A Chronicle of Our Times: May – July 2006

This article was written by James Wudarczyk.

We live in the present, but study the past. For us, history is the old stuff, the study of events of long ago. The current time is “news.” So we give little thought to the fact that the events of today is the history of tomorrow. Just as we look at the past and wonder what kind of people were they who lived before us, and just we wonder how they lived, what they did, and what were the events of their day; so, too, will a future generation put us under the historical microscope in order to analyze our times. They will wonder what the people who lived in Lawrenceville in the early days of the 21st century were like and what they did. The things, the events, the places that are taken for granted today are the link to tomorrow’s history. Just as the 19th century saw the transformation of Lawrenceville from a rural area to an industrial community and the 20th century witnessed the decay of industrialization and the decline of the urban city, at this point in time there is no crystal ball to project the shape of Lawrenceville for the duration of the 21st century. One can simply record the community events. These events are hardly profound. However, such constitutes the chronicle of our times.

(Editor’s note: Under the date is a brief synopsis of the events. For more detailed reading, refer to the reference source.)

May 3, 2006
Domenic Branduzzi’s Piccolo Forno was featured in the May 2006 issue of Gourmet magazine. The restaurant was selected as one of the finest in the country for cooking with live fire in a wood-fired oven. “Lawrenceville restaurant featured in Gourmet’s issue on cooking with fire,”
Tribune-Review, May 3, 2006.

May 15, 2006
Father Reginald Russo, OFM. Cap., lectured on the life of Saint Padre Pio in Our Lady of the Angels 44th Street social hall.
Bulletin, May 2006

May 17, 2006
Police investigated allegations by a 15-year-old male student, at Career Connections Charter School at 45th and Butler Streets that a man, posing as a police officer, tried to abduct him while the teen was walking to school. The student contended that he fought off the man, who tried to drag him into a car.
Jill King Greenwood, “Boy says he was nearly abducted,” Tribune-Review, May 18, 2006.

May 18, 2006
The Lawrenceville Historical Society presented the third in its 2006 lectures with a musical performance by "Home Front". The group of musical historians, comprised of Tom Crytzer, Chuck Kreply, and Nancy Egan, played Stephen Foster and Civil War music. This event took place at Canterbury Place.
The Bulletin, May 2006.

June 5, 2006
The Door of Hope Community Church, 5227 Holmes Street, celebrated their 125th anniversary with a weeklong celebration. Events included a balloon launch, prayer service, music festival, history night, and block party.
Bulletin, June 2006.

June 7, 2006
Beginning on June 15, the Stephen Foster Community was scheduled to host a farmer’s market each Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
“Around Town,” The Green Sheet, Wednesday, June 7, 2006.

June 8, 2006
A five-alarm fire damaged five row houses on Manion Way off Liberty Avenue. Two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze. The arson squad was investigating the origin of the fire.
Moustafa Ayad, “Homes damaged in 5-alarm Lawrenceville fire,” Post-Gazette, June 9, 2006.

June 8, 2006
Two persons were found dead in Lawrenceville. Initial reports indicated that Robert Dykeman and Sean Woods died as a result of overdosing on a potent strain of heroin that claimed over one hundred lives across the nation. (Later reports indicated the fatalities were not related to potentially fatal strain of heroin.)
Jill King Greenwood and Richard Byrne Reilly, “Heroin overdoses leave 2 more dead in city,” Tribune-Review, June 9, 2006.

June 11, 2006
The second annual Lawrenceville Garden took place from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The tour was free to the public and maps of the gardens were distributed from the community garden at 42nd and Sherrod Streets. Liz Pascarella was one of the coordinators of the event. Extensive photographs of Ginny Ambrose’s garden on Fisk Street were featured in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Also mentioned in the Post-Gazette article were Duncan McDermott and Leslie Lewandowski.
Bulletin, May 2006; “Modest Gardens,” Post-Gazette, June 10, 2006.

June 13, 2006
Ground breaking for the new $4 million facility on the grounds of the old Allegheny Arsenal were scheduled for September. The new facility administered by the Allegheny County Health Department will be able to analyze anthrax, botulism, and other agents. A news article showed Dr. Bruce Dixon with a picture of the proposed structure. The photograph indicates an architectural sensitivity toward other buildings on the grounds.
Allison M. Heinrichs, “Health lab plans move forward,” Tribune-Review, June 13, 2006.

