Tag Archives: Kickstarter

house of gold before and afer

Pittstarter – A Gentle Demolition of The House of Gold

Update 9/24 – Just 24 hours left til the Kickstarter deadline and the artist needs to raise $12,000.  Click here to go directly to the Kickstarter page for the House of Gold.

I learned about the House of Gold project over the summer and I wanted to share this Kicstarter project that only has a few more days to reach the funding goal.   Artist Dee Briggs lives next door to this house on Swissvale avanue. Last year, Dee was able to purchase the house thanks to the Allegheny County Vacant Property Recovery program.  This Kickstart project will help Dee deconstruct the house and re-imagine this site as a space for the community.

I think it is an important project for Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh in general as it sparks a conversation about abandoned buildings.  At one point in its history The House of Gold was a corner store – and hopefully will be replaced with a community space and coffee shop in the near future.  This Kickstarter is a great way to help a motivated community member help to transform an abandoned property.

house of gold before and afer

Here are a few of the reasons why I like this project and I think you should consider making a contribution to the House of Gold Kickstarter project…

  1. A Gold House? Which is the perfect color for a building in a city that loves the color scheme of black and gold.  I like the idea of using gold paint to show this abandoned house in a new light.
  2. Telling the history of the house – take a few moments to check out the House of Gold website.  The artist has put together an incredible history of the house and the people who used to live here.
  3. Wilkinsburg – I have been driving down Penn Avenue for my entire life and most recently found myself wondering what would become of the Penn Lincoln Hotel.  What once was a meeting place of people had been abandoned and in the past few weeks was torn down.  How did a historic building, that was a thriving hub become a forgotten neighborhood?  Check out some of these photos from AbadonedOnline.net of the Penn-Lincoln Hotel before it was demolished.
  4. Gently demolition – take a moment to watch the Kickstarter video – it is worth the two minutes of your time, and Dee does a much better job of telling the story than I could here in a blog post.  I really like the idea of gently and carefully dismantling this house.  As much as I would love to save every old building in Allegheny county, some really do have to come down and the idea of carefully taking apart the building and separating out the historic pieces for reuse elsewhere, while reducing what would need to go into a landfill makes sense to me.

And this project has event been shared by the Kickstarter staff Twitter account…

If you would like to support this project – click here to make a contribution to the House of Gold: A Gentle Demolition Kickstarter project.

Pittsburgh Screening of startupland – A New Documentary Series

startupland pittsburghRemember how last summer the awesome readers of this blog generously contributed to my project so I could participate as a passenger on the Millennial Trains Project?  We’ll this is one of the many good things that came out of the trip.  I was thrilled to receive an email last week from two of the people I met on the train asking if I knew anyone that would be interested in hosting a screening of startupland in Pittsburgh.  My reply – yes- of course, Pittsburgh would love to host a screening.  A few emails later, TechShop kindly stepped up as the location for the screening.

Thank you to everyone who made my journey on the train trip possible.  I am so pleased that my fellow train passengers continue to think of Pittsburgh.  One of the mentors on the train, who joined our group for the last part of the trip from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC is Jonathon Perrelli who (in addition to offering me some sage advice) is also co-producer of startupland.  If you are interested in startups be sure to follow @perrelli on Twitter.

Pittsburgh Screening of Startupland

On Tuesday, June 10, 2014, Pittsburgh will be one of the many cities around the globe that will be hosting a screening of startupland a new documentary series about startups.

Click here for the screening details.

Why Kevin Sousa’s Superior Motors Kickstarter campaign epitomizes everything we love about Pittsburgh

Here’s an obvious fact: Pittsburgh’s identity was, and still is, deeply entwined with the steel industry. After all, we’re nicknamed the Steel City, which we’re reminded of whenever prime time football comes to town and floods our televisions with images of steel mills, by the numerous Pittsburgh-related projects that are given names referencing steel (for example, our own Steel of the Week), and whenever we pass through any of the formerly-thriving steel towns.

But those of us who have lived in, worked for, and loved this city for any significant amount of time know how very much more there is to Pittsburgh. And most importantly, we recognize the enormous potential of what it still can become.

That’s why Pittsburgh is responsible for the most-funded restaurant project on Kickstarter to date– local chef Kevin Sousa‘s Superior Motors in Braddock, Pennsylvania.

Braddock, Pennsylvania

Braddock, Pennsylvania. Photo from 15104.cc.

The story of Braddock is woeful. The once-thriving town, home of both Andrew Carnegie’s first steel mill and his first public library, was hit hard in the 1970s and ’80s by the collapse of the steel industry and a rising drug and gang problem. 90% of the population eventually fled the area and much of what once was now is simply deserted. The state of Pennsylvania has declared Braddock a “distressed municipality” since the ’80s.

Then came “America’s coolest mayor”: John Fetterman. The dynamic and engaged mayor has received national recognition for his unwavering commitment to rebuilding and reinventing the town– and most importantly, for his faith that a better Braddock is within reach and worth fighting for.

Photo from Braddock Redux.

Photo from Braddock Redux.

With an emphasis on improving the lives of the borough’s young people, Fetterman has attracted a promising creative and artistic force to Braddock. While there’s much work still to be done, testaments to his success include: the conversion of an abandoned church into the Braddock Community Center, home to the Braddock Youth Project; Braddock Farms, which grows organic produce on 10 acres of repurposed over-grown lots and is tended to by area kids; the opening of the studio UnSmoke Artspace; and much-anticipated brewery startup The Brew Gentlemen.

