A town with a storied industrial and architectural past is poised for revitalization, thanks to a partnership between the
Vandergrift Improvement Project (VIP) and
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF).
On Sept. 8, Vandergrift’s Restoration Revolving Fund received a $35,000
DCED grant secured by
Sen. Jim Ferlo to support ongoing property rehabilitations and main street improvements. The $1.8 million project includes the multi-phase restoration of three anchor properties located along the 100 block of downtown Vandergrift’s Grant Ave.
A storefront façade restoration was completed at 143 Grant, where a tenant is opening a first-floor bakery and yoga studio and residing in a second-floor unit. Plans for 139-141 Grant call for renovating five second-floor apartments. The VIP, which solicited public feedback and ran a landscape design charette, hopes to bring an art center and small business incubator to 134 Grant, a former JC Penny’s. This fall, a pet store and coffeehouse will open.
‘We’re marketing buildings to businesses looking to relocate to Vandergrift, residents who’d like to live in upper apartments and investors interested in owning,” says Shaun Yurcaba, with PHLF, which is managing Vandergrift’s main street program. “There's a very rich socioeconomic and architectural history.”
Located in Westmoreland County, Vandergrift's history merges the vision of steel magnate George McMurtry and prominent architect
Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Founded in 1895, Vandergrift was the first successful planned industrial town designed to be sold to its workers. Today, 15% of the town’s mixed-use buildings are vacant.
“These first three buildings are a catalyst to set an example. The synergy and tangible results are starting to infuse enthusiasm,” adds Yurcaba, who is working with
Urban Design Associates and
Landmarks Design Associates.
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Jennifer BaronSource: Shaun Yurcaba,
Main Street Coordinator, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
Image courtesy Kirsten Hoelmer, Architectural and Urban Designer