—
There were no shortages of ideas Friday morning for uses of three Cambria City churches that have sat vacant since summer 2009 as part of a merger of five Roman Catholic parishes in the neighborhood.
Friday was the second day of a three-day design workshop that is focusing on
St. Columba, Immaculate Conception and SS. Casimir & Emerich churches, all of which closed as part of the merger.
The purpose of the workshop is to bring residents, civic leaders and design experts together for “brainstorming potential uses” sessions.
Friday’s workshop was held at Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center at 411 Third Ave. in Cambria City. Tours of the three churches by workshop attendees got the morning started.
Betti Lose of Nashville, Tenn., wife of architect David O. Lose, was among those taking the tour.
After seeing the ornate interiors of the three churches, she was quite impressed and emotional.
“I’ll be honest, I’ve been teary a couple of times,” Betti Lose said.
Friday’s workshop began shortly after the tours concluded. It was led by Rick Truscello, manager of planning services for EADS Group.
“Cambria City is a special place,” said Truscello, a lifelong Johnstown resident.
“We’re here to get ideas about reusing these three beautiful churches,” he said.
The ideas for uses of the three churches came rapid-fire from about 50 people gathered at the Bottle Works.
Many of the suggested uses centered on culture, entertainment and restaurants.
Johnstowner Andy Lasky said that a danger in losing the three churches is the risk of losing the neighborhood’s ethnic history as well. Much of that history is preserved in food, he said.
Lasky suggested a production facility could be started at one of the churches in which those ethnic dishes could be made and shipped to other states whose residents may not be familiar with the wide variety of food native to Cambria City residents’ homelands.
Another idea from Lasky centered on Christmas.
He said “Pennsylvania’s Largest Christmas Store,” which currently does not exist, could be placed in one of the churches. He said many Johnstown residents seem to have an almost year-round awareness of things related to the Christmas holiday.
After another workshop attendee said more houses in Cambria City were being rented, Lasky said these homes could play a role in luring young people back to the area. They could become homes for those 20- and 30-year-olds who are raising families, he suggested.
Lasky had another suggestion: Place an American Museum of Silent Films in one of the churches.
Turning one of the churches into an indoor park was a suggestion from Barbara Zaborowski of Save Our Steeples, who was not at Friday morning’s session. Her suggestion was related by another person.
The workshop’s concluding session will be held at 1 p.m. today at the Bottle Works. All sessions are open to the public.
Partners for Sacred Places, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit, was enlisted to conduct a study of the churches’ reuse potential. The nonprofit specializes in preservation and reuse of old churches of all faiths.
Local News
Related Photos
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Betti Lose of Nashville, Tenn., wife of architect David O. Lose, on Friday photographs the altar inside the closed SS. Casimir & Emerich Church. Arlene Johns
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Workshop attendees offer ideas for vacant churches
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