Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Expects to Break Ground in North Hills in October

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, formerly of Pittsburgh’s North Side, has set up temporary residence at the former Northway Elementary School, 495 Browns Lane, in Ross Township as it finalizes plans and works toward the construction of its new church at the corner of Cumberland Road and Babcock Boulevard.

Groundbreaking on the Byzantine-style building is planned for October, with construction expected to take 14 to 15 months, said the Rev. John Touloumes.

"We hope to be in the new church by January 2013," he said. 

Founded in 1923, Holy Trinity Church is a parish of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh and Archdiocese of America. It has a congregation of about 250 families with a membership of 1,000,  Touloumes said. 

The church had been in its North Side location since 1923. The congregation's migration sparked the move to the North Hills, he said.

"Most of our congregation left the North Side and has moved to the North Hills," he said. "We followed our congregation out of the North Side."

The 10-acre location at Cumberland Road and Babcock Boulevard, which was purchased from La Roche College, is the church's "demographic center," Touloumes said. 

The former property was sold to the Northside Institutional Church of God in Christ, whose church was lost to a fire in 2009.

Christ Kamages, a San Francisco-based architect known for his focus on faith-based structures, in particular, the merging of the style of Byzantine cathedrals with modern needs, designed the new church.

Besides the church, there will be a community center and educational facilities, Touloumes said. 

Until the project is completed, the congregation is renting the temporary location from the t. Services are being conducted in the school’s auditorium and gymnasium. The site has been supplemented with chairs for the congregation and a temporary altar, including liturgical items brought from the North Side location.

School offices are being used for church administration and the classrooms for storage and teachings. 

Divine Liturgy is at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday. 

An earlier version of this story noted an incorrect move-in date for the new church. The correct date is January 2013.