move ahead.
“It will be good for the community,” said Costa. “A lot of people hate to see that building being torn down, but it is shot. There’s no saving it.”
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Historic Dorrington Road Bridge in Collier Threatened: Requires New Site
Landmarks met with PennDOT and Collier Township officials today and discussed the possibility of saving and relocating the bridge. Collier Township is open to having the bridge moved to a new park it is creating near Nevillewood, but funding would be needed to support the project.
Landmarks member and 2002 Scholarship winner Todd Wilson prepared a presentation on the behalf of Landmarks that was presented at the meeting. The content below.
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Dorrington Road Bridge
Introduction:
Within the next 20 years, the upgrade from the truss bridges of the 19th century to modern post World War II bridges will likely be completed.
It is crucial to carefully select significant bridges to preserve in order to represent and exemplify the rest of the demolished truss bridges.
The Dorrington Road Bridge, being one of the last of its type in the country, is one such bridge.
PHLF wants to work with PennDOT and Collier Township to find a suitable owner for the relocated bridge.
Bridge Information:
- Pin-connected
- Pratt pony truss
- Single span
- 60 feet long
- 19 feet wide
- Built in 1888 by the Pittsburgh Bridge Company
- Composed of cast and wrought iron (according to the Pennsylvania Historic Bridge Inventory)
- Endposts of bridge are vertical instead of diagonal
Historical Significance:
- Rare cast and wrought iron Pratt pony truss with vertical endposts
- One of 15 truss bridges identified as cast and wrought iron in
- Pennsylvania (as of the 1997 Historic Bridge Inventory)
- Last remaining cast and wrought iron bridge in PennDOT District 11
One of 5 iron truss bridges remaining in District 11 - Only remaining iron pony truss in District 11
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Maintains historical integrity
- Retains builders plates from prolific bridge company
- Unique among the other 861 bridges on historicbridges.org
According to December 2006 data from the Federal Highway Administration:
- 3.3% of PA bridges are trusses (2006), down from 5.5% in 1992; a loss of 40% (482 bridges)
- 2.2% of bridges nationally are trusses, down from 4.3% in 1992; a loss of 47% (11,380 bridges)
- 21 states have 100 or fewer truss bridges; 5 states have 25 or fewer truss bridges
- If that trend continues, all historic truss bridges that have not been preserved or rehabilitated will be demolished within the next 16 years
According to the PA Historic Bridge Inventory, 12% of truss bridges surveyed in 1997 were built before 1890 and 30% were built before 1900 - “Over half the historic bridges identified by statewide surveys have disappeared over the last twenty years” – Winter 2003 Preserving Pennsylvania Newsletter
Expert Evaluation:
Eric DeLony, former Chief of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and author of Landmark American Bridges.
- On January 31, 2007, Eric made the following evaluation regarding the Dorrington Road Bridge:
- Despite the wealth of HBs in Pennsylvania, I’m confident the bridge will be at the top of the list regarding its value, significance, condition and preservation potential.
- The outriggers (buttresses) look like they might have been added to increase lateral stability, but this was well done, and in my view doesn’t diminish its integrity.
- The bridge has many things in its favor for preserving: significance, condition and relatively short span – a structure easily moved to another location.
Nathan Holth, creator of HistoricBridges.com.
- On January 24, 2007, Nathan Holth wrote:
- The Dorrington Road Bridge will only become more rare and significant as time passes and more truss bridges elsewhere are demolished.
- The Dorrington Road Bridge is a pin-connected Pratt pony truss bridge that is technologically noteworthy for having vertical endposts, giving it a distinct rectangular shape that in uncommon in truss bridge design.
- The bridge retains a significant level of historic integrity, meaning features that were present on the bridge in 1888 still remain today. Among the elements that remain in their original form are original lattice railings and a builder plaque, which are elements that are often missing from other truss bridges.
- I strongly feel that relocating and rehabilitating the historic Dorrington Road Bridge is a wise course of action.
