Father Pitt

Tag: Druiding (Adolphus)

  • St. Joseph’s Church, Bloomfield

    St. Joseph’s

    For about a century and a third, this church was one of the main centers of life in Bloomfield. Now that all the Catholic churches in Bloomfield are closed, incredible as it may seem in our most Italian neighborhood, an Italian Catholic who lives in Bloomfield cannot walk to Mass without making a serious expedition of it.

    Front entrance

    The church was built in 1886; the architect was Adolf or Adolphus Druiding, who also designed Ss. Peter and Paul in Larimer/East Liberty, which is likely to vanish soon now that the neighborhood is becoming too valuable to leave an abandoned wreck standing.

    Front elevation
    St. Joseph’s Church
    Statue
    Window
    Side entrance
    Tower
    Rectory
    Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

    The rectory next to the church has been damaged by the installation of windows in the wrong size and style, but otherwise is in good shape.

    St. Joseph’s at night
    Samsung A15 5G.

  • Saints Peter and Paul: Our Most Endangered Landmark?

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    There are still too many endangered landmarks in Pittsburgh, in spite of a strong local preservation movement. This one is probably doomed. All that has saved it so far is that it would cost a good deal of money to tear down, and the revival of central East Liberty has not reached this part of the neighborhood yet. As much as it would cost to tear down, it would at this point cost much more to restore, and for what? No church would spend that kind of money, and it is really suitable for no other use.

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    The cornerstone is dated 1857, but that comes from the older and smaller church that preceded this building. The Rev. A. A. Lambing in 1880 described that building thus: “The church, situated on Larimer Avenue, is of brick, about 75 feet in length by 40 in width, and has a tower rising from the centre in front to the height of about 100 feet…. The church, though neatly finished, lacks the leading characteristics of any particular style of architecture.” The plaque below has the data for this building:

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