ST. AGNES LOSS
Carlow University removes historic marker honoring church’s architect
Since 2013, a state historic marker honoring architect John T. Comes has stood outside the former St. Agnes Catholic Church, which anchors Oakland’s western gateway.
In mid-March, Carlow University employees removed the marker after local media reported the school planned to demolish what is now known as St. Agnes Center. On the two-acre site on Fifth Avenue, Carlow plans to build a 10-story, 400,000-square-foot structure to house four new health science programs.
David McMunn, a Greensburg-based preservationist, notified the state when the marker was removed. He spent years researching Comes’ work, wrote a detailed application required to obtain approval for the marker and raised $1,500 to pay for it. Howard Pollman, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, said the marker is state property so the school did not have the legal right to move it. Carlow officials assured him the marker is in a “safe place,” he said.
Emily Jo Gaspich, the university’s director of capital planning, explained the decision.
“We recently removed the plaque because we are concerned that most people don’t understand that the plaque honors the architect and does not mean that the building is a landmark, especially considering all of the press that we are getting now,” Ms. Gaspich wrote in an email.
St. Agnes is not a designated city historic landmark nor is it on the National Register of Historic Places. The Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese closed the church in 1993 and sold it and the rectory to Carlow in 1996. Carlow also owns a three-story school building, a 28-space parking lot at Fifth Avenue and Robinson Street and a sloped piece of land that holds a statue of Jesus. In 2000, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks foundation, the city’s oldest preservation group, gave a plaque to the church, said the group’s spokesman, Karamagi Rujumba.
PHLF has urged Carlow to reconsider demolishing the church and, instead, incorporate it into the new building.
“We were just trying to mitigate the confusion,” said Shawn Nelson, special assistant to Carlow President Suzanne Mellon for board, government and community relations. “There was no malicious intent. We got blitzed with phone calls.”
Ms. Nelson said Carlow will work with the state historic preservation office to see what architectural elements of the church could be preserved. That would mean hiring a preservation architect.
“We’re not without understanding about what the building is and what is in there,” she said.
To Mr. McMunn, St. Agnes represents the era when steel boomed and immigrants built churches in Western Pennsylvania. The church opened in 1917 and had a largely Irish congregation.
Comes created an entire campus when Catholic parishes could afford it, Mr. McMunn said. St. Bernard’s in Mt. Lebanon and All Saints Church in Etna started with a school and rectory, building the church last. St. Agnes has more than 100 stained-glass windows designed by George Sotter and vivid murals painted in 1931 by Felix Lieftuchter.
Health science programs that turn out nurses are the centerpiece of Carlow’s curriculum and the university has spent two years planning to expand them, Ms. Nelson said. Increased competition for college students is driving plans to add two master’s programs, one in speech pathology and another to train physician assistants. Two doctoral programs would train physical therapists and occupational therapists.
“These are jobs that are all in high demand, especially in a region that’s got an elderly population,” Ms. Nelson said. “There are not enough seats for the number of students who want to enroll. We could really fill a need.”
Carlow has been working with Elmhurst Group to see what’s possible, but the school has not signed an agreement with the Downtown developer or hired an architect, Ms. Nelson said.
“We want to lease the part of the property we don’t need,” she said, adding that Carlow would use the lease payments to finance construction.
The remaining 300,000 square feet would, ideally, be rented to a health science or research company, she said.
Building on Fifth Avenue would give the university more visibility, Ms. Nelson said. “People drive right by our campus and miss it.”
Besides raising money, Carlow will apply for a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant from the state. The university has a $30 million endowment and spends most of its money giving financial aid to students, she said.