Carnegie, family to restore historic stone pavilion

A local family and Carnegie Borough are working to restore a historic pavilion at Carnegie Park.

Borough officials, and descendants of Domenico Masciantonio, are in the midst of a project to restore the Stone Pavilion at Carnegie Park to its original look and feel.

“It’s a legacy,” said Masciantonio’s grandson, Chuck Woods. “It’s a passion project of mine of my grandfather’s work.”

Masciantonio, an Italian immigrant, came to the United States in the early 1900s with his brother, Pietro, and his sister, Maria. The trio settled in the Cubbage Hill section of Carnegie, where Masciantonio practiced his trade as a stone mason.

During the Great Depression, Masciantonio made ends meet by working on numerous stone projects throughout Carnegie as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps or the Works Progress Administration. The Carnegie Park Stone Pavilion, located off Forsythe Road, was one such project, Woods said.

Masciantonio’s story contributed to Woods’ need to stabilize and restore the pavilion.

“It really reflects the culture of the immigrant story. He came with nothing other than his brother and sister,” Woods said.

While the exact date of construction for the pavilion is unknown, it’s believed by officials to be about 85 years old.

The pavilion has been used heavily by the community over the years and has fallen into disrepair over the past number of decades, said Carnegie Council President Phil Boyd.

Masciantonio descendants raised money for repairs, and the borough sought grants to complete the restoration. Borough officials held a walk-through at the pavilion with potential contractors this month to review the scope of the work. The borough planned to open the bids at the end of the month.

Work at the pavilion includes stone restoration; roof replacement; electrical, plumbing and kitchen upgrades; and more.

Woods anticipates construction to begin in early spring and the pavilion to be ready in the fall.

Boyd said the borough is grateful for the efforts from Woods and his family.

“It really deserves to be restored,” he said.

Woods reciprocated the gratitude to the borough and to the local community. A GoFundMe, a purse bash event and other donations raised by the family total $35,000. A total cost of the project will be just more than $100,000, Woods said.

“It’s a demonstration of what the community can do by working with the government instead of against them, it pulls people together with a vested interest,” Woods said.

“The spirit of that is really noteworthy. It’s a nice thing to see in this day and age.”