WHAT’S NEWS IN WOODLAND HILLS
CONDO UNITS BEING
CREATED INSIDE
LANDMARK 1902 SCHOOL
Work begins soon on a project to transform
a historic elementary school building in
Swissvale into 18 condominiums.
The reuse of the Deniston School will
answer a need for high-quality, affordable
housing in the east suburbs of Pittsburgh,
says Laura R. Zinski, Chief Executive Officer
of Mon Valley Initiative, which is leading the
effort.
“The Deniston School is a unique
opportunity to preserve a wonderful
landmark building, and also to provide solid
homes and investments to a wide range of
families,” Zinski says.
Built in 1902 and placed on the National
Register of Historic Places in 1984, the school
at the corner of McClure Avenue and Monroe
Street was converted into apartments in the
early 1980s, but fell into disrepair. In 2012,
the last tenants were evicted and the building
has been vacant since then.
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724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
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icmags.com
With the help of Swissvale Economic
Development Corp. and borough officials,
Mon Valley Initiative, a nonprofit regional
community development agency, purchased
the building in 2016 using Allegheny
County’s Vacant Property Recovery Program.
The condominiums are being designed
by LGA Partners, an architecture firm in the
Uptown section of Pittsburgh, says Patrick
Shattuck, Real Estate Director for Mon Valley
Initiative. General contractor on the project is
DRS of Greater Pittsburgh.
There will be 15 two-bedroom units,
two three-bedroom units and a single one-
bedroom unit, Shattuck says. Exact sale prices
are yet to be determined, but expected to be
competitive with other condo units in the east
suburbs.
Each unit will have its own laundry, and
the ground floor units will be wheelchair
accessible, according to Shattuck. There will
be off-street parking for more than 20 cars.
“It’s a really beautiful building, and
although there have been a lot of changes
to the interior over the years, we are trying
to preserve as many of the
school’s features as possible,”
he noted.
Eight dormers on the roof
will be opened up to create
large, spacious living areas
in the units on the top level,
and the original windows are
being refurbished wherever
possible.
Construction is expected to