Bloomfield’s Immaculate Conception church may be demolished despite preservation efforts

PITTSBURGH — The pastor for the Saint Pio Parish that includes Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship and Lawrenceville has issued a decision on a long-time building in a central neighborhood of the city.

In an email sent to the members of the parish, Pastor Thomas Gramc informed of the decision “to move forward with removal of the buildings” at the Immaculate Conception campus behind Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield after several months of meeting with various church leaders.

Gramc wrote in an update about the urban church property to appear in an upcoming church bulletin: “After careful deliberation and consultation with both councils, I’ve made the challenging decision that razing the buildings is the most responsible course of action for the parish’s future. This process began some weeks ago with the safe removal of all asbestos. With that work now complete, the demolition of the buildings will proceed. It is our plan to reengage in the marketing of the property as soon as the demolition is complete."