Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

The organization known as the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh, evolved from the Columbian Council School, Irene Kaufmann Settlement (IKS), Irene Kaufmann Centers (IKC), Young Men and Women's Hebrew Association (YMWHA), and Y-IKC. In 1974, the name Y-IKC, was changed to the JCC. The JCC is a non-profit organization and is a beneficiary agency of the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh and the United Way of Allegheny County. The JCC is nonsectarian, as were the institutions that preceded it, and provides social and cultural services. The Irene Kaufmann Building (IKB) of the JCC at 5738 Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill was constructed in 1959 for a membership of 4500. In 1977/1978, the JCC added 10,000 square feet of space to the IKB. Included were a multi-purpose room (which could be converted into a gymnasium), a kosher kitchen, lounge and office space, and additional space for pre-school activities. During the addition, the building was closed for one year. The newly enlarged building was dedicated in January 1980. This marked the completion of a building and expansion phase that included improvements to the Henry Kaufmann Family Recreation Park in Monroeville and the construction of the new Oliver M. Kaufmann Teen Village at the Emma Kaufmann Camp as well as other renovations to the camp. In 1986, the Forbes Avenue building was razed to make way for a larger facility. The YMWHA building on Bellefield Street in Oakland had provided additional facilities for the JCC until it was sold in 1984 to the University of Pittsburgh, although the JCC continued to lease the building for several years. Because the Forbes Avenue JCC building had been razed to make way for the new construction, programs were moved to the YMWHA building, synagogues, and to other facilities. The approximately 100,000 square foot multi-purpose facility was nearly double the size of the previous JCC IKB and cost approximately 7.5 dollars million to construct. The new building replaced both the old Forbes Avenue IKB and the Oakland Y. In addition to the IKB, the Alex & Leona Robinson Building, which houses the Katz Performing Arts Center and the Holocaust Center of the UJF of Greater Pittsburgh, was built across the street at 5738 Darlington Road. In 1999, the JCC of Pittsburgh was renamed JCC of Greater Pittsburgh. The mission of the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh is stated as, The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh cultivates Jewish identity, heritage, culture and community by promoting the physical, intellectual and spiritual well-being of individuals, families and the community at large.

From the description of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Oversize Photographs 1916-2000 (Historical Society of W Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 276870568

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