Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in the Arnold, New Kensington areas
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a suggestion for a future installment, please email gtrcity@triblive.)
Situated along the Allegheny River in the northwest corner of Westmoreland County, the cities of New Kensington and Arnold share a history and a school district.
Each city began as a borough. New Kensington was just Kensington, named after Kensington in England, and included Arnold as its Second Ward when it was incorporated in 1892. The prefix “New” was added because there already was a Kensington in the state.
Political disputes led to Arnold separating from New Kensington and becoming its own borough in 1896.
New Kensington annexed the Valley Heights, Valley Camp and East Kensington areas from the then township of Lower Burrell in 1930, while Parnassus and New Kensington consolidated in 1931.
New Kensington and Arnold each became cities in 1939.
New Kensington was dubbed “Little Chicago,” as noted by retired police Officer Dennis Marsili, who wrote a book about the city’s organized crime history from the 1940s to the 1960s under the Mannerino family.
New Kensington still lays claim to being “The Aluminum City” as the birthplace of the aluminum-making process and Alcoa, where the first plant was established in 1891. Efforts are underway to redevelop the former Alcoa works spanning both cities into a modern industrial park.
Shop downtown New Kensington
While New Kensington’s boom times have long been thought of as in its past, its bust times may be as well, especially with a crop of diverse new businesses joining a handful of veteran establishments that are transforming the city’s downtown into an increasingly enticing place to shop, drink, eat and play.
Among various restaurants, Eazer’s Restaurant & Deli has been a mainstay for more than 100 years. It’s been joined by several newcomers such as SoCal Mexicali Grill, Taqueria El Pastorcito, Ashley’s Kitchen, Knead Community Café, Sweet Alchemy Bake Shop, Sweet Tillies and Steel Cup Coffee Roasters.
Two breweries can be found across from each other on Fifth Avenue: Voodoo Brewing New Kensington Pub and Strange Roots.
Shopping opportunities include the Preserving record store, Odi’s Emporium, Chlo’s Boutique, Modfinish, Feisty Goblin Gamehouse and Deadstock and Dandies.
For entertainment and enrichment, Preserving also is a concert venue, and there’s ax throwing at Las Hachas, as well as events and displays at the New Kensington Arts Center. Events also are staged at Technique 2 Training, a professional wrestling school.
Churches
More than two dozen churches large and small serve the spiritual needs of New Kensington and Arnold residents.
“Every one of our churches is beautiful in its own way, and each of them has a wonderful historical background,” New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo said.
Mt. St. Peter, St. Joseph and St. Mary of Czestochowa in New Kensington are Roman Catholic churches and part of the Diocese of Greensburg. Mt. St. Peter features granite, marble, bronze and oak doors, railings, chandeliers and other materials and fixtures from a Mellon estate in Pittsburgh demolished in 1940. St. Mary, Polish in heritage, was repaired after being hit by a tornado in April 2020 and features hand-painted murals on its ceiling. St. Joseph resembles Sacred Heart Church in Jeannette because they were designed by the same architect.
Many have long histories. Logans Ferry Presbyterian in New Kensington is 143 years old. St. George Orthodox Church, also in New Kensington, was founded in the early 1900s by immigrants from the Middle East.
Arnold is home to two Ukrainian churches, Holy Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox and St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic, the congregation of the latter working on rebuilding after a devastating fire in December 2021.
Parks
New Kensington and Arnold feature numerous parks of various sizes serving their neighborhoods and the entirety of both cities.
In New Kensington, the major park is Memorial Park, while in Arnold it’s Roosevelt Park. Concerts put on by the New Ken/Arnold Social in the Park support both facilities — Band Blast for Memorial and Rockin’ Roosevelt for Roosevelt.
In Arnold, Fireman’s Park runs along the Allegheny River. New Kensington’s newest park on Barnes Street features basketball courts and a playground for children.
Fridays on Fifth
To support, highlight and promote downtown New Kensington’s revitalization, the monthly Fridays on Fifth was started in 2020. It has been wildly successful since the start, drawing thousands.
