Black church, NHL's Penguins reach historic land-use accord

More than 60 years ago, a historic Black church was forced to give up its sanctuary, compensated for what it says was a fraction of its value, to an urban renewal project that wiped out the heart of an African American neighborhood known as the Hill District.

Now, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is poised to recoup some of that loss and reclaim a spot near its former home. It has reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins — the NHL franchise that now holds development rights to the site near its current arena — for the church to use a 1.5-acre parcel that it envisions using for housing and other revenue-generating development.

“I have never been hockey fan. … Now I’m a hockey fan,” said AME Third District Bishop Errenous McLoud Jr., thanking the Penguins during a news conference Friday preceded by a special worship service on the site Bethel is acquiring. He noted this accord “could and should become a model for reparations all over the world.”