Other Reasons to Save Bridge:
- Educational tool
- Tourist attraction
- Community identity
- Feature of a park
- Bridge for a trail
Local Rails to Trails:
- Last 7 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail in Allegheny County to be completed in 2008 at a cost of $7 million
- Montour Trail Council’s Panhandle trail ends in Rennerdale, about a mile away from the Dorrington Road Bridge
- “About 40 miles of the [Montour] trail are completed; but completed miles are not all connected, being isolated by a few large uncompleted sections, as well as some missing bridges requiring at-grade crossings of public roads.”
- $10.1 million conversion of Hot Metal Bridge underway for trail use
Cost Effective Solution:
Funding up to the cost of demolition is available for bridge preservation
With that funding, the cost of relocating a historic bridge is comparable to the cost of a new bridge
Dorrington Road Bridge in better condition than many comparable bridgesCase Study: Bollman Bridge:
- 1871 cast and wrought iron Warren through truss bridge
- 81 feet long by 14 feet wide
- Closed to traffic in 1999
- Bridge currently being relocated to Great Allegheny Passage Trail
- Total cost of project about $200,000
- $80,000 funded by government
Case Study: Henzsey’s Bridge
- 1869 wrought iron bowstring arch truss
- 96 feet long by 17 feet wide
- Closed to traffic in 1986
- Feasibility study and drawings prepared by a civil engineering professor and students
- Restored and relocated to serve Central Pennsylvania College in 2002
- Cost for a new bridge would be “slightly less” than the cost to reuse the old bridge
- Cost approximately $250,000
- Project won 2003 Historic Preservation Award
Michigan’s Historic Bridge Park:
Conclusion:
The Dorrington Road Bridge has served Collier Township for over five generations. Dating from a time before the automobile was invented, it is a rare surviving piece of transportation history. By relocating the bridge to a park or trail, we can preserve this structure and create a “bridge” to the past for many more generations to enjoy.
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Woodland Hills plan would close just East Junior High School
Thursday, March 8, 2007After the Woodland Hills School Board decided against closing three of the district’s nine schools, a new plan is on the table that would shutter just one of them by the beginning of the 2008-09 school year.
District spokeswoman Maria McCool said the school board plans to vote March 14 on a plan that would close East Junior High School in Turtle Creek.The proposal to close only East Junior High arose after a comprehensive school consolidation plan designed by superintendent Roslynne Wilson was rejected by a 6-3 vote at the January school board meeting.
“Although this was part of Dr. Wilson’s original plan, and she supports the idea, these new motions have been offered by board directors as a way to cut the estimated budget deficit,” McCool said.That original plan would have closed Shaffer Primary School in Churchill, Rankin Intermediate School in Rankin and East Junior High School by the start of the 2009-10 school year. The closings would have begun with Shaffer Primary at the end of the current school year.
The comprehensive plan met with opposition from parents who were concerned that the closings were being rushed. The board has been discussing the plan at each meeting since, McCool said.McCool said the board agreed to consider closing East Junior High after the 2007-08 annual budget was presented last month. Its approximately 288 seventh- and eighth-graders would attend Swissvale’s West Junior High School.
The 7:30 meeting Wednesday will be at the district administration building, 2430 Greensburg Pike, Churchill. District residents who would like to speak at the meeting should register with the board secretary, Joyce Sullivan, by 3 p.m. Monday by calling 412-731-1300, ext. 0133.
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Dormont rejects developing park site
By Rick Wills
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, March 7, 2007Some Dormont residents and borough officials said Tuesday they’re happy that plans were scrapped for commercial development on land occupied by the community’s park and pool.
“I am pleased to have this behind us,” said John Maggio, president of Friends of Dormont Pool, a group formed last year to raise money to repair the 87-year-old landmark.“The people overwhelmingly did not want development in their park,” Maggio said. “This was about putting a strip mall in a park that has the whole history of our community in it.”
Late Monday, borough council voted unexpectedly and unanimously to end consideration of two proposals in which developers would have paid for community recreational facilities in exchange for commercial development rights.
One developer offered to renovate Dormont Pool in exchange for putting townhouses and retail space in the park. Another offered to build a smaller pool and a community center in exchange for retail development in the park.
