Volume 29 No. 6
June 2013
California Ave. recruits new businesses with street fairs By Kelsey Shea
Photo by Laura Smith
Particpants in the 10th Annual AGH Hearts in the Park Walk explored Allegheny Commons on May 11, and raised money for research.
Grant funds project to connect City of Asylum properties By Kelsey Shea When it was announced that the literary venue Alphabet City would serve as an anchor for the Garden Theater Block, City of Asylum founder Henry Reese said that there were no solid plans for the triple lot on Monterey Street where the venue was originally slated to go, but he had “dreams” for what the space could be. Several months later, those dreams are becoming a reality with a $300,000 grant from ArtPlace America that will fund a literary garden on the Monterey Street lot and a Garden-to-Garden Artway Connector that will connect two of COA’s Central Northside entities. “‘Garden-to-Garden’ Artway will create spaces where diverse neighbors gather and where litera-
ture and art challenge and inspire us all to re-imagine and make a better home together,” said Diane Samuels, COA co-founder. “Our community will literally be part of the Artway.” The Artway will be an embellished walking route that will connect the new literary center, being built in the Garden Theater block, to the lot on the 1400 block of Monterey Street that will transformed into a literary garden. The Artway will span 5-6 blocks largely along Sampsonia Way, where COA writers in residence live, and will incorporate temporary textbased public art installations. City of Asylum is working with the Pittsburgh Office of Public Art to commission visual artists to work with their writers in residence to create permanent and temporary
See Artway, page 10
This summer, a series of openair markets on California Avenue will spark a little more life into the Brighton Heights business district and continue to promote positive changes already happening there. The second Saturday of each month, there will be vendors, activities and events in the business corridor of California Avenue called “the California Markets.” Organizers hope the markets will bring Northside residents into the streets and outside vendors into the neighborhood. The California Markets were organized by Stephanie Lauren Stauffer, a recent Brighton Heights resident who is looking to improve the district and make the neighborhood more walkable. “I think [California Avenue] is really a unique space,” said Stauffer. “The avenue is being used, just not to its full potential… We’re looking to expose the community.” Stauffer has been active in the Pittsburgh retail scene since she moved from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in 2011. She founded PGHRetail, which is a social venture that aims to find innovative ways to enhance business districts. With the help of a grant from the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the California Markets will be PGHRetail’s first venture. In addition to outside vendors, each of the California Markets will have a themed activity sponsored by one of the businesses on the
avenue. The first market on June 8 will have an art walk sponsored by the Brighton Heights Citizens Federation. Tom’s Friday Market will sponsor a BBQ cook-off competition on July 13, Java N’ Crème House will sponsor a drumming tournament on August 10, and the series will end on September 14 with a fashion show and kids beauty pageant sponsored by Timeless Beauty & Chubby’s Pizza. “Basically, what we’re looking to do is to get people coming up here,” said BHCF President Pete Bellisario. California Avenue has seen modest growth this year, and the community feels that now is the time to get people into the neighborhood. California Avenue between Davis Avenue and Brighton Heights Boulevard is a busy place in the otherwise quiet, residential neighborhood. “It’s an active and lively community,” said Stauffer. “There are always people around.” There are people waiting for buses, bike cops patrolling the streets and pedestrians chatting with the crossing guard. And where the customers go, businesses will follow. Brighton Heights lawyer Bill Goodrich recently renovated an old home on California Avenue to house his law firm Goodrich & Geist, and local theater instructor
See California Ave, page 8