News Around the Neighborhood
PHLF: Fourth Avenue Historic District Walking Tour
Friday, October 18
10:00 am to 11:15 am
$20.00 per person
This tour is limited to 20 participants.
Tickets will not be available after 11:30 pm on October 17.
Click here to purchase a ticket.
The Fourth Avenue Historic District encompasses a remarkable variety of buildings. From a Greek Revival building of 1836, to cast-iron-front structures of the 1870s and 1880s, to a majestic quartet of early-20th-century skyscrapers, the district includes distinguished structures designed by more than a dozen eminent Pittsburgh architects.
The tour focuses on the portion of the District once known as “Pittsburgh’s Wall Street” for its concentration of buildings that served the financial and investment industries. We also will see how old buildings are being re-purposed for contemporary uses and explore PPG Place—the postmodernist “cathedral of commerce” that brings full circle the fascinating story of this narrow but mightily impressive street.
Zombie Party at Refucilo Winery
Zombie Party
Friday November 1st
6:00-9:00 pm
$5.00 cover, make reservation by October 26th
NEIGHBORHOOD Wine Tasting with Refucilo Winery
When you think of Allegheny West, I bet the first thing that comes to your mind isn’t snow capped mountains of the Andes, but do you know what they have in common?
Juan Lora, owner of Refucilo Winery, and the Malbec and Torrontes grapes thriving on his 5-acre vineyard at the base of the Andes Mountains. These varietal grapes are meticulously harvested by hand, transformed into award-winning wines, and transported to the intimate tasting room where specialists pair with tapas and suggest finishing with a unique malbec sorbet. Whether you’re looking for herbal, light and refreshing; plum, velvet and chocolate; or rich, ripe, tobacco and spice all of the wines at Refucilo are fermented dry and will leave you wanting more from this Pittsburgh/Argentinian winery.
PHLF: Walking Tour of Bridges and River Shores
Friday, September 20
10:00 am to 11:15 aam
$20.00 per person
This tour is limited to 20 participants.
Tickets will not be available after 11:30 pm on September 19.
Click here to purchase a ticket.
Pittsburgh is a city of bridges: hundreds of them span our waterways, valleys, and ravines. Bridges offer changing vistas on the natural and manmade features of the cityscape, and in Pittsburgh, these works of artful engineering are a source of civic pride.
This tour takes us on a loop bounded by the north and south shores of the Allegheny River and by two of the Three Sisters bridges that cross it. Taking in public art and historic buildings along with bridges and the river, this tour reveals the dynamic relationship between humans and nature that characterizes much of the Pittsburgh region.
PHLF: Walking Tour of Vandergrift
Saturday, August 24
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
$20.00 per person
This tour is limited to 20 participants.
Tickets will not be available after 11:30 pm on August 23.
Click here to purchase a ticket.
For as long as there has been industry in the United States, there have been company towns—that is, communities built by businesses. While many of the roughly 2,000 such towns built across the country were known for their abysmal conditions, Vandergrift, stands out for its exceptional history and design.
George G. McMurtry, who was president of Apollo Iron & Steel Co. and established the town in 1895, believed that good housing and a pleasant environment would ensure his workers’ loyalty and increase their productivity. To create a plan for “something better than the best,” as McMurtry described it, he hired the famed Olmsted family of landscape designers.
Join us to learn how the layout designed by Frederick Law Olmsted’s firm responded to both the landscape and McMurtry’s goals.
This tour will include insights from local business figures and residents of the community, leading us through this unique company town and discussing efforts to revive both the economy and community spirit.
The tour will wrap up at a new local winery built in a restored church.
A Special Offer to a Pittsburgh Premiere Musical
We’re offering our Northside neighbors a discount to Front Porch Theatrical’s Bandstand! Living or working in the Northside gives you a special offer for art created in your neighborhood.
Bandstand
August 16-25
This Pittsburgh Premiere of an original new musical composed by Richard Oberacker with book and lyrics by Oberacker and Robert Taylor, is an unflinching and honest story about confronting the cost of war and finding salvation in the notes of a song.
In 1945, American soldiers return home to ticker-tape parades. Private First Class Donny Novitski, a singer and songwriter, joins forces with fellow veterans to form a unique band and compete in a national swing band competition.
Enoy this local premiere of a profound musical full of swinging songs!
OFFER: $25 tickets (offer available for first 10 tickets purchased per performance)
*PROMO CODE: Ns1945
Note – link below already reflects discount!
NED Grant Application Closing Soon
The City of Pittsburgh is currently accepting applications for the 2024 Neighborhood Economic Development Grant.
Nonprofits dedicated to economic improvement in specific City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods are invited to apply. All applications must be completed via Engage PGH. More information and the application form are available at the link below.
