History

The Union Project vision was inspired by the hope for a neighborhood 'space' in which to meet for fellowship, creativity, community, worship, learning, and more. In January 2001, eleven interested individuals toured the former Union Baptist Church building for the first time. The building was attractive for several reasons:

• Over the preceding five years, it had been deteriorating and was in great need of repair.

• It is a public building at a prominent and meaningful intersection-a gateway to many different communities.

• Mennonites that participated in the voluntary service program lived for at least a year in a house a half-block away from the church and formed not only an attachment to the communities of Highland Park and East Liberty, but also an attachment to the building itself.

• The physical space in the building could be used for many purposes.

• The asking price was affordable.

Meetings continued and eventually an 11-member Union Project Advisory Board formed. Members of the first Union Project Advisory Board included Keith Hershberger, Jessica King, Heather Kropf, Chad Martin, Philip Nisley, Jennifer Rohrer, Justin Rothshank, John and Milonica Stahl-Wert, Ryan Sauder, and Janelle Thomas. This group was chaired by Justin Rothshank. While initial vision was high, direction was lacking. Eleven voices soon overwhelmed the process of establishing a formal vision and basic first steps.

At that point, in May 2001, the group was reformed to include six people. These 6 people formed the founding Board of Directors and included Jessica King, Heather Kropf, Chad Martin, Justin Rothshank, John and Milonica Stahl-Wert. Jessica King led this group as the founding board chair.

In August 2001, the newly formed Union Project organization secured loans for $150,000 that were provided to Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation on behalf of the Union Project. Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation purchased the property at 801 N. Negley Ave for $125,000 and the Union Project used the additional $25,000 as seed money to repair the roof and start the organization.

In August 2001, Justin Rothshank was hired to oversee the volunteer cleanout of the vacant and blighted property. Between August 2001 and June 2002, the group of six worked to strategize and decipher a Union Project Mission and Vision. Union Project also incorporated in Pennsylvania as a Domestic Non-profit Corporation and filed for and received 501(c)3 Non-profit status through the IRS.

In November 2001, Union Project hosted its first neighborhood open house, with almost 300 people attending a silent auction, music performances, and yard sale. In December 2001 the Union Project added its first non-founding board member. Brad Siemens joined the board to assist in fundraising and grant writing.

In March 2002, Union Project  hired Jessica King as its first Executive Director. In July 2002 the Union Project appointed Brad Siemens the new board chair, and expanded to include 4 new members.

In May 2002, the Union Project formed a partnership with Bricolage theatre company and played host to its premier production of "Wild Signs". The production was held in the Union Project sanctuary space with daily performances for 3 weeks.

In December 2002, Union Project was awarded a competitive $12,000 design grant from the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh to begin the architectural design phase of the restoration process.

During Memorial Day 2003, Union Project was vandalized. Several vandals broke into the building lighting over a dozen small fires, setting off homemade mason jar explosives, damaging woodwork, and breaking glass. Union Project appeared on local TV stations and in local papers for 4 consecutive days, bringing citywide attention to the new initiative.

In September 2003, Union Project hosted its first 2 stained glass restoration classes. Both classes were filled to capacity, with 24 students learning stained glass restoration.

By August 2004, Union Project had hosted over 800 volunteers for over 10,000 hours of work. Fundraising for a $1.5 million building restoration was underway.

By August 2005, Union Project had hosted over 1300 volunteers for over 13,000 hours of work. Fundraising towards the $1.5 million was 90% complete and restoration work on the 10 rental offices was nearly complete. 6 new tenant partners had been approved. Susan Indrisano became chair of the now 16 member Union Project Board of Directors.

In 2006, Union Project took ownership of the building and mortgage payments from the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation. May of this year saw the opening of Union Station Café. Union Project started the café as a means of providing a visible, accessibile point of entry for community members as well as a way to create jobs within the East End community, particularly for young adults.

Watch the new Union Project Movie (2.3MB)

A high resolution version of this movie is available for purchase on DVD.