Our History

Our Building

Originally known as the Friendship Avenue Church, our church was built by a congregation or organized by a committee of the Pittsburg [sic] Presbytery in the Friendship school on the evening of November 25th, 1902.  Thirty-six members were enrolled at this meeting.  The first pastor, Rev. John M. Gaston, was installed on the evening of February 9th, 1904.

The church building was designed by prominent Pittsburgh architect O. M. Topp, construction by contractor Charles S. Smith began on June 20, 1907.  The corner stone was laid on October 12, and the building was completed on March 15, 1908.  The building was built of solid stone walls, concrete foundation, and faced in Hummelstown brownstone.  The basement was – and still is – equipped with a kitchen and social room.  The sanctuary has a seating capacity of 650, and the adjacent wing includes a kitchen and small dining area, ground floor chapel and nursery, with Sunday school classrooms on a second floor balcony.  

The church was dedicated on May 10th, Rev. Francis L. Patton, D. D., LL. D., President of Princeton Theological Seminary, preaching the sermons at both morning and evening services.  In the morning Dr. Patton spoke from Romans 5:4, showing that the Resurrection of Christ was the keystone in the arch of Christianity.  In the evening he spoke from Philippians 3: 13-14.  

Two Congregations United into One

In 1831 a newly formed church named "First Presbyterian Church of Northern Liberties of Pittsburgh" began meeting in the Northern Liberties neighborhood-known today as the Strip District.

Six years later, in 1837, the now Strip District formally became part of the City of Pittsburgh and the church name was changed to Fourth Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh.

It was sometime in the 1880's, that Fourth Church re-organized and moved their location to Liberty Avenue in the Friendship Area.

In November 1902, a separate church named Friendship Avenue Presbyterian Church was formally established. With just 35 congregants, an agreement was made to build this church on our current site. The chapel building was completed in 1904 and our sanctuary was added a few years later. The words “Friendship Avenue” were etched into the cornerstone and remains to this day.

In the years that followed, Friendship Avenue Church and Fourth Presbyterian Church would be be knit together as one body of believers. Quoting from a 1931 article about the events of 1915, "by petition of the two congregations, the members of the Fourth Church were permitted to vacate their old building at Liberty Avenue and Eveline Street, and to merge with the Friendship Avenue church."

In a gesture of genuine friendship and true to their name, Friendship Avenue Church welcomed their Fourth Presbyterian Church brothers and sisters into their building. And, in an act of humility, even adopted their name. The two churches combined to become the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh that we are today.

In 2023, Fourth Presbyterian Church reverted to its original name: Friendship Avenue Church.

Now part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) denomination, the congregation voted to update its name to reflect its attitude of friendship in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior.