This little church—now converted to a private home—presents a bricky front to the world in a typically Pittsburgh Romanesque style.
But the front is only a few feet deep; it is attached to a modest frame building.
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McNaugher Memorial United Presbyterian Church, Fineview
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Allegheny Dwellings, Fineview
A New Deal housing project built on the site of the abandoned Andrews mansion in Fineview. Construction began in 1940; the architects were Marks, Fisher & Simboli.1 The first tenants moved in at the end of 1942. The buildings have been updated, and the grounds are neatly kept.
When the complex was nearly ready to open, it was noted in the papers that the manager, Rose Marie Demestitchas, was the first woman ever appointed manager by the Housing Authority.
When the complex opened, America had entered the Second World War, and most spots were reserved for defense workers.
Although preference will be given to war workers, the housing authority officials urge others from sub-standard homes to register in the event there is room for them.…
“Preference will be given to war workers who come here from other districts and are living in temporary or unsatisfactory quarters,” Supervisor [Saul] Weisberg said. “Also first opportunity for the new homes will go to defense workers living an unreasonable commuting distance from their employment—men whose daily round-trip from home to job takes more than two hours or costs more than 40 cents.”2
Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR; Sony Alpha 3000 with 7Artisans F/1.4 35mm lens. - Proposals, Press, April 9, 1942, p. 31. “…on file at the office of the Architects, Messrs. Marks, Fisher & Simboli, Room 702 Grogan Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania…” ↩︎
- “PHA Taking Applications for New Units,” Post-Gazette, July 30, 1945, p. 15. ↩︎
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Lanark Street, Fineview, in 1994
Most of the houses along the right are gone now, perhaps destroyed by a fire; one of the remnants has been so tastelessly mutilated that destruction might have been kinder. There is now a little park with an overlook at the bottom of this street. Fineview is an odd Pittsburgh phenomenon: a working-class neighborhood with cheap houses and magnificent views. In most other cities, the views would have driven house prices into the astronomical range, and houses would be destroyed to be replaced with luxury condos instead of vacant lots. But Pittsburgh has so many magnificent views that the demand simply cannot outpace the supply—at least not yet.
