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Pittsburgh City Council

Documenting Pittsburgh's LGBTQIA+ history with a $25K state grant.

Written by Amy Whipple

After a failed bid to name the city’s first gay historic landmark, the Department of City Planning (DCP) would like to learn more about Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ+ history.

The department requested council’s approval to receive a $25,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to conduct a community context study. The funds require a $7,500 match from the city. 

Kevin Kunak, assistant director for DCP, said that historic nominations typically include a study to identify the history of a place, people or buildings. This process did not happen with last year’s nomination of Donny’s Place, a gay men’s bar on Polish Hill.

The bar operated from 1972 to 2022 and served as an outreach center during the AIDS crisis. Its current owner, the Planning Commission, and council did not support the nomination.

“This is going and starting at the beginning to see if there is context and a story here to celebrate in Pittsburgh,” Kunak said at the May 13 committee meeting. DCP will work with the LGBTQIA+ Commission as well as community groups for research.

Council Member Deb Gross of Highland Park said the public hearing for Donny’s Place yielded a moving history of queer Pittsburgh. “The stories are rich and wonderful and definitely worth saving,” she said.

Council voted to move forward with the request.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Housing & Land Use
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · May 12, 2026
Sources:
Resolution 2026-0451 — authorizing the Mayor and the Director of the Department of City Planning to enter into an Agreement or Agreements with…

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