Mayor Thomas Lloyd urged council to put the matter to rest Monday.
“I did not want this hanging over us,” Lloyd said yesterday. “There has been too much animosity over this issue, so hopefully, this will no longer be the focus of every council meeting.”
Since January, when residents learned that Lloyd, borough manager George Zboyovsky and council President Linda Kitchen had been meeting with developers interested in the park land, opponents of such projects have packed council meetings.
Last month, Craig Cozza of Cozza Enterprises Inc., of Squirrel Hill, presented his plan, which included retail development on the Dormont Pool site. Jim Aiello of JRA Development Inc., of Lawrenceville, proposed restoring the pool and using land elsewhere in the park for residential and retail purposes.
Neither responded to messages left yesterday.
The vote comes after a year of public agitation over the future of the aging 1.85-acre pool, which needs extensive repair work. Friends of Dormont Pool has raised about $30,000 to pay for the work, estimated to cost $1 million.
Ending discussion about development doesn’t end discussion about how to fix the pool, said Councilwoman Ann Conlin, who opposed commercial development in the park.
Later this month, council members will meet with representatives of Wade Associates Inc., a Harrisburg pool consulting firm the borough hired to study restoration options, she said.
Rick Wills can be reached at rwills@tribweb.com or (724) 779-7123.
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‘We want the park to stay a park’
By Brian C. Rittmeyer
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, March 5, 2007Dormont residents rallied in winter conditions Sunday in hopes of saving a summertime favorite.
Efforts once aimed at saving the borough’s landmark pool are now set on saving the whole of Dormont Park from the threat of development.“We want to raise awareness and let council know we don’t want them to develop our park,” said Dormont resident Sarann Fisher. “We want the park to stay a park. We don’t want them to develop the park into retail or more residential.”
The roughly 75 protesters who made their way from the pool parking lot to Banksville Road found support from passing motorists, who honked their horns in response to their signs and chants of “Honk your horn, save our park.” They’re expected to take their fight to the Dormont Council meeting at 7:30 tonight at the borough building.
Two developers have made park proposals. One would renovate the 87-year-old pool in exchange for permission to build townhouses and retail buildings in the park. The other would build a smaller pool and a community center in exchange for retail development in the park.
Opponents want the 25-acre park to stay as it is, and they want efforts to repair the pool to continue.
“We don’t need a strip mall down here,” said John Maggio, president of Friends of the Dormont Pool. “We’re hoping they’ll get the message.”
Karen Gottschall, 40, carried a sign saying “No Walgreens,” which is rumored to be an anchor of a proposed development.
“We need more green space, not less,” she said. “The park is the jewel of Dormont.”
“It’s not about the pool anymore. It’s about the park. They want to pave over our park,” she said. “The developers don’t want to save our park. They want to make money. That’s what they want to do, and they want our land to do it. Our council, unfortunately, might let them.”
The pool remains a focus, however. Pete Popowicz, 57, boasted of the 15 pool passes he had on his car and compared the pool to the likes of Kennywood in stature.
“Even though it’s winter now, we talk about how much the pool means to us in the summer,” 12-year-old Samantha Fisher said as snow swirled about her. “It means so much to me. I’d risk coming down here in the middle of a blizzard just to save this place.”
Donna Rosleck, 68, said the park is a landmark, where her family picnics and her two grandsons come to swim and play.
“I don’t want to see the property sold and the swimming pool go,” she said. “If they take all the property, the kids don’t have any place to go in Dormont.”
This is not the first time Dormont residents have rallied to preserve the park. Fifty years ago, residents fought off a plan to build apartments on the land, said Jim Rutledge, 79, a lifelong borough resident.
Rutledge said he’s confident the latest development proposal can be defeated, too.
Brian C. Rittmeyer can be reached at brittmeyer@tribweb.com or (724) 779-7108.
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Downtown church moves forward after fire
By Candy Williams
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, March 4, 2007The colorful stained-glass windows bordering the sanctuary are obscured by intricate pillars of scaffolding, on which members of a restoration crew hover overhead. The pews are concealed by black plastic sheets, a day after the protective coverings were temporarily removed to allow parishioners to gather for another Sunday worship service.
