Pittsburgh church destroyed in fire to be demolished soon

A piece of Pittsburgh's history is expected to be demolished soon.

Last month, a massive fire claimed the former Grandview United Presbyterian Church. Plumes of dark smoke billowed high above the skyline, signaling the tragic end of a historic neighborhood anchor.

Despite it sitting vacant for nearly four years, some Mount Washington residents like George Gich say it's hard to accept. 

"Sad to see it go," Gich said. "It's been here as long as I've known, and I'm almost 70."

Gich wasn't a member of the church, but he said he has fond memories of playing basketball in the basement.

Since the fire in early July, there have been a lot of complaints about the eyesore and falling debris from the crumbling structure. It's led to the closure of the Carnegie Library and part of Grandview Avenue.

The building is expected to be demolished this week or next week during the day, according to Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor.

After that, residents, including Gich, wonder what's next. 

"I think you go through a community process and see what can even be done there, but again, you always have speculators," O'Connor said. "So I think first is cleaning it out and then seeing what the best use would be for the community and what makes the most sense."

The Pittsburgh Presbytery owns the building and is paying for the demolition.

The general minister told KDKA that the building is currently under contract for sale with the buyer seeking to build condos, but that isn't certain.