Historic Carnegie park stone pavilion restored, rededicated

Chuck Woods says his family history exemplifies the story of immigrants coming to Pittsburgh.

In the early 1900s, Woods’ grandfather, Domenico Masciantonio, came to Pittsburgh from Italy with his brother, Pietro, and sister, Maria. The trio settled in Carnegie’s Cubbage Hill where Domenico worked as a stone mason.

And during the Great Depression, Masciantonio made ends meet by working on numerous stone projects throughout Carnegie as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps or the Works Progress Administration. The Carnegie Park Stone Pavilion, at Carnegie Park off Forsythe Road, was one such project.

Roughly 83 years later, on June 29, about 200 of the Masciantonio trio’s descendants returned to that stone pavilion to celebrate and rededicate the rehabilitation of the pavilion, a project Woods and his family took on about two years ago.

The pavilion has been used heavily over the years and had fallen into disrepair, which sparked the family’s desire to restore it with the borough’s help.

The family raised about $45,000 with 300 private donations and fundraisers, Woods said, and Carnegie put up $450,000. Some of that money came through grants, he said.

“We all have memories as kids coming and playing,” said Woods, who now lives in Harrisburg. “It’s gratifying to see it come back.”

Improvements included stone restoration; roof replacement; electrical, plumbing and kitchen upgrades; flooring and more. Paramount Construction of Pittsburgh was the general contractor, and Lynch Brothers of Carnegie did the concrete work, Woods said.

The pavilion also includes a plaque of the rededication, honoring immigrants.

“We do this in memory of immigrants who made Pittsburgh their home,” the plaque reads. “Built in 1942, the restoration is made possible by the PA (Department of Community and Economic Development,) the Borough of Carnegie and hundreds of private contributions led by the Masciantonio Family.

“This rededication also honors one of those immigrants, Domenico Masciantonio, one of the original pavilion builders and local stone mason, as well as those who made our beloved Pittsburgh their new home.”

Woods said it’s amazing that three siblings immigrating to America to start a new life flourished into a very large family decades later. There are about 300 to 400 descendants from all over the country, he said.

“It’s amazing they left their family in Italy not knowing what to expect other than, ‘Come to the United States, it’s the land of opportunity.’” Woods said. “You have to really have courage and be a risk taker to do that.”

In addition to the family, the rededication was attended by State Rep. Anita Kulik, Carnegie Mayor Stacie Riley, Borough Manager Steve Beuter and mayoral candidate Sam Bigham.