Town Hall Commons: A Hive of Activity

$350,000 Landmarks loan helps fund restoration of former Ambridge Municipal Building

David Pollino stands outside Town Hall Commons on Merchant Street.

By Anna Samuels
Archivist & Librarian

Walking into the Town Hall Commons development, previously the Ambridge Municipal Building, feels like stepping back in time. Many of the frosted glass doors still bear city department titles, advertisements found in the basement, which are now framed, lean against walls, and four Barnes Safe & Lock Company safes command attention throughout the building. Some of those safes are still in good working order.

The fact that the building has maintained its period accuracy has been beneficial to helping imagine the redevelopment of the building, said David Pollino, a co-owner of the development. The building’s historic charm and artifacts of its design was one of the reasons it was chosen was a filming location for various television shows including Mindhunter and American Rust, said Pollino as he pointed out the fictional “Buell Police” sign on one door.

Pollino, who had been looking for investment properties in Bellevue and Coraopolis, was initially interest in a different Ambridge building when the borough’s former municipal building became available.

Town Hall Commons as seen from 10th Street.

The building was too large for Pollino to manage on his own, but with the help of a $350,000 loan from Landmarks Community Capital (LCC) — a non-profit lending subsidiary of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation— and also with the help of Aaron Bryant, his longtime friend and business partner in California, he became the proud co-owner of the c. 1917 building.

Pollino and Bryant’s Town Hall Commons development joins a host of new businesses along Ambridge’s Merchant Street, including a brewery, a café, a wood-fired pizza restaurant, and a newly refurbished German bar.

Designed by James T. Steen, the Classical Revival structure is a three-story brick building that features 14-foot ceilings, exposed interior brick, and arched windows. When Pollino’s aunt, a 90-year-old school teacher, visited from California, she pointed out the intentional architectural details throughout the space explaining; “All these things mean something.”

This beehive-shaped finial represents a hard-working community of workers

The beehive-shaped finial atop a newel post suggests a hardworking community, a perfect visual representation of a steel-making town. The beehive is also a fitting symbol for the building which once housed the police department, fire department, city council, and jail.

When completed, the building will continue to hum with activity, housing office space on the first floor and residential space on the second floor. While apartments are the long-term plan, the space may initially be used for Airbnb rentals.

Pollino and Bryant’s wives have plans for a distillery in the adjoining garage space, which initially housed the fire department, and potential tasting rooms in the basement jail cells.

The building’s name, Town Hall Commons, comes from the original use of the spacious attic level which a 1909 newspaper article described as a gathering space for 350 to 400 people. Pollino and Bryant haven’t decided how this floor will be used, but have discussed an event or shared tenant space.

The LCC loan has helped Pollino and Bryant maintain a high level of quality while renovating the building. It was important to both of them to create a space where they’d want to rent an office space or spend the night. The importance of quality craftsmanship honors the original architectural work evident in the structure. Pollino comments that original details have stood the test of time while some pieces from thirty years ago have had to be replaced.

Ambridge residents are excited to see someone caring for the grand building on Merchant Street. Pollino has received support from the community and borough, which paid for a Phase I inspection with EPA grant funding.

Jail cells in the basement of the building.

The owner of the local antique store directed Pollino and his architect to the Laughlin Memorial Library where the library director gave them a tour of the archives and they poured over historical images of the building.

As the stewards of Town Hall Commons, Pollino and Bryant are ready to shepherd the building into the future.

Check out some more vantage points of the building in the gallery below.