June 16, 2006
The Get-Go at the corner of 40th and Butler Streets caught fire just before 1 a.m. Firefighters thought the heating and air conditioning unit was responsible for the fire.
http://www.xpxi.com/news/9380915/detail.html

June 17, 2006
The Holy Name Society of Our Lady of the Angels Parish sponsored a Summer Picnic Dinner in the parish social hall at 250 44th Street. Donations were $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children 12 and under.
Bulletin, June 2006.

June 17, 2006
The Evangelical Ministry Team and New Bethel Baptist Church presented a two-day festival in the parklet on Butler Street, between 52nd and McCandless Avenue.
Post Gazette, June 19, 2006.

June 22, 2006
Vandals slashed tires on at least 47 cars in Lawrenceville between the 5100 and 5200 block of Keystone Street, the 4500 block of Butler Street, and 5300 block of Natrona Way.
Post Gazette, June 23, 2006

June 26, 2006
The Door of Hope Community Church, 5227 Holmes Street, sponsored a Vacation Bible School from June 26th through the 30th for children, ages 4 through 12 years of age.
Bulletin, June 2006

June 28, 2006
Almost four years after the 137-year-old St. Francis Hospital closed, the last beam was set in place for the new Children’s Hospital, which is slated to open in 2009. Cost of construction of the 900,000 square foot facility was estimated at $575 million.
Jason Cato and Luis Fabregas, “Children’s left beaming,” Tribune-Review, June 29, 2006.

July 1, 2006 Our Lady of the Angels Parish sponsored a giant pre-festival flea market on Saturday, July 1, and Sunday, July 2.
Bulletin, June 2006

July 1, 2006
Lawrenceville’s 62 annual Independence Day celebration took place in Arsenal Park, starting at noon and commencing with a fireworks display at 9:40 p.m.
“Lawrenceville: Independence Day party set today,” Post-Gazette, July 1, 2006.

July 1, 2006
Doo Dah Days or the Stephen Foster Music and Heritage Festival took place in Allegheny Cemetery from noon until 5 p.m. The event was a joint venture by the Allegheny Cemetery Historical Association, the Lawrenceville Historical Society, and DUQ 90.5 FM Radio, with the support of State Senator Jim Ferlo, who secured a grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development. Event included four musical concerts, re-enactors, trolley tours, and horse drawn carriage rides.
Doo Dah Days: Stephen Foster Music and Heritage Festival 2006 Program;
Tony LaRussa, “Festival will celebrate songwriter Stephen Foster,” Tribune–Review, June 30, 2006;
“Stephen Foster: The Man, the Myth, and the Music,” Bulletin, July 2006.

July 6, 2006 At 9:48 p.m., a man was shot in the face at 44th and Butler Streets.
Post-Gazette, July 7, 2006 and
Tribune Review, July 7, 2006

July 13, 2006
The projected cost of Western Pennsylvania’s state of the art health laboratory at the Allegheny County Health Department in Lawrenceville was estimated to be $4.3 million, or $700,000 over the 2003 bids.
Tribune Review, July 13, 2006.

July 10, 2006
Motorcyclists met at 4701 Butler Street for a motorcycle run to benefit the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots Program. The run ended at Harrison Hill Park in Natrona Heights. Donations were $20 per rider and $10 per passenger.
Tribune-Review, July 10, 2006

July 17, 2006
Michael Vaughns, 24, died of a gunshot wound that he received earlier in the month. Mr. Vaughns was the victim of a robbery attempt while waiting for a bus at the corner of 44th and Butler Streets on July 6, 2006.
Post-Gazette, July 20, 2006

July 20, 2006
A portion of a third floor building at 4115 Butler Street collapsed damage to Starr Discount and Styles North Hair Salon. Fortunately, no one was injured.

TRIBpm, July 21, 2006;
“City, Lawrenceville,” Tribune-Review, July 21, 2006;
“City, Lawrenceville: Part of building collapses,” , July 21, 2006.

July 20, 2006
In an article in the evening edition of the Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh artists found inspiration from their communal lifestyle. The source identified two artist studios in Lawrenceville: The Ice House Artist Studios once owned by the Consolidated Ice and Chautauqua Ice Companies at 100 43rd Street, and the Blackbird Artist Studios at 3583 Butler Street.
Bethany Hofstetter, “Creative Cohabitation,” Tribpm, July 20, 2006.

July 20, 2006
The Lawrenceville Historical Society sponsored a free lecture on “The History of Lawrenceville’s Tenth Ward” at Canterbury Place at 7 p.m. that evening.
Bulletin, July 2006.