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WHEREAS, October 2024 was the 70th anniversary of the first shareholders that moved into Belmar Gardens. Belmar Gardens is located in the rolling hills of Lincoln-Larimer-Belmar area of our city and was the brainchild of Mrs. Robert Vann, publisher of The Pittsburgh Courier-3 and,
WHEREAS, Mrs. Vann created a space for middle income black families to have paths to homeownership during at a time when black families were refused approval of loans by banks here in the City of Pittsburgh. Black families were also not welcomed in middle-income white urban and suburban neighborhoods in the 1950’s. Belmar Gardens and the tireless efforts of Mrs. Vann was the first cooperative in the country built with FHA insured mortgage, construction was started in October of 1953 and,
WHEREAS, over the next year, a total of 118 units were built on 17 acres, the community is compromised of 100 five-room, two-bedroom units and 18 six room, three-bedroom units. A mortgage burning was done in August of 1995 when the one million, two hundred, twelve thousand, nine-hundred-dollar mortgage was paid off and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and congratulate Belmar Gardens home today to mixed age community that is home to seniors, working professionals and families and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare, Tuesday, March 25th, 2025, to be “Belmar Gardens Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.