Sousa’s Superior Motors hopes to bring more of that needed revitalization to Braddock. Named for the former car dealership it will occupy, the restaurant is nothing short of revolutionary. Braddock currently doesn’t have any operating restaurants and Sousa is not only looking to open one in the area, but to engage and drive the community with its operation.

Superior Motors is aiming to strengthen Braddock through food, farming, art, and more.

Superior Motors is aiming to strengthen Braddock through food, farming, art, and more. Photo from Superior Motors Kickstarter.

Truly exemplifying fresh, local, and farm-to-table, most of the produce will be sourced from Braddock Farms, as well as the thousands of square feet in planned rooftop gardens and greenhouses. The nearby apiary, which provides beekeeping training to local youth, will provide honey, and local chickens will be the source of eggs for the restaurant.

But most impressive is what Sousa plans to do for the actual community. Superior Motors will not only offer Braddock residents with substantial dining discounts but also free professional culinary training and opportunities. A hostel located next door will be used to offer no-cost housing for some employees who are selected to train and learn at the restaurant. Sousa hopes Superior Motors will feed and strengthen the current community ecosystem of local businesses, residents, and visitors.

Farmer Marshall Hart working at Braddock Farms. Photo from the Superior Motors Kickstarter.

Farmer Marshall Hart working at Braddock Farms. Photo from the Superior Motors Kickstarter.

So on Sunday, with less than a day and a half left in the Superior Motors Kickstarter campaign and still $70,000 short of a goal of $250,000, anticipation grew. Was there the possibility that this innovative project, set in a town we all want to see succeed, would not be funded?

That’s when Pittsburghers truly came together. Retweets, posts, emails, and articles. The purported power of social media, in action. “Kickstarter” was trending on Twitter in Pittsburgh, behind only “Downton Abbey” in popularity. People watched the donation figure slowly climb with the fervor of a hotly contested election. Sousa himself rightfully couldn’t sleep.

Because of this final push by the community, Superior Motors not only reached and surpassed its goal with nearly a day to spare, but has received an additional $40,000 grant from Rob Stephany of The Heinz Endowments. Sousa emotionally thanked the nearly 2,000 supporters “for reminding [him] what an altogether inspiring place it is that [he is] lucky enough to call home.” He even admitted that we made him cry.

Chef Sousa at the Braddock Youth Project training class at the community bread oven. Photo from the Superior Motors Kickstarter.

Chef Sousa at the Braddock Youth Project training class at the community bread oven. Photo from the Superior Motors Kickstarter.

When indie rock band Frightened Rabbit came to town for the Thrival Music Festival in September, they commented on how much they enjoy playing here because Pittsburghers genuinely love their city and are so proud to be a part of it. How right they were.

We’re a tight-knit, thoughtful, and involved community that genuinely believes in bettering our city, be it through the successful and established medical and education sectors, a vibrant and innovative startup community, or the booming food and drink scene (Bon Appetit recently named Pittsburgh its “next big food town”). Even Lindsay, the creator of I heart PGH, had her cross-country train trip with the Millennial Trains Project successfully funded because of the incredible generosity of Pittsburghers.

We all see something worthwhile in Superior Motors. Something that will better Pittsburgh and Braddock. Something else to prove that we’re more than just a former steel town. And we’re helping to make that a reality.

 

The Kickstarter campaign is over but follow Kevin Sousa on Twitter for updates on Superior Motors.

Pitt-starter – Meet Pittsburgh Artist Robert Qualters

Pitt-starter is our occasional series of posts about Kickstarer and other crowdfunding projects that are of interest to the Pittsburgh community. You can check out previous Pitt-starter posts here.

I am very excited to share this Kickstarter project with you.  First, because I think this is a great chance to learn about a Pittsburgh artist who has been painting this city for decades.  And second, because I had the opportunity to meet Robert Qualters earlier this year and I think he is one of the many Pittsburghers that should be on your radar.

Robert Qualters - Penn Station Rotunda, 2006, acrylic and collage on canvas, 42x48"

Robert Qualters – Penn Station Rotunda, 2006, acrylic and collage on canvas, 42×48″

Robert Qualters is one of those artists where you have probably seen his work around town but you might not have known much about the artist. His paintings are hanging in some of the offices and restaurants and he has painted several murals for Mercy Hospital and Pittsburgh public schools.

M_Perrott-Qualters_1994_no13-sRGB_for_web.largeI hope you will take a moment to visit the Kickstarter page for “Robert Qualters: A Life in Film” to check out the video and some of the paintings of Pittsburgh.  The Kickstarter trailer gives you a glimpse into his studio which is located in Homestead.  I’ve had the chance to visit another artist in this building and you would have never guessed this old school was home to a wealth of Pittsburgh talent.

Another fun fact about this project is that one of the filmmakers, Elizabeth Seamans, was Mrs. McFeely on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.

This Kickstarter project is to fund a film about his work which will debut in 2014.  A retrospective of his paintings will be on display at Pittsburgh center for the arts starting February 7, 2014.

The Qualter’s Kickstarter project also offers some unique rewards and the chance to pick up a signed and numbered print from the artist or an original painting from Qualters.

Follow Robert Qualters on Facebook – facebook.com/qualtersart and Twitter @qualtersart