Court clears way for demolition of former church in Bloomfield

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city’s 2016 historic designation of the former Albright United Methodist Church in Bloomfield apparently never happened.

Confusion concerning Pittsburgh’s historic code means the church does not have the city’s protection against demolition.

Both the city’s Historic Review Commission and the city planning commission in 2016 recommended that city council grant historic status to the 112-year-old church building on South Graham Street. But city council never took a formal vote on that recommendation.

A recent Commonwealth Court decision notes that historic designation was never properly conferred, upholding a ruling in the spring by Allegheny County Common Pleas Court that council’s tacit approval — its lack of action— was not valid.

The city had appealed the Common Pleas Court ruling, but Timothy McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said the city will not challenge Commonwealth Court’s decision. The deadline to appeal that decision was Wednesday.

That leaves the door open for the owner of the Albright property, the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, to demolish the church — something the conference has sought to do since before the property was nominated for historic status by a group called Friends of Albright.

Conference attorney David Barton did not comment Friday other than to say that no planshad changed.

Lindsay Patross, a leader of Friends of Albright and the nominator of the church for historic status, said Friday, “Friends of Albright have not given up hope.”.

She added, “I have some concerns that we have some reallyconflicting legislation.”

Under one section of the code, city council may confer historic status tacitly by letting thedesignation take effect after 120dayswithoutavote.

Another section of the code requires that when the owner of a property opposes historic designation, council must approve it by twothirds of its members.

There also is a church exception in the law, from 2003, that states only the owners of a religious building can nominate it for historic status.

The Methodist conference steadfastly opposed the designation at every turn — before the Historic Review Commission and the planning commission. It then appealed the city’s decision in the courts.

The intention is to demolishthe church, which is under agreement to Ross Developmentfor more than $1 million.

The church exception in the city code has been challenged before with different results.