Our New Home

Tri City Historical Society’s first History Spotlight features the society’s new home. After a recent move, TCHS is now located in Aluminum City Arts at 200 Freeport Road NK, adjacent to St. Peter’s Church.  ACA is the creation of Brian Defelices and Ernesto Camacho who have masterminded a cultural hub in their building. In addition to art spaces, ACA will house TCHS, a bookstore, frame shop, and become a go to location for social events.

This storied building was the original location of the Alcoa Clubhouse designed by Pittsburgh architects Benno Janssen and Franklin Abbott in 1916 and completed in 1918. It served as a training residence for young male engineers who worked at different departments in the NK plant during the day and studied engineering and metallurgy in evening classes at the facility. After a six month course they were sent to other Alcoa plants around the US. Engineers were housed in the second floor’s 31 rooms, two to a room. The first floor had a lounge, billiard room, card room, office, parcel room and a 30’ x 70’ swimming pool. Tennis courts were located in the rear of the building.  

In 1962 as Alcoa’s presence in NK changed, the building hosted Citizens General Hospital School of Nursing students until 2004 when it became the home of The River Church.

The building’s new life will definitely be a creative change maker in NK