By Brittany Reno
Following the severe winter weather of 1874-75, many people of Pittsburgh were out of work or even homeless. To alleviate the poverty of many city-dwellers, the Association for the Improvement of the Poor was established in 1875. Though many do not know about the organization, it has helped innumerable Pittsburghers down on their luck. The triangle pictured on the giant mural in the Strip District, above, notes the group's special interest in family welfare, helping homeless men, and creating fresh air camps for children to play and frolick in safely.
In 1890, the Association pioneered the cause of helping to provide and care for local widows and orphans in the area. Today, the group is still an active non-profit in the area. It provides "an industrial home for men, a free employment office for women, a fresh air farm for children, [and] a boys' industrial home."
Development of the old Acme Banana Company building was being planned by the Rugby Realty Company as early as 2008, but that endeavor fell through. Today, the Acme Banana Company building stands as an homage to the produce wholesalers that truly developed the Strip from a land of industry to a bustling marketplace.
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