On a cold Monday morning in February, the historic Smithfield United Church of Christ on Smithfield Street in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh is still recovering from a Jan. 1 fire. The fire destroyed the social hall and its centerpiece, a stained-glass window depicting Jesus and the children, and caused extensive smoke and water damage to the rest of the building. The Pittsburgh Fire Bureau ruled the fire an accident, and it was said to have been sparked by an electrical malfunction, according to church officials.There were no injuries in the fire, and for that the congregation is thankful. But it obviously was not the way they wanted to kick off the church’s 225th anniversary year celebration. But the Rev. J. Douglas Patterson, senior minister of the city parish, sees the recovery efforts as a temporary inconvenience.
“This is not the church,” he says.
Indeed, the ministry of the church’s people goes beyond the boundaries of its soot-covered walls. It will be at least a month before the cleanup and rebuilding project will near completion, Patterson says, yet the daily business of the church goes on. In addition to regular services at 11 a.m. Sunday and at 12:10 p.m. Wednesdays, the church welcomes students from Northside Urban Pathways Charter School, who take physical-education classes in its gymnasium during the day, and as many as 90 homeless men and women who sleep there at night as part of the Emergency Cold Weather Shelter program operated by Allegheny County’s Community Human Services Corp.
With windchills dipping below zero several times in February, the shelter has been a popular respite, the minister says, offering the poor and destitute hot meals, warm showers and protection from the elements.
Along with four other downtown Pittsburgh churches — First Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Mary of Mercy Roman Catholic Church and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral — Smithfield also participates in a Walk-in Ministry that provides groceries and other assistance to those in need in the downtown community. Every fifth week on a rotating basis, each church opens its food pantry and supplies the needy with packaged and frozen food, along with household cleaning products and health and beauty supplies bought from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Rena Thomas, business administrator at Smithfield United Church of Christ, oversees the program at Smithfield and makes sure the pantry and freezer in a room off her office are well-stocked. She says she serves 55 families on a regular basis each month in addition to new people who hear of the service from others. Most of the men and women who take advantage of the Walk-in Ministry live within a mile of the church.
In one of her reports to the church council, Thomas noted that in 2006, 641 individuals were served through the food-distribution program. Some 61 percent of them were 60 years old or older; 38 percent were ages 35-59; 68 percent were women, and 90 percent lived alone.
Thomas has worked for the Smithfield church since 1999 doing bookkeeping and office duties. She says that when the previous person in charge of the food pantry left, “Doug (Rev. Patterson) asked me if I’d take over. For most of (the people she serves), a lot would go without food if it wasn’t for us. I saw one woman who had a can of soup she was eating from for two or three days.”
Fellow parishioners have nothing but praise for Thomas’ abilities to seek out grants and donations for the program and to customize meals for her families.
“She is so extremely good at being able to talk to these people and see what their needs are,” says John Canning, a North Side resident and 30-year member of the congregation.
Nan Foltz, of Mt. Lebanon, who serves as president of the congregation, agrees. “Rena does such extraordinary work. Her reports at council meetings are incredible. I’m extremely respectful of the caliber of her leadership,” Foltz says.
Patterson says that since taking on the additional duties of administering the food ministry five years ago, Thomas has been instrumental in bringing in almost $20,000 in outside donations for the program.
The Walk-in Ministry is part of being a good neighbor, the pastor says, and that is a reputation that Smithfield United Church of Christ has worked hard to achieve. Patterson likes to refer to their outreach efforts as “extravagant hospitality.” It’s a commitment to community that members expect from being associated with “a downtown church,” he says.
“A downtown congregation is a different breed of people. They have to pass by a lot of churches that are more convenient to get here. Their expectations of a downtown church are higher. They expect more in the way the worship service is conducted, in the music and sermons, which is wonderful. People should have high expectations of their church,” Patterson says.
