West End's historic Old Stone Inn faces demolition
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The most conservative estimates of its age make the Old Stone Inn one of Pittsburgh's oldest buildings. The late historian Walter Kidney wrote that the West End landmark was built in 1800, although 1752 is reputedly carved into a corner stone.
Documents that establish the building's earlier vintage have been both confirmed and contradicted, but what's clear is the demolition notice on one of the windows.
The building is under agreement for sale to Harris Masonry, Inc. The company is adjacent to the tavern, which owner Mario Peticca closed last year.
The demolition notice was posted on Jan. 23. The "intent to demolish" placard is given to every owner who applies for a permit, said Paul Loy, demolition manager for the city. The permit to demolish could come as early as tomorrow.
Art Merrell, a nearby resident, has advanced the cause of preservation and has tried to gather investors. He has talked to city officials, local politicians and the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation but gotten no commitments.
Mr. Peticca said last year that "we'd like to see it preserved." Mr. Merrell said he was more than accommodating to preservation ideas, even lowering the sale price to help. The price last summer was $90,000. Anthony Pivirotto of Pivirotto Real Estate said he did not want to disclose the sale price and Mr. Peticca could not be reached. An official at Harris Masonry declined to discuss the matter
Ann Nelson, counsel for the landmarks foundation, said she was in regular contact with Mr. Merrell for more than a year and had met with him "to look at ways to work with him." Nothing came of those talks and nobody was compelled to invest.
The building's need of repairs and renovation was more of an obstacle than the sale price, said Mr. Merrell. Its sketchy history also did not serve it well.
Mr. Kidney, who for decades chronicled Pittsburgh's history for the Landmarks foundation, wrote this of the building: "Despite a date stone giving 1752 as the building year, this, a work in masonry, not logs, is most likely to be of the early years of the 19th century. At that, it is one of the oldest buildings in the city and the oldest in steady use for commerce. The two-over-two window sash is typical of the mid-19th century."
Mr. Merrell sides with the older date, which would mean that the French built the building.
A survey of stone buildings in Pittsburgh in the 1770s showed there were 40, he said. The Old Stone Tavern was not listed, "but it was not part of Pittsburgh then."
The building served as an early toll house and has a holding cell for prisoners in the basement. It was the scene of political rallies and boxing matches. It has been a stagecoach stop, a travelers' inn and a tavern.
"There is documentation that when Charles Dickens visited the city in the 1850s, he stayed there," said Mr. Merrell. "But sometimes when you find a reference, there's a contradiction. One [document] lists it as Choates Tavern, a social hub, but another said that family didn't get here until 1812."
Shortly after its closing last summer, everything was dark but a game running the musical scale in eerie electronic trills. A full ashtray and a glass sat on the bar. A picket sign on the wall spoke to lost causes. It read "Keep Union Jobs in Pittsburgh -- Save Nabisco."
Mr. Merrell said plans for the building's demolition, while the right of the owner, are particularly disturbing considering Pittsburgh's recent 250th celebration.
"We had special ball games and special races to commemorate 250 years," said Mr. Merrell. "We do everything to celebrate our milestones but we don't celebrate our history."
First Published February 5, 2009 12:45 pm
