Submitted by Elouiseotter t3_10axsnk in pittsburgh
Elouiseotter OP t1_j4778m5 wrote
Reply to comment by [deleted] in St. Joseph's Church in Bloomfield could close in the near future by Elouiseotter
I posted mostly because the church is a historic landmark in Bloomfield and with it’s possible closure that means the future of the building is uncertain. I hope that whatever happens with it, it won’t be torn down.
[deleted] t1_j47dn9r wrote
I actually read the link and don’t see any mention of public money being used to rehab it, no idea what that other person is talking about?
GargantuanWitch t1_j478fk1 wrote
I hope it does get torn down. It would be a nice ending to this chapter of "people are important, not places" and "Catholic churches are a reminder of childhood sexual abuse for those who suffered it."
If the church closes, it's someone else's problem to deal with, and I'm not keen on any amount of public money being spent on preserving a religious building.
Tear it down, move on.
Elouiseotter OP t1_j4798gr wrote
Old churches have been transformed into other uses that don’t use public funds. Church Brew Works is a great example.
GargantuanWitch t1_j47a4wx wrote
Then it's incumbent upon the owners of the building to get it into a condition where it can sell to someone else who will use the property. Church Brew Works came about because someone purchased the building and poured money into it to turn it into what it is today. It didn't happen by accident.
If they're closing because they can't fund almost $2M in renovations, it's not likely that they're gonna throw on a fresh coat of paint before the For Sale sign goes up. So the responsible thing to do would be demolition, instead of letting it sit there, rot, and become an eyesore that Bloomfield needs to deal with.
Elouiseotter OP t1_j47c37r wrote
Have you ever looked at real estate for sale? There are plenty of buildings that are sold ‘As is’ all the time. Whoever buys the building then pays for the renovations to meet their needs. It would be foolish to demolish this church on a whim.
KentuckYSnow t1_j47mja0 wrote
Oh man, church brew works sucks so hard these days. Such a great idea and space, so run down and poorly executed
chuckie512 t1_j48vgun wrote
Who do you expect will buy the building, and have the million dollars in capital for it's repairs? New restaurants don't tend to have that kind of money to spare after their other startup costs.
It'd be one thing if the building was in good condition and closed due to lack of attendance alone, but being realistic here, it's going to sit vacant until a developer buys it to tear it down.
Elouiseotter OP t1_j4bdija wrote
Have you looked up all the churches that have been repurposed in the Pittsburgh area? Church Brew Works, This is Red, The Dragon’s Den, Mary’s Vine and Matthew’s Lofts are all churches that have been transformed into business or living spaces. I highly doubt all of those buildings were sold in pristine condition without renovations.
HighOffGillyweed t1_j47cbu9 wrote
Churches are also a place of solidarity and community. Now and then. Especially in a place like Bloomfield where it was a brief reprieve from what was otherwise a dismal, corporate-industrial existence.
Personally though, I’d rather not see it torn down for aesthetic reasons. What tends to replace things like this are blocky, function-over-form buildings. Or perhaps a crumbling lot.
Repurpose the building into something the community of Bloomfield will enjoy and move on.
pedantic_comments t1_j47jle3 wrote
This perspective destroys our common history and gets us trendy disasters like Posvar Hall… or worse, a multistory single use parking garage.
If you walk down Liberty Ave, you can go drink beer and eat in a repurposed church. You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate that the biggest, oldest, most artfully designed and constructed buildings in our neighborhoods have intrinsic value and might be worth preserving. Larimer and Garfield are both making efforts to use public and private means to repair and repurpose a church and a synagogue, for example.
Elouiseotter OP t1_j47k63b wrote
There is also an old public school is Larimer that is being turned into housing. Not sure who is funding it.
pedantic_comments t1_j47kwzv wrote
Cause repurposing and retrofitting old buildings is fucking cool.
Elouiseotter OP t1_j47la7t wrote
Agree my friend, agree.
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