Pennsylvania Bidwell, an 11-story, low rent apartment building, is located at 1014 Sheffield Street--between Pennsylvania Avenue and Bidwell Street in the Manchester community of Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania Bidwell opened Sunday, March 1, 1970, and was dedicated in a 1 p.m. ceremony on Wednesday, March 25 1970. At the time, Pennsylvania Bidwell represented an addition of 160 apartments to the pool of housing for Pittsburgh's older and handicapped citizens. By the date scheduled for its opening, 90 units had already been taken; and, at the time of the dedication, some of the apartments were already occupied.
Preliminary plans described Pennsylvania Bidwell as
a gallery type building with an incinerator chute and laundry on each floor. The first floor...set aside for management and maintenance offices, a lounge and a kitchen to prepare foods for community events.
According to news reports, originally to cost $2.8 million (land acquisition, construction & architects' fees), the cost of the building at its dedication was $3.1 million. The federal government contributed to the initial cost. Crossgates, Inc. was responsible for the architectural and construction plans. The prospectus for the project also indicated a medical facility on the first floor and the construction of ten nearby, family-occupied row homes. The Pittsburgh Housing Authority owns and operates the building.
Sources:
"Low-Rent
Housing Plan OK'd:
- Northside to Get 160-Unit Complex for Aged, Infirm."
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 29 December 1967.
- "City's
'Golden Age' Age Dawns with Bright Idea."
- Sam Spatter.
- The Pittsburgh Press, 31 August 1969.
- "High-Rise for
Elderly to Open in Manchester:
- 90 of 160 Units Already Taken."
- Sam Spatter.
- The Pittsburgh Press, 22 February 1970.
- "Elderly
Getting New High-Rise."
- The Pittsburgh Press, 23 March 1970.
- "Homes Ready
for Elderly."
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 26 March 1970.