Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh: View of the St John the Baptist Church on Liberty Avenue and 36th Street in Lawrenceville. Founded in 1878, this Catholic Church served the Lawrenceville area of Pittsburgh. It.steadily expanded until the early 1900s. The church survived a fire, flooding, and the depression. By the late 1950s when steel mills started to close, the. Lawrenceville's population declined, much like the rest of Pittsburgh. Major parishes, including St. John the Baptist, began to lose members. Due to financial and organizational circumstances, the Diocese of Pittsburgh restructured the churches in its jurisdiction in 1993 and St. John the Baptist was closed. Brew Works purchased the building in 1995 and developed it into a restaurant and brewpub. The Church Brew Works opened for business on August 1, 1996.