Bordering Pittsburgh to the west, on the southern bank of the Ohio River, the neighborhood of McKees Rocks might surprise you. A cliff near the river's edge gave the town its name; General Alexander McKee was granted these rocks for his service in the French & Indian War back in 1769. But the rocks have an even more sacred history as a Native American burial ground from at least 5,000 years ago (known as "Indian Mound"). The area was also surveyed by George Washington as a potential location for Fort Pitt.

The town's 1.1 square miles currently house
6,200 residents, spread amongst several distinct
neighborhoods. Primarily a farming community until Pittsburgh-Lake Erie railroad located a major maintenance facility there in 1882, the town boomed to over 18,000 residents by 1930. Pedestrian friendly, P&LE Rail Road and workers of the several steel companies could easily access their jobs near the river. Today, the P&LE site is ripe for renewal, and only a few specialized steel companies remain.

The town's main street district along Chartiers Avenue is home to several stores, including GRIMES furniture store, Dietz floral shop, the Snack Shop Restaurant, and the town's small library. But alongside of these neighborhood serving businesses are some surprises, including the former Roxian Theater, which opened in 1928 and hosted neighborhood events, movies, live theater, and boxing matches before closing in 1980 to operate as the Emerald Room banquet hall. The McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation (MRCDC), has entered into a sales agreement for the purchase of the Roxian Theater and have secured a long term tenant/operator for the facility. Together, this public/private venture hopes to renew the space as a multi-purpose facility to offer everything from business breakfast meetings, dinner and dancing, movies, and musical acts.

Like many areas around Pittsburgh, McKees Rocks hopes that a focus on the arts can liven up the community and provide jobs. In a partnership with Point Park University made possible with a community outreach grant, the McKees Rocks Center for the Arts is underway on Chartiers Avenue. Just across from the Roxian Theater, the center will provide educational opportunities in areas such as performing, literary and visual arts, and will include a recording studio. The influence can already be felt in the community; elementary and middle school children had the opportunity to participate in an eightweek course in performing arts instructed by Point Park University students. The course recently finished its second semester and has proven to be a big success, demonstrating impact in the neighborhood even before the center has opened! Other art influences are two murals on Chartiers Avenue.  The mural on the wall of Dave Dietz Florist was created by Jim Levendosky with the assistance of six students from Sto-Rox high school. The mural once faced an empty lot, but that lot has grown to a small garden, thanks contributions of the floral shop owners and community members. A Sprout Fund mural titled "I myself am that", created by Laurie Marshall, depicts several of McKees Rocks' actual residents beneath scenes and cultural identities of the town. If you're lucky, you'll meet one of these residents and be able to ask about their painted counterparts; a man and young daughter whose shadows are painted black with swirls of white light, explained to us that he sees himself as an inspiring father to his family.

Most Pittsburghers are familiar with Mancini's Bread, baked fresh in McKees Rocks, but you can pick up some other delicious food items along Island Avenue, including famous pizza and wedding soup at Mama Lena's ("Best Pizza in Pittsburgh" several years running), cinnamon raisin bread and other baked goods at the original Jenny Lee Bakery (still family owned and operated), and many varieties of fresh pierogies at Pierogies Plus. Or, if you've got some
time on Friday morning, stop by St. Mary's Ukranian Orthodox church between 10 and 12 to purchase homemade pierogies from the parishioners!

McKees Rocks CDC

The McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation was formed out of a group
of stakeholders that had been meeting since 2000. These neighborhood stakeholders wanted to take advantage of the town's proximity to
Downtown Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh International Airport. The MRCDC was granted 501(c)3 status in August of 2004 and shortly thereafter, hired their first full-time employee, executive director Taris Vrcek, a 3rd generation resident of the neighborhood who shares the organization's goal of keeping the old [neighborhood character] while bringing in
new. They want to renew many of the area's older
buildings while maintaining the identity of the
neighborhood and its residents. Since founding, MRCDC has worked with consultants to help determine the best course of action for the organization and the community. Their focus is on enacting a Strategic Revitalization Plan, which was adopted in the spring of 2003 as a way of newly "founding" McKees Rocks.

Fittingly, MRCDC just moved into one of the first
neighborhood revitalization projects. The Hamilton building, a former school for 5th and 6th graders which was closed in the early 90s, has since been transformed into office space. Interesting to note is that the third floor of the building is still being used for educational purposes by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, a county wide educational service agency supporting schools, families, and communities.
Besides the Roxian Theater, other MRCDC revitalization projects include making room for housing along the riverfront and loft apartments in older buildings, such as in the Miles Brian High School, which sits atop a hill with a view of the Pittsburgh skyline, but was closed in 1997.   That plan also goes for the former St. Mark's school located in the "Bottoms".