Proposal seeks to safeguard former church in Bloomfield
A former Bloomfield church may yet avoid the wrecking ball.
Pittsburgh City Council member Deborah Gross introduced legislation Tuesday that would grant a formal historic designation for the former Albright United Methodist Church at 486 S. Graham St. If passed, she said, the measure would prevent demolition without clearance from council.
Council members are expected to take up the proposal late this summer after a break for much of August.
Ms. Gross said she has received dozens of emails in the past week from people interested in preserving the 112-yearold church building.
“This building is clearly significant to a lot of Pittsburghers,” Ms. Gross said. She called it important to “save places that mean Pittsburgh to us.”
The Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church owns the structure, which has been eyed for possible demolition. The parcel
has been under agreement to Ross Development for more than $1 million.
Ross officials couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday. The Methodist conference referred questions to its lawyers, who could not be reached immediately. The developer earlier proposed a Starbucks in a reuse plan that could lead to the building’s demolition.
Both the city Historic Review Commission and Planning Commission recommended in 2016 that council give historic status to the church, over objections from the Methodist conference. Council never took a formal vote on the idea, believing the designation would take effect automatically following the recommendations, Ms. Gross said. She cited city rules.
But the Methodist conference took the matter to Commonwealth Court, which recently decided that the historic label was not properly conferred, upholding a prior ruling by the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court that council’s lack of action was invalid.
“The community, at every step of the way, has been in support of this historic designation,” said Lindsay Patross, a leader of the Friends of Albright group that sought the status. More than 1,000 people have signed a petition favoring the designation, she said.
If the Methodist conference or another owner were to pursue demolition in the meantime, zoning would mandate an appearance before the city planning commission and a public hearing, Ms. Gross said. She wasn’t aware of any immediate steps in that vein, she said.
Also Tuesday, council voted down a proposal, 7-2, that would have provided animal-control services to Mount Oliver in return for payment by the borough based on usage. Teamsters Local 249 voiced concern over the available workforce, arguing the city’s crew is understaffed. Pittsburgh employs 13 animalcontrol officers and one agent, down from 16 officers and two agents, according to the union.
Wendell Hissrich, Pittsburgh public safety director, disagreed with the understaffing claim, spokesman Chris Togneri said. Covering Mount Oliver, which spans about a third of a square mile, would have added perhaps five calls a month, Mr. Togneri said.
“It would’ve helped them. It would’ve helped us — because animals walk in and out of Mount Oliver,” he said. “They go to Pittsburgh, too.”
The city encircles the borough, which is just east of the Knoxville neighborhood. The borough didn’t immediately answer a request for comment Tuesday.