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WHEREAS, built in 1888 as the St. Mary's Priory, a former Benedictine monastery, the Priory's then 25 guestrooms were lovingly restored to 19th century elegance by the Graf family in 1986, weaving Edwardian era antiques and reproductions to accent the building's remarkable architectural and interior design features; and
WHEREAS, the Priory Hotel, a 42 room family owned and operated boutique hotel nestled in the historic Deutschtown section of Pittsburgh's Northside, includes the Grand Hall at the Priory Hotel, one of the region's premier ballrooms, set within the adjoining former church; and
WHEREAS, in 1982, demolition of the hulking and empty buildings, St. Mary's Church and Priory was scheduled to begin, until an active group using a variety of techniques including protests and lawsuits, succeeded in convincing PennDOT to reroute the highway and avoid the destruction of St. Mary's Church and Priory; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, historic preservationists, Mary Ann and Edward Graf acquired the church and priory by auction, from PennDOT, to preserve the properties, although they did not originally know what new use was appropriate, settled on a hotel for the former monastery; and
WHEREAS, after more than a year of renovations, in December 1986, a host of local dignitaries, including the late Mayor Richard Caliguri, gathered together to cut the ribbon open to the doors of The Priory Hotel; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, the Graf family unveiled the Priory Hotel's new wing, a $2.7 million project which added 17 guestrooms to the existing property and which seamlessly blended the new construction with the original building; and
WHEREAS, on November 26, 2012, at Pittsburgh's Grand Hall at The Priory, the community gathered to celebrate twenty-five years of the Priory Hospitality Group, the Graf family, and their place in revitalizing Pittsburgh's Deutschtown;
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby rec...
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