Idea Charette and Open House

Hello,

It is so interesting to be writing about 1317 East Carson Street. The building has been in my husband's family since the 1970's. His grandfather, Morris Schwartz, established Schwartz Market in the late 1920's in what is now the Beneficial Building in Pittsburgh's Historic South Side. In 1938 the business moved to its present location at 1317 East Carson Street. Mr. Joe Liotta has been painting the signs on the front window of the building since 1938. Now that is history! Mr. Liotta started as a stock boy with the market, became a Manager of one of the stores and then after his retirement, continued painting signs which he does to this day!

Our family sold the business to two couples, Donna and Rick Stanton, and Audrey and Marty Dorfner in 1986. These two couples have been running the Schwartz Market business since then. They are planning to retire form the business very soon, and are in the process of selling the business. In the meantime, as the building owners, we are working to improve the building in a way that engages the community and creates a fantastic green space for the next seven generations.

Join us on December 8, 2010, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. We'll be hosting an Open House. at 1317 East Carson Street, the home of Schwartz Market. This will also be an idea charette. What is a charette anyway? In this case, a gathering of people interested in creating the new vision for a space in Pittsburgh's Historic South Side.

We are forming a food cooperative in the building and also creating accessibility to the second and third floors and the roof to hatch green non-profits and businesses. We'll give tours of the historic warehouse to those that are interested. We will ask for your name and contact information and how you'd like to be involved in the project.

Building New Hope, a Pittsburgh based nonprofit organization, will be offering samples of their organically certified (OCIA), shade grown coffee from El Porvenir, a worker owned farming cooperative in Nicaragua. Artemis Environmental will display products. Architectural drawings for proposed development as a Living Building will be displayed.

The event is free and open to the public. We are engaging the South Side community and beyond in the development process. Integrative systems thinking is our future!

Special thanks to Artemis Environmental, Building New Hope, Councilman Bruce Kraus who will be making an appearance, and the South Side Local Development Company.

Please contact elisabeck@aol.com if you would like to exhibit at this event. We are looking for local people who make and use local products to support our local economy. It is free to exhibit, but you'll have to bring your own table and supplies.