Hill Religious Centers

6 Locations | Curated by Hill District Digital History

The Hill District is the home of numerous religious centers representing different religions and denominations. These buildings are not just a place of worship; they are also spots for community gatherings and places of activism. This tour takes you through the historic religious centers that have offered hope and refuge to residents of the Hill for decades.

Jews have been present in the territory that would eventually become the city of Pittsburgh almost since the beginning. Some of the first recognizable settled Jews were David Franks, Levi A. Levy, and William Trent, who manned a permanent trading post in the settlement at the forks of the Ohio…
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This small yellow brick church, topped with a traditional orthodox onion dome, served as a spiritual home for Pittsburgh's Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian communities from 1917 to 1959. It was during this time that August Wilson, who wrote the famous "Pittsburgh Cycle," frequently spent time on…
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Throughout the 111 years that Central Baptist Church has stood at 2200 Wylie Avenue, it has offered the residents of the Hill District a strong Black religious presence in the neighborhood which has uplifted the whole community. Though the church has had its struggles over the decades, the devoted…
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