St. Agnes Church (Carlow College Worship and Community Center)
By Leepaxton at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Location:
Description:
St. Agnes Church is a striking former Roman Catholic parish located at 3235 Fifth Avenue in the West Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Designed by renowned ecclesiastical architect John T. Comès and constructed between 1916 and 1917, the church was dedicated in 1917 following the destruction of its predecessor. Its architectural character blends Byzantine and Romanesque influences, highlighted by a large rose window featuring a relief of the Crucifixion, brown brick construction with stone and terra-cotta details, granite columns, and interior murals completed in 1931 by Felix Lieftuchter with assistance from Carlow College students.
The parish, originally established in 1868 with an earlier structure destroyed by fire in 1914, served its community until it closed in 1993 amid diocesan population changes. In 1996, Carlow College (now Carlow University) acquired both the church and its rectory, reusing the space for worship and community purposes. The building was designated a Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation landmark in 2000 and received a Pennsylvania state historical marker honoring its architect in 2013.
Regrettably, in 2020 the university announced plans to demolish the structure to make way for a new health sciences facility, removing the historic marker shortly thereafter. The building was placed on Preservation Pennsylvania’s 2021 At-Risk list due to its endangered status. Though no longer an active parish, the former St. Agnes Church stands as a powerful architectural and cultural symbol—and a subject of community concern as its future remains uncertain.
