Lou Astorino has fond childhood memories of putting the creche up beneath the family Christmas tree.
"The creche was a nice little tradition that we had," said Astorino. "And it's something that we've tried to keep going through the years."
So back in 1994, when the Christian Leaders Fellowship was looking for a way to make sure that the religious aspects of the season were not being crowded out by the mostly secular displays and events of Downtown's "Sparkle Season," he suggested that a manger scene be erected.
"The (Pittsburgh Catholic) Diocese had a creche that it was willing to make available, so we used it that first year," said Astorino. "Then when we started tossing ideas around during the following summer about what we wanted to do, I mentioned that the most beautiful creche I had ever seen was at the Vatican in Rome -- and we should see what it would take to do something like that here in Pittsburgh."
Astorino, whose architectural firm was the first American company to do a building -- the Chapel of the Holy Spirit in the Vatican -- received the blessing of church leaders in Rome and started the process of duplicating the scene in Pittsburgh.
"After we got permission, the cards just seemed to fall into place for us," Astorino said. "They provided us the blueprints for the building and put us in touch with Pietro Simonelli, the sculptor who made the figurines."
Since its inception in 1999, the creche project has attracted an "overwhelming" amount of support from volunteers and donors, Astorino said.
"It's just amazing how much people have been willing to give to keep this going," he said. "It's very heartwarming to see people come together like this to make it happen."
The Rev. Ron Lengwin, who coordinates the creche project each year, said in addition to the volunteers and donations from corporations and foundations, the small donations made by individuals who visit the creche at the U.S. Steel Plaza on Grant Street should not be overlooked.
"This really has turned into a grassroots effort," Lengwin said. "People really have rallied around this and have been generous in their support."
In addition to donations, the creche is supported through the sale of items, such as Christmas cards featuring the creche, as well as a die-struck brass medallion and a hand-painted resin model of the creche.
Major contributors to the creche include JE Scenic Technologies; H.J. Heinz Co. Foundation; PNC Bank; the R.K. Mellon Family Foundation; Richard M. and Ritchie Scaife; All Crane Rental; L.D. Astorino Cos.; CB Richard Ellis; Civic Light Opera Construction Center for the Arts; Croatian Fraternal Union; and Greek Catholic Union of the U.S.A..
Other contributors are Merante Plumbing; Neilly Canvas; Ohio Valley Lumber; Reed Smith; Safeway Steel Scaffolding Co. of America; Sargent Electric; Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill; Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth; St. Joseph Province; Sisters of the Holy Spirit; Skutski and Oltmanns; The Pittsburgh Building and Construction Trades Council; and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 5.
Other contributors are Ironworkers Local 3; Laborers Local 373; Operating Engineers Local 66; Painters District Council 57; Plumbers Union Local 27; Western Pennsylvania Regional District of Carpenters. U.S. Steel Corp.; Visions Production-Studio; Allen M. Weiss P.E. Illuminating Design Consultant; Wilhelm and Kruse; and Winthrop Management.
