A converted church featuring custom, giant murals inside and out is for sale in Stanton Heights.
Nationally known comedian Steve Hofstetter recently relocated from Pittsburgh to South Carolina and is selling the property that once housed his nonprofit Steel City Arts Foundation.
The church was originally Stanton Heights United Methodist Church, constructed in 1933.
The unusual property, located at 4721 Stanton Ave., is listed by Keller Williams Luxury Realtor Chad Church for $1.9 million.
“I’ve always been fascinated by repurposed buildings where the architecture itself is interesting. Churches, banks, movie theaters — old buildings where it’s not just a box,” said Hofstetter, founder of Steel City Arts Foundation, which launched in 2021.
He is no stranger to renovating former houses of worship. In 2023, he purchased a Ross building that was once a church to establish Sunken Bus Studios.
Hofstetter originally envisioned having an environment for comedians and artists under one roof at the Stanton Heights property to collaborate in a live/work/play environment that would boast amenities such as a comedy club and film production studio. But local zoning issues ultimately led to that dream not happening.
Living in the expansive space provided Hofstetter with plenty of projects.
“You could never run out of things to do. There are so many interesting spaces,” he said.
Church, the Keller Williams agent, said Stanton Heights is up and coming.
“The last five years, this area has become a really desirable neighborhood and it’s so close to Lawrenceville. The values have consistently risen and a lot of young families are moving in here,” Church said.
The property’s listing price of under $2 million makes it priced to sell, according to Church.
“Someone that buys this will feel like they just went to a tag sale and grabbed a $1.9 million property,” Church said.
The listing recently landed national attention this week with a post on the Zillow Gone Wild Facebook page.
The mega-mural on the exterior is the work of John Maurice Muldoon. It flanks one side of the building and boasts a thought-provoking phrase commonly used by the late civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, “Get in Good Trouble.”
Church, describing the property as energetic and dynamic, said listings like this are fun to have.
“I think this is one of the coolest listings in the city right now,” Church said.
The live-work space features five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a contemporary vibe and an open living concept with more than 13,000 square feet of livable space. The modern kitchen is bathed in natural light and has a huge center island.
Hofstetter continued renovations during the four years he resided at the former church.
“I was constantly adding to it,” he said. “It’s one of the tallest buildings in one of the most elevated neighborhoods.”
“My vision was to eventually turn the steeple into glass and then you could see for miles,” Hofstetter said.
The former sanctuary serves as a spacious game room and the property has two different wings.
A hallway with three Pittsburgh-centric murals leads to a gym area and additional production areas that include a professional recording area and sound room.
The only drawback Church pointed out is the lack of a garage.
“Somebody with the ability to purchase a property at this price point may have one or more fancy cars, but there is room to build a four-car garage on the side where the mural is,” Church said. “I’m a pool guy. For a place like this, there’s room in the back for a pool. It’s so done, but a buyer could add the things that would finish this property off.”
Hofstetter said the next owner of the property is buying the most affordable mansion in Pittsburgh.
“I hope someone who respects the history but also wants to continue modernizing it,” Hofstetter said. “This was an arts foundation, so I hope it’s someone who respects the arts as well.”