St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Croatian Church, North Side
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The first Croatian Catholic parish in America was established in 1894. The 1901 church was a center for spiritual and social Croatian culture. Croatian immigrant families fled religious, economic, and political oppression to pursue new lives in Pittsburgh. Its familiar geography and economic opportunities attracted many Croatians. Despite a 14-year preservation effort, the modified Romanesque church and grotto were razed in 2013.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Established in 1894, St. Nicholas was the first Croatian Catholic parish in America, and its 1901 church on Pittsburgh's North Side became the heart of Croatian religious and social life. Families fleeing religious, economic, and political hardship found in the city's mills and familiar hills a place to begin again. Despite a fourteen-year fight to save it, the Romanesque church and its grotto were demolished in 2013.
Why it matters
The parish stands for the great wave of Southern and Eastern European immigrants who built industrial Pittsburgh, and its loss underscores how fragile even landmark immigrant institutions can be.
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