By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor
ALLEGHENY CITY CENTRAL — The Northside senior living facility Arch Court will commemorate its 25th anniversary with a special event during National Night Out on Aug. 5.
Arch Court is relatively unique among senior housing developments in that it is owned by its surrounding community. Arch Court, Inc. is a nonprofit subsidiary of the Allegheny City Central Association.
“It’s owned, on paper … by this neighborhood,” said Sarah Olexsak, board president for Arch Court.
While Arch Court’s anniversary was technically last year, having opened in 1999, Olexsak said the date had passed by leadership without them initially realizing, and they wanted to celebrate such an achievement.
During National Night Out, Arch Court residents will come out to the front of their home to meet with the community and share their experiences living there. In addition, information about Arch Court’s past and hints at future plans for the housing development will be featured. Olexsak said the anniversary promises to be a mix of both looking back and forward, as well as showing Arch Court as “an example of what a community can do.”
Olexsak also hopes to use the event to tell residents how they can support Arch Court. In particular, the living center is currently in need of some new board members, and is looking for volunteers for the positions.
Arch Court opened in 1999 and was inspired by West Park Court, the first community-owned low-income apartment building in the country. West Park Court was built in the 1970s by the Central Northside Neighborhood Council, the predecessor of the Allegheny City Central Association. One figure who majorly supported both West Park Court and the construction of Arch Court was Roy Redman, a Central Northsider and community volunteer at West Park Court.
Arch Court residents speaking to The Chronicle praised how quiet and safe they feel living there. Regina Freeman, a resident at Arch Court for four years, said “we police ourselves. We don’t need a guard.”
Lynne Weber, past board chair for Arch Court who still remains a current board member, said Arch Court’s relatively small size helps keep it an orderly living center.
“We only have 30 units and that helps keep it quiet,” she said.
The living center is also continuously being upgraded. In fall of 2024, a $350,000 project to upgrade all of the bathrooms and kitchens in the facility was completed.
Beyond just serving as a senior living home, Arch Court also has a meeting space available for rent and even serves as the meeting location for the Allegheny City Central Association.
For more information on Arch Court or to volunteer for its board, email [email protected]. National Night Out runs from 5-9 p.m. on Aug. 5.
