Etna cut the ribbon Saturday on the Etna Center for Community, a three-story hub at 341 Butler Street that gives the borough its first public library in 22 years. The grand opening kicked off at 11 a.m. with remarks and a ribbon cutting behind the building at 54 Locust Street, followed by the library opening to visitors at 11:30 a.m. and community programming running inside and outside the facility from noon to 5 p.m.
The Etna Community Organization celebrated the milestone as the culmination of a 10-year development process, according to WPXI. The new library launched with an opening collection of 6,000 pieces, giving residents a walkable alternative to the Shaler North Hills Library, a trip that previously meant navigating a high-traffic boulevard, according to Bridgeway Capital, which notes that local police occasionally assisted children traveling along the corridor to reach the Shaler facility.
Etna had gone without a municipal library since Hurricane Ivan flooded the borough's business district in September 2004, forcing the previous library to close permanently, per TribLIVE's reporting. That 22-year void shaped much of the urgency behind rebuilding a civic anchor on Butler Street, and it's a gap the center's organizers have pointed to repeatedly as they pushed the project to completion.
A Century-Old Building Gets New Life
The center is housed inside Ochse Hall, a structure built in the 1870s by an Etna founding family that once held a grocery store and post office. The 150-year-old building's history is detailed by Bridgeway Capital.
A public courtyard at the site is dedicated to former Etna Mayor Tom Rengers and his family. In April 2025, Pittsburgh-based Volpatt Construction was awarded a $4.2 million contract to renovate Ochse Hall, adding a new great room, four upper-floor apartments, and that memorial courtyard, as reported by TribLIVE.
Library Space Doubles as Affordable Housing
Beyond the library and gathering areas, the three-story facility includes four affordable rental apartments on its upper two floors. Bridgeway Capital, which provided grant and bridge loan financing for the development, says the housing component extends the project's impact well beyond traditional library services.
The building's systems were engineered with sustainability in mind, including two solar arrays to cut operational energy costs, a rainwater collection and stormwater management system designed to capture all runoff on site, and a timber salvage partnership with Construction Junction meant to divert renovation waste from landfills, according to TribLIVE.
Rooted in Etna's EcoDistrict Planning
The project traces back to Etna's 2019 EcoDistrict Plan. The plan identified a public library and community space as the borough's top priority.
A $6 Million Capital Campaign
The center's capital campaign totaled $6 million, according to WPXI.