Held on the fourth Friday of the month, the third season kicked off in April and will run through September.
In addition to businesses staying open later, the event features food trucks along Fifth Avenue and music at Voodoo Brewing.
Digital Foundry at New Kensington
The Digital Foundry is one of only seven smart manufacturing innovation centers in the nation. It is a partnership among Penn State New Kensington, the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland County, the city and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
The foundry provides workforce training and education for students, offers technology assistance for local industry and serves as a venue for events, networking and seminars on the latest technology.
The facility at 855 Fifth Ave. stands out with its orange color and a sawtooth roof evoking the city’s industrial heritage.
Italian markets
Fazio’s Pizza & Italian Food in Arnold and Costa’s Italian Market in New Kensington have been part of the fabric of their respective cities for decades.
Brothers Mickey and Frankie Fazio took over their business from their parents, Pasquale and Elvira Fazio. Beginning as a pizza shop, it expanded into a deli, specialty market and bakery.
Richard Thimons and his son, Richard Jr., who didn’t want to see it go away, bought it in 2019 when the brothers retired.
The Thimons have added hot lunches — the weekly menu is available on their Facebook page — and orange hoodies promoting the shop are available.
It’s a similar story at Costa’s Italian Market, which Bill Mauroni took over in 2006. The store’s founder, Joe Costa, planned to close the market, but Mauroni stepped in hoping to keep its then-48-year-old traditions alive, which he’s done now for 17 years and counting.
In addition to being an Italian specialty grocery, Costa’s offers carryout lunches and dinners, daily homemade soups and salads, a delicatessen and catering.
Chocolate!
Chocoholics can be satisfied in Arnold and New Kensington.
Arnold has Valos Chocolates on Freeport Road, while Catoris Candies can be found on Fifth Avenue in New Kensington.
Valos marked its 75th anniversary in 2021. Theodore “Ted” Vasilopus started it in 1947 and ran it with his wife, Rose, until her death in 1984. John and Karen Mandak brought it in 1988. Its chocolates are sold at more than 20 retail outlets, including Giant Eagle, Community Market and Shop ’n Save stores.
Catoris Candies has a long history in New Kensington dating to 1926. Owned by John Gentile since 2007, various chocolate candies are available at the Fifth Avenue storefront and online, and they are popular for corporate gifting during the holidays.
Aluminum City Terrace
A defense housing project New Kensington residents once scorned became one they fought to preserve.
The architecture of Aluminum City Terrace remains largely as it was designed by Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer for the U.S. Public Building Administration. Gropius escaped Nazi Germany after designing the Reichsbank Building in Berlin.
Ground was broken in 1941 on the project, consisting of 35 buildings and 250 units. The federal government wanted to tear it down after World War II ended, but residents who liked living there and wanted to stay formed a housing association in 1948.
Unique architecture
New Kensington’s historic downtown has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998. While some of the notable buildings, such as the Liberty Theater, are no longer standing, many still are.
Notable among them is the New Kensington Post Office at 501 11th St. It was built in 1932, opened in 1933 and, aside from renovations in the 1960s, remains true to its original form.
Beyond the industrial park, ornate buildings once associated with Alcoa stand in several locations. Among them are the Kensington Arms apartment building on 11th Street, once offices for its Wear-Ever Division; the former research center, now AK Valley Park; and the Alcoa Aluminum Club, a residential and recreational facility, along Freeport Road.
Animal Protectors and Frankie’s Friends
New Kensington features not one, but two organizations devoted to the well-being of our furriest of friends.
A no-kill shelter for cats and dogs, Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, operates out of a former school on Church Street. When the $1.8 million facility opened in 2020, it became the Alle-Kiski Valley’s first major, large-scale animal shelter.
Focusing on felines is Frankie’s Friends Cat Rescue, founded after the 2008 raid of the Tiger Ranch cat sanctuary in Frazer and named for one of its survivors. At 740 Fifth Ave., it offers veterinary care at low or no cost.
Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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