Unlike most houses of worship, Smithfield’s membership does not consist of a group of neighbors who live close enough to walk or drive a short distance from their homes to church. Because of the distance some members travel, the church has its business meetings and choir rehearsals before or after the Sunday church service to spare members the inconvenience of making another trip to town on a weekday evening. Patterson says he also uses e-mail and the church Web site, www.smithfieldchurch.org, to communicate with members.
“The Internet has been a wonderful tool for us,” Patterson says. “We’re surrounded by corporate Pittsburgh. Most people that I see on Sunday morning, I don’t see again during the week.”
Although his church doesn’t own a parking lot, parking usually isn’t an issue on weekends, Patterson says. The city Parking Authority has an arrangement with the Downtown Ministerium, of which Smithfield United Church is a member, to allow churchgoers Sunday parking in its garages for a $1 fee. Members must have their parking tickets stamped at church.
Patterson feels that diversity is one of his congregation’s biggest assets. The church was founded on the belief that everyone is welcome, as emphasized by their credo: “Ours is an inclusive congregation, committed to oneness in Christ across all boundaries of race, social class, culture, gender, sexual identity and disability.”
“It’s a non-issue; it’s just who we are,” he says.
Smithfield United Church of Christ, the oldest organized church Downtown, has been part of Pittsburgh since before it became a city. When the congregation was founded in 1782, Pittsburgh was a small village of about 250 people, mostly German immigrants.
In “Landmark Architecture of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania,” a book written by James D. Van Trump and Arthur P. Ziegler Jr. and published by Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (1967), the authors note that in 1787, the heirs of William Penn granted to the German Lutheran and Reformed congregations a plot of land along Smithfield Street between Sixth Avenue and Strawberry Way, but a building was not erected there until 1791.
The German Evangelical Protestant Church was formed by the two groups in 1812, and three consecutive churches were built in 1815, 1833 and 1875-77, each one bigger than the one before it. The church united with the Congregational fellowship in 1925 and is affiliated with the United Church of Christ.
The current church building was designed in 1925 by noted New York architect Henry Hornbostel, who designed many other Pittsburgh landmark buildings, including Rodef Shalom Temple in Oakland, Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial in Oakland and the City-County Building, Downtown.
Albert Tannler, historical collections director for Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, says the Smithfield church is one of the few churches designed by Hornbostel. The Gothic Revival-style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing structure in the Downtown District National Register of Historic Places.
Tannler says the church’s design is unique in that its 80-foot-high spire was made from steel and cast aluminum, representing the first use of aluminum in building architecture.
“The architect wanted it to be all aluminum, but the Building Code people wouldn’t allow it to happen,” Tannler says. “People weren’t sure in the 1920s about how strong aluminum was. The city required that the frame be built of steel and the panels made of aluminum.”
Another artistic feature of the church is the sanctuary’s elaborate stained-glass windows, created by Von Gretchen Studios. Several themes are represented in their design, including the chronological story of the life and teachings of Jesus, people and places with special meaning to the church heritage and scenes related to Pittsburgh’s history. Two additional stained-glass windows near a staircase leading to the sanctuary depict Moses and Paul, and the Lord’s Prayer written in German and in English. At the rear of the sanctuary, in the narthex, are the Faith, Love and Hope windows inspired by Scripture verses.
At a time when some churches are dealing with declining membership and dissatisfaction with traditional worship services, Smithfield United Church of Christ — which has not abandoned its conventional service in favor of trendy contemporary formats — continues to grow.
Church membership is about 230 members, with average attendance at the 11 a.m. Sunday service totaling 110. Members come from as far as Cranberry and Saxonburg in Butler County, Murrysville in Westmoreland County and Washington in Washington County.
Canning attributes the church’s staying power to “the worship experience and the strong commitment this church has to serving the city. This church operates 24/7,” he says.
Foltz says that even new members feel comfortable taking leadership positions alongside men and women who have been with the congregation for years. She is especially proud of women who have stepped up to serve when needed.
