Former Beltzhoover Elementary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Reopens as Senior Apartments: 39 Affordable Homes Preserve the Historic School Building
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: A former elementary school building in Pittsburgh's Beltzhoover neighborhood is about to reopen in a new form, with 39 apartments for low-income seniors in the Dr. Lewis A. Venson Senior Lofts, named for a longtime principal of the school. Beltzhoover Elementary closed in 2004 and sat vacant for many years; the neighborhood organization Beltzhoover Consensus Group bought the school on Cedarhurst Street in 2018, initially considering a community center before opting for housing as the need for affordable housing became pressing. Jennifer Cash Wade, a neighborhood resident who attended the school, said it had been a warm, positive, highly educational environment; her five siblings, her three sons and a granddaughter also attended, and she was instrumental in bringing the project to fruition. Anthony Ceoffe, senior director at TREK Development, which will manage the apartments, said he could not think of a better way for the building to be reused. The apartments retain many historic touches, including the school's original plaque. A number of closed Pittsburgh public school buildings have been converted into affordable or market-rate apartments in recent years; sturdily built historic school buildings lend themselves to conversion, but long vacancy also brings financing and architectural challenges.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 资料图：匹兹堡市政厅（固定图库 cities 包）