Applications are due Monday, August 5 at 5:00 PM
MakerDate fundraiser auctions “dates” with local makers for a cause in September
Assemble is excited to announce its upcoming event, MakerDate, with the theme “Future” for 2024. The event will be held on September 7, 2024, from 6-9pm, with a VIP opening reception from 4:30-5:30 pm, at the Maverick Hotel (120 S Whitfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206). MakerDate is Assemble’s largest fundraising event of the year, providing an opportunity to make a significant impact on the community by fostering creativity and collaboration. The Presenting Sponsor of MakerDate 2024 is Duolingo.
MakerDate offers attendees the unique chance to bid on “dates” (learning experiences) with artists, makers, technologists, innovators, and creatives. These experiences present a fun and engaging way to learn new skills and connect with creative minds. Examples of Makers to participate in MakerDate 2024 include: Leo Tsu, Executive Director of Silver Eye Photography, whose date will be focused on photography, Sharon Massey and Sean Derry from Local X, who will teach their date to make a light using CAD software and laser cutters, Benjamin Bishop, renowned pastry chef, who will provide a private pastry class for up to 4 people to make classic French crepes and dessert flambe, and Zena Ruiz, who will work with up to 8 people to make and decorate sugar skulls.
MakerDate will have both a live and silent auction, with a total of 20+ Makers. Additionally, there will be food from Sprezzatura, drinks by M Bar, music from Kha’DJ, and an array of raffle prizes and hands-on activities. Guests are strongly encouraged to come in a future-themed attire!
Event tickets include complimentary drinks and delicious hors d’oeuvres. MakerDate is a 21+ event. If you’re passionate about accessible STEAM education for all, help Assemble raise funds at MakerDate on September 7. To learn more or book your tickets, visit assemblepgh.org/makerdate-2024/.
Fundraising and Impact: The funds raised from MakerDate will directly support Assemble’s free STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) educational programs, such as Summer Camps and Afterschool Programs, as well as other initiatives aimed at creating a better future. The goal for this event is to raise $60,000, with $22,250 already secured through the generous support of sponsors, including Duolingo (Presenting Sponsor), Trellis Legal, Deeplocal, Burns White, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Duquesne Light Company, Tristate Bank, Fivestar, Bally Design, Trulieve, the James & Stephanie Dewar Charitable Fund, and the UPMC Center for Engagement and Inclusion. Assemble is still seeking additional sponsors to join this cause and expand its network with the expected 175+ event attendees. To sponsor the event, please reach out to Dale Gaddes at dale@assemblepgh.org.
Don’t miss this chance to be part of a transformative evening of creativity and learning. You can make a difference with us as we bring together artists, technologists & creatives from the region for one night of creativity, change-making, and fun.
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About Assemble
Located at 4824 Penn Avenue in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh’s east end, Assemble is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization with the mission to unite artists, technologists, and makers with our neighbors of all demographics and provide a platform for experiential learning, opening creative processes, and building confidence through making.
Founded in 2011, Assemble envisions a diverse community that creates, connects, and learns through the experience of art and technology. Learn more about Assemble at assemblepgh.org.
In 2023, Assemble had a significant impact by reaching a total of 1,800 youth and 3,697 individuals overall through 11 diverse programs. These efforts have continued to promote creativity, learning, and community engagement in the Pittsburgh region.
PHLF: A Tour of Historic Schenley Farms: A “Residential Utopia” in Oakland
Thursday, July 25
5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
$20.00 per person
This tour is limited to 20 participants.
Tickets will not be available after 11:30 pm on July 24.
Click here to purchase a ticket.
In 1903, Cleveland-born businessman Franklin Felix Nicola, who had moved to Pittsburgh in the mid-1890s, bought the last parcels of Oakland land left by heiress Mary Schenley on her death that year. Part of what he planned for this land was an enclave of high-quality residences. By 1906, Nicola had hired several well-regarded local architects to design model houses in various architectural styles.
Over the following 15 years, Nicola constructed 96 houses on the flat portion of the site, subject to design guidelines and incorporating innovative features like underground electrical and telephone lines. (Another 39 houses were built on the terrace of land rising from the flat section.)
This tour will visit the lower, gridded part of Schenley Farms, which, to this day, rewards pedestrians with multiple charms.
Refreshments will follow at the home of a Schenley Farms resident.
PHLF: Evolution of the Skyscraper in Downtown
Friday, July 19
10:00 am to 11:15 am
$20.00 per person
This tour is limited to 20 participants.
Tickets will not be available after 11:30 pm on July 18.
Click here to purchase a ticket.
The tall commercial building is one of the great achievements of American culture, manifesting in physical structures the confluence of aesthetic taste, business objectives, and innovation in engineering and architectural design.
In Pittsburgh—a quintessential skyscraper city—the evolution of tall commercial buildings in the United States can be observed simply by walking through Downtown.
Our tour will take us to numerous landmarks or groups of structures that illustrate key concepts in the development of the skyscraper.