News Around the Neighborhood
Tiffany Concert Series: Gretchen Van Housen, Pittsburgh Symphony Harpist
Sunday, March 22 | 4:00 pm | Calvary UMC
Website: ahps-pgh.org
Tickets: $25 Adults, $20 Seniors & Students, $15 16 & under (purchase at the door)
Gretchen Van Hoesen has been principal harpist of the Pittsburgh Symphony since 1977 and has performed worldwide as a soloist and collaborator. An acclaimed recording artist and educator, she teaches at Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne Universities and is widely recognized for her artistry and lasting contributions to the harp community.
“Hey, Neighbors!” Wednesday Dinners
Wednesdays During Lent
6:00-8:00 pm
Chapel
RSVP: Sign-up sheet in chapel or contact Patty Bogdewic
From Ash Wednesday, February 18, through April 1, join us for seven Wednesday evenings of free meals, fun activities and warm community as we launch “Hey, Neighbors! Wednesday Dinners”. The first hour will be dinner, followed by a second hour of a weekly- changing activity. Soup and connection will be at the heart of our shared life. These dinners are for neighbors and Calvary friends alike—anyone seeking belonging is welcome. This is more than soup; it’s living out our mission and boldly proclaiming, “You are God’s beloved, and you are welcome here.”
PHLF: From Gilded Grandeur to the Glass Tower
Join us for a Pittsburgh History Speaker Series lecture presented by Dollar Bank, the Duquesne University Department of History, and our organization.
Thursday, March 26
6:00 to 7:30 pm
Dollar Bank
340 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
This event is FREE and open to the public. Registration is not required.
Dollar Bank’s doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
To view online, please type Dollar.Bank/SpeakerSeries into your browser by 5:45 on the evening of the event.
Each year, Dollar Bank and Duquesne University’s Department of History offer an internship that provides an opportunity for a student in the school’s Master of Arts program in Public History to do focused research in the Bank’s corporate archives.
This year’s intern, Matt Wollett, will present his work investigating the history, design, and construction of the Bank’s iconic Fourth Avenue structure, looking, in particular, at the laborers who built it. Providing context for this fresh perspective on the building will be journalist and architecture writer Mark Houser, and Tracy Myers, our organization’s education coordinator.
Dollar Bank (completed 1871; addition 1906) is the only historic building on Fourth Avenue—once known as the Wall Street of Pittsburgh—that still functions in the capacity for which it was intended. The building was awarded a Historic Landmark Plaque by Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation in 1970. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and is part of the Fourth Avenue National Historic District, which was listed in 1985.
Nature’s Calling. Will You Answer?
A Tour & Tasting Returns
Submitted by the Ways and Means Committee
We are excited to announce the 2026 Allegheny West Wine and Garden tour will be held Friday June 26th from 5:00 pm and Saturday June 27th from 1:00pm and 5:00pm. Tickets will go on sale to the public Friday, April 3rd. Presale tickets will be available for purchase on Monday, March 30th. To be eligible for our presale, please sign up to our mailing list. Note our tours sell out quickly. More information about the tour can be found on our website: alleghenywest.org
Interested in being involved? There are many opportunities to help and we are always looking for volunteers. Please contact us at tours@alleghenywest.com if you’d like to volunteer.
Free Wednesday Soup Dinners Launch at Calvary UMC
Hey Neighbors! Wednesday Dinners, a new community gathering, is launching Wednesday, February 18, at 6:00 PM at Calvary United Methodist Church, 971 Beech Avenue. The weekly event features free soup dinners and opportunities for neighbors to connect in a relaxed, welcoming environment. Three kinds of soup will be available: meat-based, vegan, and gluten-free.
The dinners will run as a seven-week series from February 18 through April 1 and are open to anyone in the community. Calvary United Methodist Church is hosting the gatherings as part of an effort to build relationships and strengthen neighborhood connections.
Each dinner will be followed by optional activities at 7:00 PM, including a traditional Ash Wednesday service on February 18, a guided tour of the church (date TBD), and a discussion of Billy Porter’s memoir Unprotectedhosted by the Allegheny City Society Book Club on February 25.
About the Ash Wednesday service (optional): You don’t need to be a church member—or religious at all—to attend. The service includes the option to receive ashes and marks the start of Lent, a season of reflection, healing, and personal growth. Come if you’re curious; skip it if you’re not.
Organizers encourage neighbors to drop in for a single evening or attend the full series, come for dinners or activities—or both—focusing on good food, conversation, and community.
For more information about the dinners, contact the church office at 412-231-2007, email CalvaryPgh@gmail.com, or visit the church website: calvarypgh.com.
Planting for Pittsburgh’s Future
In 2025, our Horticulture and Forestry team, alongside dedicated volunteers, planted 576 trees across Pittsburgh’s parks! These plantings include landscape trees, which beautify parks and provide shade, and restoration trees, which help rebuild natural ecosystems, support wildlife, and strengthen forest resilience. Thank you to all the volunteers, neighbors, and community partners who helped make this incredible impact possible—our parks are greener because of you.
PYSO at Calvary Church January 18
PYSO Returns to
The Tiffany Concert Series
Sunday, January 18th at 4:00 PM
at Calvary United Methodist Church
Sponsored by:
The Allegheny Historic Preservation Society
Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra returns to the Tiffany Concert series, sponsored by the Allegheny Historic Preservation Society. The concert will feature PYSO’s Strings Section performing divertimenti, chamber music, and other works. Please come support young musicians, including Allegheny West resident Amelia Beer.
Location:
Calvary United Methodist Church
971 Beech Avenue Pittsburgh, PA
www.calvarypgh.com
Tickets:
Tickets can be purchased by cash or check at the door. Tickets will not be pre-sold.
Open seating.
PHLF: Allegheny West Neighborhood Tour
Friday, October 4
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
$25 per person
This tour is limited to 20 participants.
Tickets will not be available after 11:30 pm on October 3.
In the 1890s, so many wealthy industrialists and merchants, built mansions in a section of what was then Allegheny City that one of the streets there was nicknamed Millionaire’s Row. Men with familiar last names of Jones, Laughlin, Phipps, and Kaufmann hired well-known architects to build their mansions and churches. A variety of Victorian architectural styles — Colonial Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque, Italianate, Second Empire, and Greek Revival — filled the streets. Many of the structures still stand in the area that is the destination of this tour: Allegheny West.
Stroll along with our docents through Pittsburgh’s smallest neighborhood as they talk about the area’s affluent past, its prosperous present, and the buildings’ architectural details. Highlights will include the house where America’s Agatha Christie began her career, the birthplace of a famous ex-pat writer, and the home where the Steelers’ Art and Dan Rooney lived. You also will learn how residents banded together in the 1960s to prevent urban renewal from altering their neighborhood’s ambience.
You’re Invited: Join County Executive Innamorato for County Connect
Please join County Executive Innamorato, her team, and key Allegheny County departments for County Connect! This is an informal opportunity that the County Executive is hosting in a series of events throughout Allegheny County to hear ideas and connect with community leaders, elected officials, and residents.
Please feel free to share this invitation widely with your colleagues and neighbors. Below are individual fliers for each event, and one that includes all three remaining opportunities (we held our first County Connect in Shaler in July).
Engage with County departments including:
- Allegheny County Executive’s Office
- Allegheny County Economic Development
- Allegheny County Department of Human Services
- Allegheny County Health Department
- Allegheny County Department of Sustainability
- Allegheny County Parks