In 1961, three Pittsburgh businessmen came together, formed a Corporation and began planning the construction of a cooperative apartment building in Oakland, to be called The Bristol, Inc. Articles of Incorporation were filed in Harrisburg on May 1, 1961 and the proper Certificate of Incorporation was issued on the same day. The three gentlemen, listed as lncorporators, were Joseph A. Shenkan, David M. Kaufman and Harry E. Richter.

The Corporation's registered place of business at the time was in the Frick Building in downtown Pittsburgh where their first formal meeting was held May S, 1961. At that meeting, by-laws were adopted and five men were named directors of the Corporation -- the original three Incorporators plus two others: Leroy Huttner and David Rothman. (Soon tbereafter, Mr. Rothman assigned his stock and interest to Leonard H. Krieger.) Each of the five directors then received one share of common stock in the Corporation, thus becoming the first Bristol shareholders. Eventually, a total of 11,720 shares were allocated to assign, as needed, to the occupants of the 56 planned apartments.

But even before the Bristol's Incorporation, the three businessmen, later joined by the two additional board members, had begun making arrangements to acquire property. They were also actively planning for construction and sale of the units in the building. The Pittsburgh architectural firm of Franklin, Douden and Associates was hired for the design work and Mellon-Stuart Co. was selected as general contractor. When the Board of Directors met for the second time, on August 25, 1961, 37 apartments had already heen subscribed for, though construction had not yet begun.

The Board hired Marhoefer Realty Co. to be the management firm for the Bristol, charged with handling specific husiness affairs, once the building was completed. In November of 1964, Arnheim and Neely, Inc. assumed that responsibility. Community Management Solutions (CMS} became the Bristol's management company in January of 1966, and remains so today.

Construction of the Bristol got underway on September 7, 1961 when Pittsburgh's then Mayor, Joseph M. Barr, started the project. According to a Post-Gazette article on that day, "instead of removing a shovelful of earth, he (the mayor) removed a portion of one of the seven homes to be torn down." As the building neared completion, the D' Ascenzo family moved in. It was January 1963 and they were the first to occupy a Bristol apartment while the Pfohl family was finishing their apartment and moving in at about the same time. Today, both Rosemary D'Ascenzo and Georgia Pfohl remain Bristol residents.

The first Annual Meeting of the Shareholders of The Bristol, Inc. occurred on February 26, 1963. Thirty three residents were present and two more present by proxy. David M. Kaufman remained a director while four new members were elected to join the Board of Directors. On May 1, 1963, the first 40 occupants of Bristol apartments received their Certificates of Common Stock. By April of 1967, 55 apartments were owner-occupied.

Managing tbe internal affairs of the Bristol is, and always has been, the Board of Directors' responsibility. Its members are shareholders and, collectively, the shareholders of the building comprise the Bristol Association. Several committees have heen established over the years to help with the care of the building, the interviewing of prospective shareholders, the arranging of social gatherings and now, the production of a newsletter.

At the annual meeting of shareholders each May, the Board of Directors' members are elected. Originally, the by-laws called for five members to serve but, in time, revisions to the by-laws increased the number to seven. The current Bristol Directors are: Ira Weiss, President; Shirley Rapport, Mildred Linnelli, Charles Perego, Rosemary D'Ascenzo, Malcolm Levy and Lawrence Frolik.

Over the years, much has changed in the procedures, conditions and management of the Bristol, but it remains today-- almost 50 years later -- a well designed, highly functional and very appealing cooperative apartment building.

Elinore Thomas (as published in the April 2010 Bristol Newsletter)