Long nicknamed the “city of churches,” because of its high number of religious organizations in an area that is roughly two square miles, the borough of Wilkinsburg is an historic first-ring suburb of Pittsburgh, which at its height was characterized by the economic affluence associated with its closeness to the thriving steel city in the early part of the twentieth century.

Incorporated as borough in 1887, Wilkinsburg saw its commercial district, particularly along Penn Avenue and Wood Street, flourish as smaller wood-frame buildings were replaced with larger brick commercial blocks, with larger, high-style architecture cropping up along its main thoroughfares.