New Kensington Salvation Army's new leadership to develop new home, eventually more programs

In two years with the Salvation Army in New Kensington, Capt. Phillip and Lt. Angelys Davies guided the organization to realizing a goal decades in the making. Then, they accomplished in months another task their superiors thought would take years.

The couple last week oversaw moving the New Kensington Worship & Service Center from its longtime home in a former Presbyterian church on Fifth Avenue to the former Fort Crawford Elementary School.

At the end of June, they closed on the sale of the church to AJ Rassau, who is moving his record shop, Preserving Underground, into it with plans to use the rest of its space as an event center with room for other businesses and artists.

After realizing those goals, the Davies will place the future of the New Kensington Salvation Army in the hands of others as they leave in August for their new post in Milford, Mass.

Finding a new building and selling the old one so quickly “seems like it’s very God-ordained,” Phillip Davies said. “The pieces were falling just right into place.

“There is some sadness,” he said. “We hope to come back at some point and see how God has used this place to truly bless New Kensington and the surrounding areas.”

New leadership

Taking over for the Davies on Aug. 9 will be Majors Scott and Leslie Flanders and Lts. Matt and Stacy Stacy.

Scott Flanders said the Davies “have done a phenomenal job, but the upper leadership of the Army wanted people with experience to come in and manage this project … transforming an elementary school into a holistic community center for the greater New Kensington area.”

Fully renovating the former school into everything the Salvation Army has planned will take up to a decade and require raising millions of dollars, Flanders said.

“The reason you have four officers replacing two, quite frankly, is because it’s a huge undertaking,” he said. “The Davies have done a great job of laying the groundwork. Now it’s Major Flanders’ and Lieutenants Stacys’ task to develop the program and mission to the community.”

Flanders said he and his wife have more than 20 years of experience running facilities, including a homeless shelter, residential camp, housing program and youth center. He was working at the Army’s district office in Carnegie, while his wife directs an after-school program in Mercer County.

Matt Stacy grew up in Tarentum, and he and his wife were last posted in New Castle. Flanders said he has known the younger couple for about 10 years, and they “are both excellent youth leaders and have an eye for presentation.”

“There is phenomenal potential there,” Flanders said. “I am looking forward to getting fully engrossed into this and seeing this Salvation Army facility develop over the next several months and years to come.”

Goals achieved

Phillip Davies said the Salvation Army expected to be in the former church temporarily when it moved into it in 1973. But it was still there when he and his wife arrived in 2018.

Finding a new building became their primary focus, he said.

“We needed to find somewhere more conducive to providing space for our programs and services and accessible for the clients we serve,” Davies said.

The Salvation Army bought the former Fort Crawford school from the New Kensington-Arnold School District in November.

“We didn’t do it ourselves. A number of hands were involved in making this happen,” he said. “We’re just glad that, before we moved, we were able to get that accomplished.”

Davies knew the organization could not bear the costs of carrying both properties for long; those at the Salvation Army’s headquarters thought selling the old building would take three to five years.

The church was put on the market in late November. Rassau started showing interest in January.

“It was quite surprising to be able to sell it,” Davies said.

Investing in the future of New Ken

Rassau, who lives in New Kensington with his wife, Sarah, had opened his record store in rented space in the basement of the building housing District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.’s courtroom in April 2019. He said he bought the church because he needed more room, it was nearby, and close to the post office, which he visits frequently to ship out online orders.

“We feel validated in investing in our own area,” he said. “I think New Kensington is on the up. I think it has the potential to be ‘Lawrenceville Jr.’ ”

Rassau closed his store in late June for the move. It will be in the basement and the first business open there when it’s ready.

Calling the building “New Ken Social,” Rassau plans to rehabilitate it into a place for events such as weddings, concerts and speakers, along with space for other retail businesses and an entire floor dedicated to artists.

“The building needs a lot of work,” he said. “I’m learning a lot about being a handyman real quick.”

He hopes that by then the nation will have figured out how to handle covid-19, which had earlier forced his store to close. He just laughs at the thought that the pandemic hit right after making the biggest financial move of his life.

“One thing that’s undeniable is that everyone’s going to want their space,” he said. “That’s what we got plenty of.”

With most spaces for artists in Pittsburgh having waiting lists, Rassau said he’ll be able to attract them by being price competitive.

Specialized retail will draw people to New Kensington, especially when they realize how quickly they can get there from Pittsburgh on Route 28, he said.

“When you have the right businesses out here, it makes people come out,” he said.