Sewickley officials delay taking action on parish demolition request

Sewickley officials want a structural study done on a historic district property before possibly authorizing its demolition.

Council tabled action at its Sept. 13 meeting on a recommendation by the borough’s historic review commission to deny a demolition request from the the Divine Redeemer Parish.

Parish officials want to raze Herbst House, a former private residence, Catholic school and convent along Broad Street. Its plans include making it a green space for community and church activities.

Borough engineer Mike Galet will do an assessment of the structure and report to council. There is no deadline for the study or for another vote by council.

“This was an effort to take a breath and get more information for members of council,” president Cynthia Mullins said. “In the meantime, this will give the borough and the church time for conciliation discussions. At some future time, the applicant could ask for a definitive decision.”

The Divine Redeemer Parish includes St. James Church in Sewickley and St. Mary’s church in Aleppo.

The house was built in the late 1800s and owned by D.C. Herbst, of the Independent Natural Gas Co. and Standard Oil Co.

The home was sold to the church in the early 1900s for $12,000. It became the first home of St. James School when it was dedicated on Dec. 6, 1913, according to church records.

The three-story mansion has been vacant for about three decades. It has deteriorated, primarily due to water penetration from the roof. Vegetation also reclaimed a portion of the property.

Council heard from a plethora of parishioners at this month’s meeting encouraging elected leaders to buck an ordinance preventing any demolition in a historic district.

They all cited the house’s dilapidated condition, and several said the parish does not have the money required to restore it.

Estimates from the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to rehabilitate the property are in the millions of dollars, according to church documents.

“If the building is beyond repair, it needs to be demolished,” parishioner Charles Means said. He called it a public safety hazard, and the borough may suffer litigation if someone were to get hurt because of not letting it be torn down.

“That risk is real and should not be taken lightly,” Means said.

Members of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation lobbied to keep the house standing.

Bill Richardson, parishioner and member of its finance council, likened the review commission to the jury in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

The coming-of-age story and drama probes the concept of how good and evil can live within a single community or person, among other themes.

“There was no consideration given whatsoever to our facts,” Richardson said. “What’s wrong with green space?”

The commission unanimously voted on Aug. 1 to recommend denying the demolition request after hearing from a Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh attorney, a structural engineer, parishioners and the Rev. Brian Noel, who became its pastor in May 2020.

Diocese attorney Chris Ponticello told commissioners numerous exterior features were either removed or have fallen from the building. They included the bell tower, a porch and chimneys.

Council held off considering taking action on the matter at its August meeting with members citing not having received and reviewed related commission documents. It was not on that month’s agenda.

While parish team members argued there was nothing that could be done about the property, other architects said the structure was sound and could be repaired.

Council went into executive session for about 20 minutes following more than an hour of public comment. They came out of the closed-door discussion and made the announcement about the study prior to voting.

“My hope is that a creative solution can be found so that the Herbst House can be restored in a way that supports the church’s mission,” council vice president Julie Barnes said.

Noel gave a brief comment at the council meeting. He later commended parishioners and others who came forward in favor of the demolition.

“Our parish team did a stellar job laying out again the reasons for our request,” Noel said via email to the Tribune-Review. “Many new voices came forward from the community offering alternate perspectives than what has been expressed thus far.

“I can understand that the borough council would want to take some time on this. We welcome the structural study that was proposed, so as to bring clarity in everyone’s mind so the proper decision can be made, and hopefully soon.”