Healthy Active Living Center, Mount Washington: 122 Virginia Avenue
The Healthy Active Living (HAL) Center building on Virginia Avenue has two former aliases: The Mount Washington Senior Center (which needs no explanation) and the more mysterious “Lodge Potenza.”
That original designation started nearly 150 years ago and was a mutual aid society for Italian immigrants from the Basilicata region in southern Italy (with Potenza as the capital city). For several decades throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Pittsburgh had dozens of such groups that helped new arrivals become familiar with America, find work and housing, and socialize.
While I haven’t found any historic photos of Lodge Potenza, perhaps the sheaf of wheat that adorns the entrance is a holdover from those long-ago days. Regardless of your language, visually, it’s a symbolic reminder that a bountiful harvest is a collective effort.
The building at 122 Virginia Avenue has undergone renovations over the years, and from the street, it looks pretty modern. But a peek around the back reveals the connection between yesterday’s Lodge and today’s HAL: the bocce court. HAL’s programming calendar indicates the court is still in regular use, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the “regulars” show up at the Heinz History Center’s 14th Annual Bocce Tournament & Festival on Saturday, August 8. A strong, collective effort doesn’t guarantee a win, but it greatly increases the odds of having a fun and memorable time.
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