Blueprint 58 Building Community Space in Pittsburgh Neighborhood

When Rebecca and Adam Stanley founded Blueprint 58 in 2011, they always hoped they could do something bigger. For almost a decade, they have worked with the Pittsburgh neighborhood community out of their home in Adair Park, holding mentor programs, community groups, and youth sports leagues among other things.

In May of 2018, the couple purchased the building on 931 McDaniel in the Pittsburgh neighborhood, hoping to refurbish it and turn it into a community space. Unfortunately, the state of the building made that impossible. 

“We had hoped to save the building, but several structural and environmental engineers told us that was not possible” Rebecca Stanley said in an interview with What Now Atlanta. “So we will be rebuilding.”

Though the old building has been demolished, the Stanleys plan to rebuild 931 McDaniel exactly as it was before. “We’re trying to stay true to the history and the community and honor the people who have come before us,” Stanley said. 

The newly constructed 7,300-square-foot space will be three stories tall. The first floor will have office space, classroom space, a learning kitchen, a game room, and a small library. Rebecca, Adam, and their four children will move into the second floor, and the third floor will be attic space. The Stanleys plan on creating a community garden and basketball court in the surrounding space.

Moving into this space allows the Stanleys to root themselves in the community they’re serving. It also allows them to expand their mentorship and community programs.

“We want to do what we’re doing now in our home, but just have more space to invite more students and families into that,” Stanley said. “We feel like we can understand the community better and the needs better by being really rooted there. That’s the goal with working there, is that we will be able to be more connected to our neighbors and to the community we’re serving.”