“Women of our congregation historically have been so strong and have been such role models for their participation and caring,” she says. “We have a nice blend of people who understand hospitality, or to use the phrase Doug uses ‘extravagant hospitality.’ ”
That kindness has been returned by others in the community, especially during the tenuous days after the fire in January, Foltz says. Owners of the nearby Smithfield Cafe opened their doors to the congregation so that a Mardi Gras celebration could go on as planned, and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch on Smithfield Street arranged for Patterson to use their Internet service.
Members continue to gather at the Smithfield Cafe for a fellowship meal on the first Sunday of each month after a service that celebrates the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Church members prepare and serve the meals and clean up afterward. A free-will offering is taken, and all worshippers are welcome.
During a Sunday morning worship service two weeks after the Jan. 1 fire, the congregation paid tribute to the stranger who discovered and reported the blaze, a Jesuit priest named James Conroy, who noticed the smoke while walking past the structure.
Church member Mariruth Stoecker-Keebler shared her gratitude toward Conroy with fellow parishioners in The Spire, the church newsletter:
“I am a fourth-generation Smithfielder,” she writes. “My great-grandparents, immigrating from Germany on both the Finder and Stocker sides, worshipped here at Smithfield. This is where my parents met as teenagers in ‘Pilgrim Fellowship.’ They married here. Our family has served on many committees/church councils and taught many Sunday school classes — proud to be part of this church’s history. The City of Pittsburgh could have lost an important part of its history New Year’s Day, but thanks to someone who saw and cared, the building and its congregation are still very much alive.”
Patterson assures his congregation and the Downtown community that cleanup efforts will continue — and so will the mission of the church. Plans are under way for several special events to coincide with Smithfield’s 225th anniversary. On April 15, John Thomas, the general minister and president of the church’s governing body, the United Church of Christ, is scheduled to deliver the sermon. The Rev. Pete Weaver, who served as pastor from 1977-88, has been invited to return to the pulpit for a worship service on Oct. 28. Co-chairs of the 225th Anniversary Committee are Glenn Callihan and Conway Keibler.
Canning, who serves as the congregation’s unofficial historian, says that if church leaders learned anything from the fire, it’s to be more protective of records that document church history.
“We have archives dating back to the late 18th century,” he says. “None were damaged, but the fire made us more conscious of being a little more careful to better protect them.”
The message inscribed on one of the stained-glass windows, “For we are saved by Hope” (Romans 8.24), seems to speak to the church’s rebuilding efforts.
Foltz says she has thought a lot about the fire recently and its effect on church members. Even before the incident, the church council was preparing a facilities-needs study and a strategic plan to guide its future ministry.
“In the Bible story of Moses and the burning bush, some interpreters talk about the bush burning, but it was not consumed. It was God’s message to Moses that ‘You can have a fire, but not have it consume you,’ ” Foltz says. “We did have a fire and our social hall did burn, but it has not and will not consume us. I believe it is clarifying us, helping us to understand where we go from here.”
About the church
* Bethlehem Haven, a Pittsburgh women’s shelter that celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006, was started at the Smithfield church in December 1981, where it remained for 18 years before moving to new facilities Uptown in April 2000.
* Henry John Heinz, founder of the H.J. Heinz Co. and great-grandfather of the late U.S. Sen. John Heinz, was baptized in Smithfield church in 1844, the year he was born.
* The church bells were refurbished in 2000 and ring every day at noon.
* The sanctuary’s baptismal font was carved from a piece of pure Italian marble.
* Although women were not granted the right to full voting membership in the congregation until 1921, members of the church’s Ladies Aid Society led the way for the creation of an orphanage in 1888 and a home for the aged in 1891. In the 1920s, they spearheaded a crusade to provide funding for widows. The group today is known as the Women’s Fellowship.
* Jim Donovan, drummer for the band Rusted Root, facilitates a drum circle at the church for interested participants. Drums are provided, and beginners are welcome. The cost is $10. The church owns several djembes, which are small African hand drums. For more information, call 412-281-1811.
* The massive cleanup effort after the Jan. 1 fire will include refurbishing the church organ console and organ pipes — all 3,743 of them. The organ was custom designed by William Mellor in 1967.
Source: Smithfield United Church of Christ
