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Council proclaims March 25, 2025 as Belmar Gardens Day, highlights cooperative housing history
Summary
Councilman Mosley read a proclamation recognizing Belmar Gardens and its origins as the nation’s first cooperative built with FHA-insured mortgages, declaring March 25, 2025 Belmar Gardens Day in Pittsburgh.
Councilman Mosley presented a proclamation at the March 25 meeting recognizing Belmar Gardens, a cooperative community built in the 1950s to expand homeownership opportunities for middle-income Black families in Pittsburgh. The proclamation, read into the record, traces the development’s origins to Jessie Vann, publisher of The Pittsburgh Courier, and notes that construction began in October 1953 and that the community paid off its mortgage in 1995.
Mosley described Belmar Gardens as “a beacon” and said the site is an example to consider as the city addresses affordable housing challenges. He emphasized the development’s history as a response to discriminatory lending practices that denied loans to Black families after World War II.
The council approved the proclamation by voice vote. Councilmembers and attendees posed for photographs with residents after the presentation.
Ending: The proclamation instructs the city to recognize Belmar Gardens’ history and designates March 25, 2025 as Belmar Gardens Day in the City of Pittsburgh; councilmembers said they will distribute the proclamation to visitors and acknowledged the neighborhood’s continued presence in District 9.
