When a lease agreement that allowed the old Ohringer Furniture building on Braddock Avenue to be used as an artists' loft was aborted early this month, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman started a new project to turn an entire block on that street into an artists' haven.

"It's a shame the Ohringer project had to sunset," Mr. Fetterman said. "But at the same time, it's an experiment that led to the transition that we're in now, where we have a lot more site control, a lot more buildings in play, and where we'll do some more interesting things."

After relocating some of the displaced artists from the Ohringer Building to the former St. Michael School building at 1135 Braddock Ave., Mr. Fetterman's 501C3 Corporation, Braddock Redux, purchased the adjacent St. Michael Parish Convent for $15,000 Nov. 6.

Mr. Fetterman said he hopes to work with Braddock's Community Development Corporation and borough council to convert the convent into a youth hostel which would house youth in transition, struggling residents and anyone else who needs a safe place to stay temporarily.

Kristin Fetterman, the mayor's sister, plans to run her furniture-making business out of garage space she purchased next door at 1137 Braddock Ave.

Braddock Redux does not currently own the St. Michael school building, but Mr. Fetterman said he has been given site control and plans to use it as a combined artists' loft and art gallery.

Braddock Councilwoman Tina Doose said the youth hostel could fill a great need for some young men in the borough who, oftentimes, find themselves without a place to stay. She noted two transitional bridge housing programs in the area for women and families, and said she hoped to see similar resources available for young men.

"Nothing was ever put together to help support and sustain the male population and they're a somewhat transient population here," she said. "They need support, they need housing -- short and long term -- and some of these facilities could do just that. They can help to foster independence and educational opportunities for that population."

The 4,000-square-foot former convent has three floors, communal bathrooms, and enough rooms to accommodate up to 20 people. Mr. Fetterman said the low price of the building, combined with minimal renovation costs, would allow the hostel to operate with lodging costs of about $20 per day without being filled to capacity.

"It's in really good condition and really won't require an enormous amount of work," Mr. Fetterman said. "Because we're talking $15,000, we can afford to be almost experimental with it and we're removed from market forces."

While Mr. Fetterman has high hopes that a youth hostel can attract new people to the borough, he acknowledges that the area isn't for everyone. Located directly across from the U.S. Steel Mon Valley Works, the building has what Mr. Fetterman referred to as an "interesting aesthetic."

He said, however, that the top priority for the youth hostel and any other building the borough purchases will be that the citizens of Braddock benefit from its presence.

"One of the things that's very important to me is that it's used for the community that we have, but also serves as a catalyst to bring people [from] outside of the community in," he said.

"We're taking three unused structures and returning them to, what I believe, is certainly one of their highest and best uses."