Neighbors awaiting hospital demolition
The dilapidated St. John's Hospital in the Brighton Heights section of Pittsburgh has been an eyesore for the past decade for neighbors of the vacant buildings.
Demolition crews are expected to begin tearing down the four buildings on the 15-acre site of St. John's Hospital within the next two weeks.
John McGrath never much minded living across the street from the old St. John's Hospital in Brighton Heights.
"Raising five kids, it was kind of nice having a hospital so close. And it provided jobs for a lot of the folks in the neighborhood," said McGrath, 67.
The retired businessman, who has lived for 43 years in the Flemming Street home that faces the rear of the complex, said the buildings were old, but well-maintained.
But that was before the hospital was closed and began to deteriorate.
"Look at the place. It's disgusting -- weeds growing up everywhere, broken windows, trash, graffiti, rats, and God knows what else," he said recently while gazing out over the sprawling complex from his front yard. "What a mess to have to look at every day."
The eyesore McGrath and his neighbors have endured for nearly a decade is about to be transformed.
Crews are expected to begin tearing down the four buildings on the 15-acre site within the next two weeks to make way for new housing, according to Ralph Falbo, who owns the property that sits between McClure Avenue and Flemming Street.
Pittsburgh Mercy Health Systems closed the hospital in the mid-1990s when it moved its in-patient psychiatric services to Mercy Providence Hospital on the North Side.
"I'm looking at building about 25 single-family homes up there," said Falbo, whose real estate development company, Falbo-Penrose Properties, has been involved in the construction of new homes in Manchester and conducted restoration projects in the Hill District.
Falbo said it will cost about $700,000 to demolish the buildings, conduct an environmental cleanup, and prepare the site for construction. Falbo's company was approved for loans and grants from the city Urban Redevelopment Authority to cover the pre-construction portions of the project.
He plans to spend between $125,000 and $150,000 to build each home. While he has not yet determined the sale price for the units, he believes there is a solid market for new housing in the city.
"I think there are a good number of people who want to live in a nice city neighborhood like Brighton Heights where they can be close to work instead of sitting on the highway for a couple of hours a day traveling back and forth to the suburbs," Falbo said.
Pete Bellisario, president of the Brighton Heights Citizens Federation, said having new housing available in the neighborhood should prove to be an important tool for retaining and attracting residents.
"There certainly are some fine older homes available in this neighborhood," he said. "But there are always people who want something new, something that doesn't need any work or involves much less upkeep than an older home might require. So this should really be a plus for us."
Having such a large vacant building in the neighborhood also has raised safety concerns, Bellisario said.
"Those buildings have been a real big problem for us," he said. "It's a temptation for kids to cause trouble, so there's no question that we're happy the developer is finally able to move ahead with his plans."
A 1999 fire that destroyed one of the buildings on the site claimed the life of 19-year veteran city firefighter Paul McGrath, 50, of Brighton Heights. McGrath suffered a heart attack and died while fighting the blaze. He was not related to John McGrath, who lives across from the hospital.
Two juveniles were convicted of arson, involuntary manslaughter and criminal conspiracy for starting the fire. Police said the teens, who lived less than a block from the vacant building, used homemade firebombs to set the fire.
John Canning, who is a member of the Allegheny City Society, said part of the building is of some historical value because it was designed in the mid-1890s by Frederick J. Osterling, one of the most important architects in Pittsburgh at the turn of the century.
"The hospital was an important part of two neighborhoods, Brighton Heights and Woods Run, so we should look for ways to help people remember what was there," said Canning, a native of Brighton Heights who now lives in Allegheny West.
"It would have been best to preserve the oldest part of the building by incorporating it into whatever new structure is being built, but I realize sometimes that's just not practical," Canning said.
Falbo said previous attempts to convert some of the existing structures into housing for senior citizens were scrapped when financing could not be arranged.
Bellisario said some of the stonework might be worth trying to salvage so it could be placed in Memorial Park, but that will have to be determined when demolition begins.
"The fact of the matter is, most everything of value is gone," Bellisario said. "What's left in there is mostly junk. But we'll talk to the developer to see what can be saved."
