The 1950s-era Boyd Elementary School was so beloved in the Fox Chapel Area that community members wouldn’t let it sit empty when it closed in 1983.
Two residents spearheaded the opening of Boyd Community Center, which opened that same year in the brick building off Powers Run Road in O’Hara.
It hosted a day care, after-school classes and a library, which the community lacked until then.
Three decades later, visitors had grown the center into a space where more than 400 programs were offered each year. People gathered for exercise, gardening, calligraphy, ballet and so much more.
In 2014, construction began on a $9.3 million replacement dubbed the Lauri Ann West Community Center, named for a third grader who died in 1966 after a fall on the property. The building was named in her memory thanks to donations from the West family, O’Hara and many community groups.
Built on the same 11-acre campus, the facility sees more than 10,000 visits a month from residents of Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, O’Hara and Sharpsburg.
The center features a paid fitness center, a full-size gym, elevated walking trail, live music, children’s classes, STEM program and group exercise classes. There usually is a waiting list for the pickleball courts. There is an after-school arts and enrichment program for children, and the center serves as a drop-off point for the Second Harvest community free fridge.
Today, the community center bills itself as a place to build connections, expand horizons and impact lives by providing a safe place for all to learn, play and grow.
Fun fact: When Boyd Elementary opened in 1952, it had 204 students in first through sixth grades.
Many of the classmates who attended throughout the three decades remain connected through a Facebook page called boydschoolalumni.
There are about 200 members who share memories of the teachers and students, along with old class photos.