Former Churches Blessed With New Lives in Pittsburgh

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Dan Eldridge

The Altar Bar, a Catholic chapel turned concert hall. Courtesy of Flickr

PENNSYLVANIA---Like most American Rust Belt towns settled by European immigrant laborers, Pittsburgh in the early 20th century was a deeply religious place, where ornate Romanesque and Gothic chapels, churches and cathedrals rose in nearly every corner of the city. But partly as a result of the steel industry’s collapse, Pittsburgh’s population (now just over 300,000) has been in decline for decades, and congregations have been abandoning their grand old churches in search of smaller, more affordable spaces. Along the way, some of the Steel City’s savviest entrepreneurs have been purchasing many of Pittsburgh’s disused churches and adapting them into clubs, restaurants, theaters and concert venues. [link]

The Church Brew Works, a brewpub within the restored St. John the Baptist Church.