St. Nicholas Croatian Church (Troy Hill, Pennsylvania) facts for kids
Former St. Nicholas Church, now demolished
|
|
 Location in Pittsburgh
|
|
| Location | 1326 East Ohio Street (Troy Hill), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°27′30.36″N 79°59′12.02″W / 40.4584333°N 79.9866722°W |
| Area | Troy Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Built/founded | 1904 |
| Demolished | January 8-13, 2013 |
| Architect | Frederick C. Sauer |
| CPHD designated | July 13, 2001 |
| PHLF designated | 1976 |
The Saint Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church was a Roman Catholic church building. It was located at 1326 East Ohio Street in the Troy Hill area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This church was part of the first Croatian Catholic community in the United States. This community started in 1894 in Allegheny, which is now Pittsburgh's North Shore.
How the Church Started
As more Croatian people moved to the North Shore, the St. Nicholas church community grew. In 1900, the group split into two. A second church, also called St. Nicholas, was formed in Troy Hill. This new church, sometimes called St. Nicholas Northside, came from the first Croatian Catholic Parish in the United States. The original St. Nicholas church later moved to Millvale with its leader, Father Glonjaric.
The church leaders chose Frederick C. Sauer to design the new building. He had also designed the first St. Nicholas church in Allegheny. Building work started in 1900 and finished in 1904. The first St. Nicholas church in Allegheny burned down in 1921. A new one was built in 1922, also by Sauer. Because of this, the Troy Hill church was actually older. This sometimes caused confusion and disagreements between the two church groups.
Why the Church Closed
On July 13, 2001, the Troy Hill church building was added to the List of City of Pittsburgh historic designations. This meant it was recognized as an important historic site. However, the church community did not like this. They felt it would stop them from making changes to the building later.
In 2004, an inspection showed that the Troy Hill building was not safe to use. The church council decided it should close. There was an attempt to bring the two St. Nicholas communities together in November 2004, but it did not work out. This left the Troy Hill church empty, and its members joined other churches.
Several people wanted to buy the building from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. But they could not agree on a price or terms. The diocese said it cost $360,000 each year to maintain the building. They were also worried about its safety. So, they wanted to tear it down. The city's Historic Review Commission said no to this request. They pointed out that someone wanted to turn the church into a museum.
The church community and the diocese took their case to court. In the summer of 2012, they won. Work began in October 2012 to remove windows and other items from the church. The building was then torn down in January 2013. The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed it as one of ten historic sites lost in 2013.
Even if a buyer had been found to save the building, it might still have been torn down. At the same time, the PennDOT had plans to make Pennsylvania Route 28 wider. This project would have made the road a full freeway from the city to Kittanning. PennDOT later bought the land from the diocese after the demolition. They used the leftover space to create a small park with a walking path. There is also a retaining wall with murals showing the city's history, including a picture of the former church building.
