Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood turns former elementary school into community hub

A building that formerly housed a Catholic elementary school in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood now serves as a community hub.

Formerly St. Stephen elementary school, the building now belongs to Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood, a nonprofit that rents out space to other nonprofits, entrepreneurs and community groups.

St. Stephen School closed in 2005. St. Stephen Parish continued renting out space there at first, but the diocese later said it planned to sell the building.

Rose Velgich, a board member for the Spartan Center who served on the finance and pastoral councils for St. Stephen church, said she didn’t want to see a school that had meant so much to people in the community be sold.

Tom Cline, the Spartan Center’s executive director and a graduate of St. Stephen’s elementary school, approached the diocese to discuss taking ownership of the building for a community space. The diocese in 2017 gifted the school to the fledgling nonprofit, which received startup money from the diocese and the Heinz Endowments.

“It’s a huge asset for the greater Hazelwood community, a win-win-win for everybody,” Cline said.

The Spartan Center “salvaged what easily could’ve been a building to go away,” said Dale Stephenson, a board member who attended St. Stephen school.

He said the former school carries sentimental and nostalgic value for many in the community, who attended the school themselves or can trace family roots back to the school or church.

“But more than that, now it has real value for the community,” he said. “This is a real success story in a challenged area of Pittsburgh.”

In addition to being leased out to various community organizations, nonprofits and entrepreneurs, Cline said the building also has been used to host small weddings, wakes, birthdays and baptisms.

“We have so many activities and it brings so many people together,” he said.

Groups with programming at the former school include Breakthrough Remnant Ministries, Carmon Photography, Center of Life, Davis Consulting Solutions, Jada House Intl., Narcotics Anonymous, Meals on Wheels, Fishes & Loaves, Pittsburgh Prison Project, Portrait Prince Photography, Satellite Studio, Art Excursions Unlimited, Tammy Lee School of Dance, Thou Art Studio and the YMCA Food Bank.

The food bank offers food to more than 100 families on the first Saturday of each month.

Former classrooms have been converted into meeting spaces, offices and studios, and the commercial kitchen allows Meals on Wheels and other entities to prepare food. A stage could host musicals or community theater events.

The Spartan Community Center of Hazelwood does not host its own programming at this point, but Velgich said that could happen in the future.

The center is headed by an all-volunteer board, and a group of alumni volunteers to run the building.

The building is more than 100 years old and is in need of some repairs, Stephenson said. The original windows need to be replaced, and officials hope to add air conditioning and an elevator.

“We want to expand beyond this,” Stephenson said, explaining that the organization is looking for grant money or other support. “We’re just scratching the surface.”