A Car Dealership Becomes an Industrial Home
I love it when I read about people who don't only say they care, but actually do something about it. It was the home of John and Gisele Fetterman that first caught my eye, but I am also wowed by what they have achieved in their community.
John Fetterman and his family live in Braddock, PA, USA. It's just outside Pittsburgh and, not too long ago, was poor, violent and a bit of a ghost town. That wasn't always the story; back in its heyday this area was once a vibrant urban centre for the steel industry. When John arrived here in 2001, he set to work to bring the community back.
Their home just epitomises what this family are good at: seeing potential. Their vast house was once an indoor car dealership built in the 1920s. From a boarded-up wreck they have created a great family home for them and their three kids. I love how they have kept the car ramps!
A later look around the house reveals just how much of the building’s character they kept. John and Gisele first saw the former Superior Motors building in 2013 and spent around nine months turning it into their home. Original concrete floors remain, alongside scrap timber flooring, 1920s-style lighting and reclaimed pieces including old laboratory cabinets and church pews. Huge soundproof windows look across to the Edgar Thomson Steel Works; a very literal reminder of Braddock’s industrial history.
But it is what they have achieved in the community they love which is the most impressive. When this post was originally published in 2016, John was mayor of Braddock, an area transformed with community centres, artist residencies, a craft brewery, an urban farm and even a green-energy start-up in this once steel-focused town! Since then John went on to serve as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor and was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in 2023; his official biography still lists the restored Braddock car dealership as the family home.
Gisele too has contributed to the community they love. Born in Rio de Janeiro and raised in New York, she had a passion for limiting waste and set up Braddock's Free Store, housed in colourful shipping containers, and 412 Food Rescue, which takes food still good to eat and gives it to those who need it.
What great passion and determination! You need it if you take on a challenging restoration project like their home. I love it!
Originally found at Design*Sponge.
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