Standing Tall for the North Side

Grafs’ Decades-Long Commitment to Cultural Heritage and Civic Institutions Invigorate the Community

Ed and Mary Ann Graf’s legacy is one of unwavering dedication to their community, evidenced by their support for Pittsburgh institutions like the National Aviary, the Pittsburgh Ballet, the Carnegie Museums and the Heinz History Museum of Western Pennsylvania. But their proudest moments were based in their commitment to Pittsburgh’s North Side.

Ed, who passed away in 2025, and Mary Ann, who died in 2014, used their Graf Family Charitable Giving Fund – established at The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2013 – to deepen their roots in the region. 

Ed and Mary came from modest, blue-collar families, Ed in Ross Township, Mary Ann in Ingram. “There wasn’t a whole lot of extra money around. They were worried about putting food on the table and not philanthropy,” said their son, John. “But, in the ‘70s, after they graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and got established with jobs and income, settled in their forever house and with kids in school, they thought: How do we improve the community, how do we make it a better place?”

Giving back began at the Ben Avon Historical Association (now Avonworth Historical Society) where Mary helped raise funds to preserve the Dickson Log House. Then a vacant lot on East Ohio Street in Deutschtown needed sprucing.

“The lot looked like a missing tooth,” John said. “A building had been condemned and torn down and they thought: What can we do to make it look more kempt. They could have shrugged their shoulders, but they ponied up some cash to make it look better.”

The result was an artful wrought iron fence that now – two decades later – provides the beautiful entrance to Allegheny City Brewing. 

Another addition to their area came after another assessment. This time, a vacant storefront also on East Ohio Street had them wondering: “What’s missing on the street? What about a bakery?”

“Little did they know they’d be taking on one of the most challenging businesses,” John said, laughing. The bakery was called Priory Fine Pastries.

“We put out a good product in a business that’s got a lot of odd hours, a lot of moving parts to it,” John said. “A bakery is not a knick-knack shop; it requires lots of maintenance and equipment. [The bakery] was another example of my parents saying, ‘Hey, we want to invest time and energy here’ to benefit the community and create jobs, which it did.” Today, the tradition of baked goods lives on in the space, which is now owned and operated as Prantl’s on the Northside.

Keeping the culture and heritage of the North Side neighborhood alive and thriving was also exemplified by Ed’s commitment to the vitality of the Teutonia Männerchor and as a member of the Schweizer Männerchor Helvetia (Pittsburgh Swiss Singers). At 6 feet 5 inches tall, he was a gentle giant (unless he was hooping on his beloved basketball courts) and was tough to miss on stage.

“The Teutonia Männerchor was dear to his heart,” John said. “He embraced that German club. He sang in the choir and was instrumental in improving the club,” adding that today, the club has a very young membership and averages 30 new members each month who have a love of German culture.

“It was great for him. That culture in a historic German building and in a historic German neighborhood. Having men’s and women’s choirs and the dancing. He really embraced it. It’s such an important part of the fabric of the neighborhood in Deutschtown.”

So, too, are the Priory Hotel and Grand Hall at the Priory.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation acquired the structures in the planning for Interstate 279. The route changed and the church and priory, constructed in 1854 and 1888, respectively, were put up for auction. Enter Ed.

“It was an interesting situation and a leap of faith, so to speak,” John said. “My dad was looking for back-office space for Ketchum [where he was a CFO and vice chairman] and here were these two historic buildings, a church and a monastery. My parents fell in love with it, thinking that it would be a shame if these buildings that are so woven into the fabric of the neighborhood would go away.”

Ed was traveling overseas on business at the time of the auction. He was greeted by Mary Ann at the airport with the news: “Well,” she said, “we bought a church. What in the hell are we going to do with it?!”

A friend said the North Side needed a hotel and suggested that the priory be converted into lodging. The Grafs loved the idea and the reconfiguration of The Priory – A City Inn (now the Priory Hotel) was completed in Nov. 1986.

In 1995, Ed and Mary Ann, along with their son, John, and daughter-in-law, Suzanne, embarked on the rehabilitation of the adjacent church building. In Nov. 1995, the church was re-christened as the Grand Hall at the Priory, an event venue that has now hosted more than 2,000 wedding receptions, nonprofit fundraisers, corporate parties and other events.

“For my folks, making the neighborhood better and giving the means to support these cultural flowers was very important because it’s part of what makes Pittsburgh as a city, great,” John said. “We’ve got these cultural assets that can’t be recreated elsewhere and are really distinctly Pittsburgh.”

Much like the Grafs themselves.