The final mass at Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was held in September of 2011. The beloved Croatian Catholic church with the vaulted ceilings, large pipe organ and honey colored pews in 2014 was stripped of all religious articles and closed for good. For years it sat, falling prey to neglect. It, along with many other closed churches in the area, kept alive only through the memories of those who were married there, those who were baptized and came of age within its walls, those who, in the sanctuary, said their final goodbye to a loved one.
It is hard to believe that a place with such a wealth of memories would one day be discovered by a young man browsing Craigslist, looking for a place to live. Jordan Stasinowsky, age 24, was house hunting when he came upon this diamond in the rough. Jordan has called Pittsburgh home for the past two years. He works as a financial advisor for PNC Investments and early in 2017 he discovered the church and wanted to convert it into a place he could live. He pitched his idea to his parents Cheryl and Wally, who have been in construction for more than 20 years in California. At the time, they were in the middle of a remodel with their daughter, Amber Smith, and her husband, Daniel, teaching them the ropes of the construction business.
Cheryl flew into Pittsburgh to see why her son was so enamored with this church. "I wanted to talk him out of it," she says. "I told him yeah, it costs $34,000 but you would need to put a million dollars into it to make it into a house, and then you could never sell it."
But while she was in town, and after looking at other listings, she started asking Jordan some different questions. "What else could you do with this building?" and Cheryl says one night, over dinner, the idea of a wine lounge popped into his head and the two began a marathon conversation that, within an hour and a half, laid the groundwork for Mary's Vine. Yes, she admits the idea was crazy but there was one aspect she couldn't shake, Jordan's desire to make this a family project - incorporating all the talents of five individuals.
Cheryl admits she is a California girl, but fell hard for Pittsburgh during her initial visit to investigate the church. Wally, Amber and Daniel felt a pull to the area as well after coming in person to see what this dream was going to take. They agreed, "We'll move our whole entire life to support you in this dream." But as fate would have it, their dream would involve two churches, not one. A real estate agent introduced the family to the former St. Barnabas church, less than a three minute drive from the future wine lounge. That church and rectory held up better than the Visitation of Blessed Virgin Mary church, in large part due to its age. Visitation was built around 1903. St. Barnabas was built more than fifty years later. The rectory allows for members of the Stasinowsky family private and shared living space not far from where Mary's Vine is taking shape, while a local congregation leases the worship space.
Everyone wrapped up projects underway in California and by November of 2017 Cheryl was on site full time. Everyone, except Cheryl, has a full time job so she oversees the project. "What we are giving to our kids - is priceless. We have meetings once a week when we discuss what each of us is doing." Each member of the family has a role - Wally handles the building construction, Amber takes care of the human resources end, Daniel oversees all of the IT Systems, software, website, and marketing and Jordan is the wine guy. He is a certified specialist of wine and is currently studying to be a Level 2 sommelier. Jordan and Daniel are currently developing a, first of its kind, app that will walk a person through the, sometimes overwhelming, experience of choosing a wine.
Mary's Vine will offer between 45 to 50 wines by the glass. These will be wines people are familiar with but there will also be selections to help you step out of your comfort zone and expand internationally. The family will utilize Bermar vacuum sealing technology to preserve the contents of a bottle after being opened and will allow the prices to remain reasonable. This will also enable customers to try high end wines and champagnes and not break the bank. The app, through a series of questions, will intelligently guide a person through the selections and refine their choice to five wines along with menu recommendations that will pair perfectly.
"The goal is that it will remember what you liked last time, if you liked it and it keeps track to see if someone wants to branch out. The purpose is to always grow people in their experience and their appreciation of wine and always feel comfortable with it," Cheryl explains.
The menu will feature a beef, chicken, salad, and seafood dish each night with an extensive list of appetizers for pairing. The kitchen will be in the former social hall of the church and dumbwaiters will allow staff to retrieve the meals quickly on the main floor. Live jazz music will be featured during hours of operation with an emphasis on Wednesday’s to promote the Pittsburgh jazz scene. During the rest of the week, music will add to the atmosphere.
"Wine is appreciated, Wine is slow. Wine is savored so we want the whole experience to be that way."
The years of neglect took its toll on the church. Major repairs needed to be done including replacing the plumbing, HVAC system, roof, and the electrical system. Wally and Cheryl have cashed in their retirement to get the building where it is right now, which shows their commitment to seeing this project through. They have been working with the Enterprise Zone and local banks to acquire financing. "Everything that we have is in this place. It has to work. We won't recover from this."
Cheryl and her family are hoping that others will want to share in making their dream come true. A Kickstarter campaign is being launched this week to help raise the additional funds needed to complete the remaining work and ensure a spring opening. There will be thank you gifts from wine glasses to t-shirts but the family is hoping many in the community will want to immortalize a loved one through personalized wine bottles that will be showcased along the wine serving counter, in a shadowbox Wally crafted with wood from the church's pews.
"All we hear are the stories of 'We were married here, I grew up there.' The generational history that this building already contains - that's what we get to give not only to our family but to the community,"
An agreement with the borough of Rankin will allow the lot along Rankin Boulevard to be utilized for valet parking that will be 100% free with no tip required. A beautifully landscaped park will be the gateway to the Tuscan experience that awaits visitors of Mary's Vine. An illuminated sign and waterfall will be seen from the Rankin Bridge as a beacon inviting people to once again gather in this former worship space where generations gathered for more than a century.
"This area is about to change over. We got in on the ground floor. We brought dignity back to this building and when we get the outside finished, it will be back to life again."
For more information on Mary's Vine visit their website marysvine.com or check out their Facebook page.
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| A lot of work needed to be done within the church due to it not being used or maintained for many years. |
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| The family tree mural is taking shape through a collaborative effort of strength and creativity. |
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| Amber and Daniel Smith, Jordan, Cheryl, and Wally Stasinowsky in their holiday photo from the choir loft. |
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