Ask people in Pittsburgh if they’ve been to Larimer and you’ll learn that many are unfamiliar or have no idea where it is. This speaks to the multiplicity of neighborhoods in Pittsburgh (there are officially 89 neighborhoods according to the 2000 census), but it is more a commentary on the Larimer neighborhood itself. It’s a place that is isolated, unknown, unrecognized and has gone relatively unloved for quite a long time. Although, that may be changing as issues are being addressed by people devotedly spending time focusing on this neglected place.
Larimer is located in the eastern part of Pittsburgh situated between Homewood, East Liberty and Highland Park. Less than a half square mile, this neighborhood sits on high but even ground boxed in by railroad tracks, bridges, the Negley Run ravine and East Liberty Boulevard. It was named after an Italian family of immigrants, fitting because of the ethnic group’s predominant status there during the neighborhood’s early days. Not much remains to remind someone of the times when Larimer prospered and had more than 13,000 people living in its densely populated streets. After years of notorious gang problems, much of the original population emptied out decades back, leaving behind a changed demographic and just a couple of remnants such as Stagno’s bakery and Henry Grasso Co. sausages. It’s noteworthy that the Kingsley Center, a great Larimer community resource, began as one of Pittsburgh’s oldest settlement houses for the incoming immigrant population. In a new $7.8 million development, the Kingsley Center at the corner of Frankstown and East Liberty Avenues now acts as a recreation center with a swimming pool, gymnasiums, computers, and flexible mixed-use rooms.
The neighborhood appears to have reached a new equilibrium after a tumultuous past. The population is now around 2,600 and the general community health indicators of income, education, and employment are far below the city and the county averages. There is no significant commercial center, and empty and overgrown lots are common, standing as reminders of the many buildings that have vanished from its streets. Gang related activity has significantly lessened and the disinvestment and neighborhood concerns about the future vitality of Larimer have led to some new undertakings.
Many people and parties have become involved in projects focused on renewing the neighborhood, spearheaded by the efforts of Ora Lee Carroll, Executive Director of the East Liberty Concerned Citizen’s Corporation. She has been the driving force behind many recent achievements in the neighborhood. Originally from Florida, she has lived in Pittsburgh for nearly 40 years and has been making an impact in her neighborhood for almost as long. She began the East Liberty Concerned Citizens program and she has developed the Larimer Community Plan. Her passion lies in working with the children of the community (she calls them her babies) and her first program was an after school gardening project.
Ms. Carroll has worked successfully to have Larimer selected to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh’s Blueprint Community program. This neighborhood revitalization initiative provides training and planning guidance to community representatives, after which their neighborhood will be eligible for financing assistance from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh for their drafted goals. As a blueprint community, Larimer and its representatives have applied for a half million dollar loan.
The FHLB’s community investment program includes an affordable housing program, assistance to small businesses, a community lending program, and grants for first-time homebuyers. Those involved have undergone extensive planning and have prepared extensive analysis and drafting of future steps for Larimer and its community. This well organized plan has been dubbed the Larimer Community Plan. There are a number of included initiatives. One of these is the Winslow Street Plan, which works to address the problem of deteriorating housing stock and lack of senior-citizen friendly homes in the neighborhood. It targets Winslow Street, between Larimer Avenue and Paulson Avenue, for a new housing development project integrated amongst the few usable existing structures and appropriate to the neighborhood’s needs.
One of the reasons the Winslow Street site was targeted for development was it’s proximity to the Larimer Elementary School, a beautiful, hundred year old, three-story building which has sat unused for well over 20 years. This structure is of historic significance and has been identified as the heart of the community by local interests. It is one of Larimer’s largest and most prominent buildings and it stands at the entrance of Winslow Street. It too has been slated for development by privately funded neighborhood developer Emmett Miles of Zechariah Development. He purchased the Larimer School just four months ago and has already drafted plans to turn the building’s 56,000 square feet into a mix of senior housing, commercial and retail businesses, and a community center. Hopes are that if he can see his plan through successfully, the Larimer School can be a building block for the neighborhood’s economic renewal.
Larimer may not be well known neighborhood amongst Pittsburghers, but its neglect is not going unnoticed. It remains a central city neighborhood with very easy access to adjacent East Liberty with that neighborhood’s fast-paced economic growth and commercial amenities. The Pittsburgh Busway is also nearby, as well as other transportation routes and options. These are Larimer’s fundamental assets and its path to a more lively future.
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Former Larimer Elementary School
State Representative Joseph Preston, Ora Lee Carroll, and Emmett Miles
Kingsley Center
Ora Lee Carroll and her garden
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