Volume 30 No. 6
June 2014
Buhl Foundation set to revitalize NS By Cristina Holtzer
Photo by Alyse Horn
Gus Kalaris and his bright orange cart have been serving iceballs to Pittsburgher’s for 63 years. His father opened it in 1934.
Distillery finds second home in Spring Garden non-profit and start-up organizations that will be able to use the If Northsider’s are lacking space for whatever its needs are, and spirit, look no further – Wigle a portion of the Barrelhouse revWhiskey is opening a location enue from that night will be given at 1055 Spring Garden Ave. to the organizations, Grelli said. The hours of operation for On Fridays there will be a the Whiskey Garden and Bar- rotating list of programs. Grelrelhouse will be Thursday and li said one of her favorites will Friday from 5 to 9 p.m., Satur- happen on June 20, where there day from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be a bluegrass whiskey tastSunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ing accompanied by the blueThursdays will be set aside for See Wigle, page 25
By Alyse Horn
The Northside may have better schools and landlords in its future if all goes to plan. Over the next 10 to 20 years Pittsburgh’s Buhl Foundation plans to spend $40 to $60 million dollars revitalizing the Northside, hoping to make it a place where residents feel proud. The Buhl Foundation, started in 1927 according to foundation president Frederick Thieman, is the oldest foundation in Pittsburgh and plans to spend $3 to $5 million each year in the Northside during the 20-year time frame. Thieman said the foundation has been searching for ways to be “more impactful with its spending” and after considering many areas, the Northside appeared to be the most pressing. “A lot of people would say that Pittsburgh was at a tipping point five or 10 years ago, and that we tipped in the right direction,” Thieman said. “But that’s not necessarily true for the Northside.” The Northside if full of valuable assets, Thieman said, but will also present the foundation with challenges such as finding more desirable landlords and dealing with declining vacant properties.
Diana Bucco, Buhl Foundation vice president, said the goals of funding are to improve “quality of education, quality of place and quality of employment” in the Northside. In the closing months of 2013 Bucco and the Buhl Foundation interviewed 400 people including Northside community leaders and more than 200 people who live and work in the area. “We began to hear consistent themes around dealing with the abandoned structures and the vacant lots, developing more affordable home ownership and the quality of education,” Thieman said. Scott Brooks, 33, works in marketing and said he visits the Northside at least once per week. He is not affiliated with the Buhl Foundation, but said he thinks Buhl should focus on bringing middle class families there by improving the public schools. “The proximity to Downtown is better than any neighborhood in the city and plenty of young professionals would flock there if their kids could get good public schooling,” Brooks said. The number of people living in poverty in the Northside is close to 20 percent, Thieman See Buhl, page 11