Demolition underway as progress continues on $16.7M Clairton project

For the MVI

Demolition crews are clearing away abandoned buildings on Clairton’s Miller Avenue as work continues on a new, $16.7 million mixed-use development.

On Friday, following asbestos and hazardous materials abatement, workers began demolishing the former Croatian Club of Clairton, as well as a building that once housed part of the Colonial Theater.

The work is necessary so that construction can begin on the Clairton Inn Project, which will include 49 units of affordable housing, several new retail spaces and a new location for the Clairton Public Library, said a spokesman for Mon Valley Initiative, which is leading the development.

Funding is being provided through tax credits authorized by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, with additional financial support from state Department of Community & Economic Development, Allegheny County Economic Development, the City of Clairton, Mon Valley Initiative and Economic Development South.

According to newspaper clippings, the Colonial Theater was built in the 1930s and closed in the late 1960s. The theater’s ornate lobby was torn down in 1997, and the remaining space was most recently a used appliance store. The Croatian Club opened in 1961, but closed in the early 2000s and had been vacant for more than a decade.

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