The Salvation Army Building (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

The Salvation Army Building is a historic building located at 425-435 Boulevard of the Allies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The building was constructed in 1924 with a large eastern addition in 1930 in the Late Gothic Revival style. The multi-purpose building originally housed the headquarters, residential and recreational functions for the Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania from 1924 until 2008.[1] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 2016.[1]

Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh
The former Salvation Army Building, now Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh in 2019
General information
StatusComplete
TypeHotel
Location425-435 Boulevard of the Allies,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Construction startedMay 18, 1924
Opening1924
Cost$500,000
OwnerGreenway Realty Holdings
Height
Roof119 feet (36 m)
Technical details
Floor count10
Floor area91,322 sq ft (8,484.1 m2)
Design and construction
ArchitectThomas Pringle
DeveloperSalvation Army of Western Pennsylvania
Main contractorRose and Fisher
The Salvation Army Building
Coordinates40°26′15″N 79°59′56″W
Built1924
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.15001031[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 2, 2016

It was also known as The People's Institute and The Evangeline Residence for Young Women at different times. The building was redeveloped into the boutique Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh in 2017.

Description and history

The building was constructed in 1924 bounded by Boulevard of the Allies, Cherry Way and 3rd Avenue with the 1930 addition along 3rd Avenue. The building ranges from 10 stories at the southwest to 8 stories along the north. The architect for both the 1924 structure and the 1930 addition was Thomas Pringle, with an initial estimated cost of $500,000. The builder was the Pittsburgh firm of Rose and Fisher.[1][2]

Referred to as “one of the most complete Army buildings in the United States,” the multi-purpose building allowed the Western Pennsylvania Division of the Salvation Army to consolidate five administrative offices into a single location as well as provide a variety of services. [1]

On the 3rd Avenue side of the building, the lower floors contained the Relief Department and the emergency hospital, which was the only one of its kind in downtown Pittsburgh. The upper floors contained a men’s dormitory, as well as the Hotel Argonne.[1] The Salvation Army operated several Hotel Argonnes throughout the country, dedicated to the veterans of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I.[2]

The men’s dormitory provided a temporary place for needy men to sleep with access to showers and laundry facilities. The requested daily rate in 1925, was a twenty-five to thirty cent donation, but no one was turned away for his inability to pay. Wake-up time was at 6 am every day other than Sunday, so that the men could be up and looking for employment.[2]

The Boulevard of the Allies side contained a swimming pool, gymnasium, locker room, boiler room, an auditorium seating 800 and basement storage space. The upper floors of the Boulevard of the Allies side and the entirety of the 1930 addition accommodated the Evangeline Residence for Young Women.[1]The 8th floor contained a dining room and kitchen, which served both the residents and employees of the building, and the 9th floor contained the laundry.

On the southwest corner of Boulevard of the Allies side and Cherry Way, building has a bas-relief stone with Gothic style lettering reading “to the GLORY OF GOD and the welfare of humanity 1924.” Centered above two arched doorways along Boulevard of the Allies is a bas-relief with Gothic style lettering reading “The Salvation Army.”[1]

The Evangeline Residence for Young Women

The Evangeline Residence for Young Women was named for Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of the Salvation Army and daughter of William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. First established in Washington, D.C. in 1921, these residences soon expanded to other cities and intended to provide young professional women affordable, long-term housing in a Christian environment.[1]

The women were charged a small fee to cover operating expenses, as the residence was not intended to generate a profit. In Pittsburgh, the Evangeline Residence for Young Women opened in 1927 with 229 single and double rooms and none were rented for only single nights. Each applicant had to meet the following qualifications:

  1. The applicant must be a young woman without a home within commuting distance of Pittsburgh or from a broken home within the city.
  2. She must be less than thirty-five years of age and preferably less than twenty-five.
  3. She must be in a low-income bracket, if employed.
  4. She must be of a good moral character.[1]

The Evangeline Residence for Young Women closed on December 31, 1981 after operating at a financial loss for over twenty years.[3]

Salvation Army Departure and Distrikt Hotel

In December 2008, The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania relocated its headquarters out of the nine-story building on the Boulevard of the Allies and into a two-story building in the Carnegie Office Park in Carnegie.[4][5]

For nearly a year prior to their relocation, the Salvation Army had the Downtown building up for sale, with an asking price of $5.5 million. Allegheny County listed the property with a market value of $3.6 million in 2007. Initially it was thought The Art Institute of Pittsburgh or Point Park University would purchase the building due to their close proximity.[5] Two separate deals over 6 years to sell the building were unsuccessful. In 2009 Cleveland-based Polaris Real Estate Equities, known for student housing projects, had an agreement to acquire the property for $4 million before backing out.[6][4][7] MinSec Companies of Philadelphia, had an agreement to buy the building in 2011 and remodel it to provide counseling services to help convicted offenders make the transition out of jail. The agreement was dependent upon the company winning a contract from Allegheny County.[8]

Greenway Realty Holdings purchased the former Salvation Army building $2.8 million ($2.16 million for the building and nearly $800,000 for an adjoining parking lot) in 2014.[9] [6] The building was redeveloped into the 186-room boutique Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh in 2017.[10][11]

  • The Salvation Army Building in 2016
  • The Salvation Army Building, after being redeveloped into Distrikt Hotel in 2019
  • Looking west along the Boulevard of The Allies on November 14, 1937. The Salvation Army Evangeline Residence sign is visible on the right.

References
  1. "The Salvation Army Building". National Register of Historic Places Program. National Park Service. 2016-02-02. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  2. "Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton". Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  3. Bryant, Jean (1981-04-05). "Evangeline Residence to Close". Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh. p. A4. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  4. Stouffer, Rick (2009-06-03). "Polaris Real Estate pays $4 million for ex-Salvation Army headquarters". Trib Total Media. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  5. Belko, Mark (2008-10-22). "Salvation Army leaving Downtown headquarters". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  6. Belko, Mark (2014-03-18). "Former Salvation Army building could be reborn as a Downtown Pittsburgh hotel". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  7. Daparma, Ron (2009-02-07). "Salvation Army close to sale of ex-Downtown headquarters". Trib Total Media. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  8. Schooley, Tim (2011-09-16). "MinSec Companies makes deal for Pittsburgh's Salvation Army building". Pittsburgh Business Times. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  9. Belko, Mark (2014-10-31). "Salvation Army building in Downtown Pittsburgh to be used for boutique hotel". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  10. Conway, Brian (2017-10-02). "NYC's Distrikt Hotel opens in Pittsburgh because "it's the hottest city in America"". Next Pittsburgh. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  11. "Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton". Hilton Hotels. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
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