Historical Marker At Former Croatian Church Site Unveiled

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The former St. Nicholas Croatian Church may no longer be there, but now there's a memorial standing in its place.

Preservations activists unveiled an interpretive panel and memorial wall for the former church site on the North Side Saturday.

The church, built in 1894, was the first Croatian parish in the U.S. However, it was torn down in January 2013 by the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Where it once stood, there's now an historical marker and display explaining the church's history.

Mayor Bill Peduto was among the officials at the event.

"St. Nicholas never leaves if it doesn't leave our hearts," said Peduto. "It's what they built with our hands. They didn't' have much, but what they did have they sacrificed to build this. They built it to be a community."

They Pennsylvania historical marker for the church will stand to the right of the memorial wall.

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