By Jamie Kelly, Bulletin editor

The Diocese of Pittsburgh has put the former Immaculate Conception Catholic Churdh in Bloomfield up for sale. The asking price is $3.5 million.

The same group of residents who tried to stop the closing of Immaculate Conception Church in Bloomfield are hoping to have some say in the redevelopment of the property.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh listed the property, which covers about 1 acre in Bloomfield, for sale for $3.5 million.
The price includes the land, which is zoned to allow multi-family residential development, as well as the church building, a school building and a convent.
Linda Vacca, who is on the board of Bloomfield Alliance, said the group is trying to stay on top of developments at the church. Vacca was part of the group who appealed the closing of Immaculate Conception to the Vatican.
Vacca and a group of others felt that something had to be done to preserve the church, which had been at the heart of the community since it was built in the late 1950s.
That effort failed.
“We know the appeal was a shot in the dark,” Vacca said.
But with the listing of the property, Vacca and other members of Bloomfield Alliance are hopeful for the future of the property.
“We’re hoping that someone comes up with an answer other than some big developer,” she said.
Vacca said Bloomfield Alliance doesn’t want to see large apartment buildings built there, given the character of the rest of the area along Friendship Avenue.
Before the church was listed for sale, the owners of La Scuola d’Italia Galileo Galilei, which runs a daycare, preschool and kindergarten that offers multilingual instruction, had asked about buying the school, Vacca said, but nothing came of that.
She thinks the organization, which also offers adult language classes and wanted to expand into older grades, would be a good fit, particularly because the church and parish hall could be repurposed into a community and event center. When the church was open, the parish hall was rented nearly every weekend, she said, and would likely be a popular venue.
The diocese is removing asbestos from the building, and that will need to be finished before the property is shown to potential buyers.
The diocese has also applied for a demolition permit for the site. Vacca said Bloomfield Alliance plans to oppose that application.
Just like with the appeal, she said, they’re learning as they go.
But she said, regardless of who the property is sold to, the community wants development that fits with the existing residential character of the area.
“Whoever buys it should do their homework about what this community has already stopped from happening,” she said.