PITTSBURGH -- A preservation group revealed its possible plans Friday for a former church on the North Side.

Members of the Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation want to turn the 108-year-old Saint Nicholas Church into an immigrant museum.

A chairman said the museum would tell the stories of Croatians and all ethnic minorities who have made Pittsburgh their home.

"We're looking forward to the day when our church would be a living museum, to tell the story of all of the citizens of this great city," said Bill Vergot.

Monday, Pittsburgh's Roman Catholic Diocese announced Saint Nicholas parish agreed to sell the historic church on East Ohio Street to Lamar Advertising.

The East Ohio Street property contains an empty rectory, a former church building, a double garage and a grotto.

The former church building has been closed since December 2004 for safety reasons and the rest of the buildings have not been maintained for a decade.

From 1998 through 2008, Saint Nicholas Parish spent more than $540,000 to maintain the property.

"Its day has come. It's in poor condition, it'll be better for this parish to be able to spend its money on this building. The murals that we have in here, to try to preserve Croatian heritage here and move forward," said Father Daniel Whalen of St. Nicholas.

Mark Fatla, executive director of the North Side Leadership Conference, said, "Although this is a Croatian one, it reflects the experience of virtually every immigrant community in Pittsburgh. So it's a very powerful building."

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