Community Corner

Community Action Meeting Continues Efforts to Save 'Pink House'

Residents gather Thursday for the second time in two weeks at the Sewickley Public Library to discuss the pink house.

At the conclusion of Thursday's "Save the Pink House" meeting, Beaver Street resident Don Travis left the  saying he felt good about the two hours he'd spent there. 

Travis, at one point, surprised everyone in the room with an offer to pay for 100 yard signs at a cost of $1,500 to help spread community-wide support for the effort. 

“I think we’re making progress,” Travis said after the meeting. “I think we’ll get there.”

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About two dozen people attended the information and organization meeting——involving the house at 202 Beaver St. known as the “.” The  recently purchased the home and plans to raze it to build a new youth house and provide additional off-street parking for the congregation.

The church plans a community meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, when church leaders are expected to review the plans and answer questions from the public.

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Peter Floyd, a  resident and board member of the  and Preservation Pittsburgh, said he believes the community can ultimately work with the church.

“That’s all we can ask for,” he said.

Those who attended Thursday's meeting led by Floyd explored ways to reach out to the community and members of The Presbyterian Church congregation. Attendees concluded that it will take individuals within the community to lend special talents to help persuade the church to reconsider its plan to raze the home.

Joe Zemba, a local historian and real estate agent who has restored his own historic home, presented an overview of the Pink House that included recent photos.

“What we're hoping is a rebirth of the property as an adaptive use so the church, the community and Sewickley as a whole can maintain the streetscape, keep things as they were to an extent and service the church,” Zemba said.

Some residents, including Thorn Street neighbor Molly Stader, said she and other neighbors would prefer to see the home preserved and sold as a single-family dwelling.   

Others said, at the very least, they hoped to preserve the outer shell of the home as an alternative to demolition.

“Our daughter attended preschool at the Presbyterian Church for the past three years. The church can continue to do an outstanding job teaching children without demolishing a home of historic significance,” said Alexis Egan Theis of Beaver Street.  

Floyd said there are other alternatives for the church to consider for the property, from a refurbished teen center with a community garden to single-family residential use. 

“Don’t tear it down. Tear up your demolition permit, and return it to the borough and work with the community,” Floyd said.


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