Westmoreland Cultural Trust removes bricks from in front of Palace Theater, lets patrons know ahead of time
In the wake of all the drama surrounding the Pirates, PNC Park, and the "Bucco Bricks", the Westmoreland Cultural Trust has a message for its patrons.
"Your bricks are safe."
The trust removed commemorative bricks during a recent renovation in front of the Palace Theater. A line of bricks in front of the theater was all personalized. Some were memorials to those who enjoyed going to the theater, but recently they were removed.
Unlike the bricks at PNC Park, of which many ended up in a dumpster, the bricks that were removed in front of the Palace Theater are being repurposed for something even more significant.
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust put those commemorative bricks in several years ago, but eventually made the decision to remove them after patrons kept tripping on them.
It's a sensitive issue after the reports of what happened at PNC Park, especially since owners of the Bucco Bricks were not told what was happening.
"They made another big mistake; they shouldn't have done that," said Ryan Smith.
To get ahead of any potential concern regarding the brick, the trust issued a statement on their Facebook page, saying, "Every single brick has been saved, including those that were damaged. We're currently exploring meaningful ways to repurpose them somewhere outside the theater so they remain a visible and valued part of our legacy."
According to those whom we spoke with, the Westmoreland Cultural Trust's idea of repurposing the bricks is a good call.
"They could do something with it in the courthouse, maybe put it in the square or something, maybe a small sculpture, put them on the ground here," Smith said.
"[They could] build a wall like they did [with] the Vietnam wall close to it," added Henry Padlo.
Regardless of what they do, people are at least pleased they let them know it was happening.
