John L. Beatty, who designed a number of good Gothic churches in our area, was the architect of this grand church for the First United Presbyterian congregation of Crafton.1
The dates of the foundation of the congregation (1908) and the building of the current church (1927).
The congregation had money for two huge windows in the 1960s or 1970s.
“Crafton Church to Build,” Gazette Times, February 15, 1927. “The First United Presbyterian Church of Crafton is having plans prepared for a new church building to seat 500 persons at the corner of Bradford and Haldane streets, Crafton. The Rev. A. W. Caldwell is pastor. John L. Beatty is architect.” ↩︎
Here is something that may be unique in the city of Pittsburgh: a timber-framed temporary Catholic church building that not only still stands but is also still in use as a church, now as part of Blessed Trinity parish. Holy Angels was built in 1903, and, as an article in the Post at the time of the dedication explained, it was not meant to be the church for long.
The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Angels, Hays borough, will be dedicated to-day with appropriate ceremonies. Rt. Rev. Bishop Canevin will have charge of the ceremonies. On his arrival he will be escorted to the church by the societies of the congregation. The celebrant at the high mass will be Father Thomas Devlin, rector of Holy Cross, Pittsburg; Father Charles Hipp, of St. Joseph’s, Allegheny, deacon; Father John Barry, of St. Brigid’s, subdeacon, and Father Hegarty, master of ceremonies. Bishop Canevin will preach in English and Father Stephen J. Schramm, of St. George’s, will speak in German.
In November of 1902 the congregation purchased the old Risher homestead for $14,000, which has been used for a rectory. The church to be dedicated is regarded by the congregation as a temporary place of worship till a larger church building is erected. It will then be used for parochial school purposes.
Rev. David Hegarty, the energetic and beloved rector of Holy Angels, Hays borough, was born in Fayette county, Pa., May 5, 1870. His early schooling was obtained in the public institutions. He entered St. Vincent’s college and seminary at Beatty, Pa., in 1891. On completing his studies he was ordained in the seminary July 7, 1900, by Bishop Phelan. Father Hegarty recently recovered from an almost fatal attack of typhoid fever. The dedication of the new church was deferred until his complete recovery.1
A history page at the diocesan site tells us that the original foundation was wood, but when the church began to sink, the building was raised up and a new concrete-block parish hall built under it.2 Over the years the church has been remodeled and improved, but this temporary wooden building is still standing and still serving worshipers after nearly a century and a quarter.
The giant Kaufmann’s department store grew in stages over decades. This part of it was designed by Charles Bickel, who decorated it with exceptionally fine terra-cotta ornaments.
H. Childs Hodgens was the architect of this church, which was built in 1911.1 It has not been M. P. for a good while; currently it is shared by the House of Prayer for All Slavic Christian Church and the Congregation Yeshua Ben David.
Source: The Construction Record, September 30, 1911: “Foundations are in for the $15,000 brick and stone church, to be erected on William Pitt Boulevard and Lilac street, Squirrel Hill, for the Squirrel Hill Methodist Protestant Congregation, from plans drawn by Architect H. C. Hodgens, Vandergrift building.” William Pitt Boulevard is now Beechwood Boulevard. ↩︎
Father Pitt has not been able to find the architect of this fairy-tale palace, but it is in good shape. It was built for Frank Sholten, a local newsdealer who apparently wanted to expand into the landlording business, in 1928, and a Sun-Telly photographer captured the building still under construction.
The building has a near-twin in West Homestead, and some lucky day Father Pitt or one of his correspondents will find the name of the artist behind both of them. Meanwhile, we can appreciate the details, bathed in golden late-afternoon sun.
Benno Janssen was one of the titans of Pittsburgh architecture, but even titans take on small projects once in a while. This is a fairly ordinary house on an ordinary street in Brookline, but it was designed by the firm of Janssen & Abbott.1 In spite of revisions that have changed some of the original character, it seems to retain some of the elegant simplicity of Janssen, who never wasted a line.
The front door is set back on the side of the house, which allows a broad front living room opening out on the porch, without dropping visitors right into the living room when they arrive—a clever way of making a narrow lot seem less restrictive.
The Alla Famiglia restaurant was one of the pioneers in the ongoing revitalization of Allentown, and its owners have spiffed up this building beautifully. They have also expanded into the old movie theater next door.
