Mulberry Presbyterian Church

From "Our History"

Mulberry Presbyterian Church had its beginning from a group associated with little Beulah, a small church on William Penn Highway that started a Sunday School in Wilkinsburg Village in 1839. The Sunday School developed into the Wilkinsburg First Presbyterian Church.

In 1898 Wilkinsburg was rapidly growing so one church could not manage so many people, so another was organized known as the Second Presbyterian Church and later called Mulberry Presbyterian Church.

In 1904 three lots were purchased at the corner of South and Mulberry and a small chapel was erected. Membership grew so fast that a large sanctuary was added. In 1912 a much larger sanctuary with a square tower was added. In 1928 a three-story educational wing was added which fronted Franklin Avenue.

In 1971 Northwood United Presbyterian Church merged with Mulberry and many improvements were made to the building.

A unique feature of the sanctuary is the stained glass windows. They are made in one large piece rather than small pieces. Mulberry is one of the few churches in Pennsylvania to claim this feature.

By 2006 the Presbyterian congregation had relocated and the massive block-long building was sold. The roof needed repairs and the new owner subsequently abandoned it. In recent years, 2019-2020 it has been acquired by a non-profit Center for Civic Arts to be repurposed as a community center and home to various artistic and creative endeavors.

Sources:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RnHNJgICzTU8CJkF5pclv74DTDCII9EK/view?usp=sharing

More info in our digital historical archives