Filmmaker Tony Buba focuses on Braddock’s library — and stories, of course

In researching this piece about the restoration of Braddock’s historic library, a detour emerged. It happened about an hour into a conversation with longtime library supporter Tony Buba, who paused and said, “I’ve got another story for you.”

Buba continued: “So when we were kids — 12, 13 years old — there was this guy named British. He had this really heavy British accent. He was drunk a lot, but he knew every Shakespeare play.”

Buba has spent much of his eight decades on this planet absorbing and telling stories about Braddock, his hometown and a place that, after decades of economic struggle, has earned a sort of working-class cachet, at least in part because of Buba’s films.

“This guy British would go down to the J&G Dairy store at the bottom of Fifth Street, and he’d be eating a raw onion in the middle of the street and reciting sonnets and other works by Shakespeare.”

These performances fascinated Buba’s younger brother Pasquale, spurring his interest in the Bard of Avon.

“Now flash forward 30-something years,” Tony Buba said. “My brother [then a film editor] gets an interview with Al Pacino. Al Pacino is looking for an editor to cut a film he was working on called ‘Looking for Richard.’”

The film, released in 1996, is a behind-the-scenes look at Shakespeare’s lasting impact, particularly through his play “Richard III.”

“And because my brother got so interested in Shakespeare from this British guy, he was able to talk Shakespeare with Al, so he got hired to cut the film.”

Characters such as British form the core of Buba’s work — among his films are “Lightning Over Braddock,” “Sweet Sal,” “J. Roy — New & Used Furniture.” He’s spent his adult life exploring and documenting the changes that have whiplashed his hometown and the effects those changes have had on the working-class people who make Braddock their home. It’s jarring to watch his films from the 1970s and then drive down Braddock Avenue — so much has disappeared. The community that remains continues to evolve.

An example: the Braddock Carnegie Library. Like many of the characters in Buba’s films, the building is quirky and unique — people who know about architecture called its design “eclectic medieval.”

The first Carnegie Library in the nation, it opened in 1889 and in its early years provided for what its designers considered the needs of the time: showers for steelworkers covered in mill grime, books, recreation in the form of billiards (Andrew Carnegie was fond of the game), a swimming pool, a boxing gym, duck-pin bowling and a music hall.

Those needs have changed in the past 130-plus years. Drive past the library today and you’ll see it’s surrounded by a chain-link fence and construction equipment. The building is in the midst of a renovation that the library’s leaders say will create spaces better able to provide for today’s community.

Such changes are costly. Buba celebrated his 80th birthday in October by urging friends and supporters to help raise $1.3 million needed to finish the job.

Work includes restoration of the music hall, conversion of the swimming pool into a public space called the “Book Dive,” the addition of an elevator to make all spaces in the library more accessible — the building is graced with beautiful stairways, but they can be a barrier for some users. The renovated library will include an upgraded ceramics studio and a print shop for young people to create designs for items such as clothing and posters. They’ll have access to a 3D printer and equipment to produce laser etchings.

“There are some exciting programs we’ll be working on,” said Vicki Vargo, the library’s executive director.

Also new: a heating and cooling system, windows and doors, paint and furniture. The old rustic bathrooms will get an upgrade.

It’s an ambitious plan, and it’s been underway for a few years. During renovations, library programs are continuing at satellite locations including Braddock’s Battlefield History Center.

Vargo says the goal is to finish construction by the end of 2024. 

Until then, the library is continuing portions of its eclectic loan program — residents who lack a good internet connection can check out hot spots, for example. Tables, chairs, tents and coolers remain available. Patrons can access items a few blocks from the library. Other portions of the loan program are on hiatus until the work is done.

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One thing the library strives to do is improve how members feel about their neighborhoods, Vargo said. As an example, she noted a program called the Garbage Olympics. Young people created art pieces out of refuse and competed to find the most unique piece of garbage and pick up the largest volume of trash.

“When you’re told over and over again that you live in a distressed community, it makes you feel like you’re not worth anything,” Vargo said. “Probably one of the easiest things we can do is boost morale.”

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Back in the late ’70s, the library was closed and on its deathbed. Buba remembers filming in the library at the time. The facility’s last full-time librarian, David Solomon, gave him a tour. Solomon’s dream was to reopen the library, which at the time was a place of broken windows, collapsed ceilings and buckled floors.

“I’m thinking, ‘This guy is crazy; he’s never going to reopen,’” Buba said. “He ended up pulling together a group of people and getting it done.”

Before the most recent renovations began, Buba once again documented building, this time with a former student. The two photographed each space with a camera that captured 360-degree views. Buba plans on returning once the building is complete to reshoot the spaces and then use the images in an online interactive presentation.

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Buba notes that Braddock has produced more than its share of notable folks — writer Thomas Bell and artist Joe Jacobs, for example, and more recently artist Lotoya Ruby Frazier, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and former Braddock Mayor Chardae Jones. The library plays an important roll in nurturing the development of residents’ skills.

Years ago, Braddock High School conducted plays and graduation ceremonies in the library music hall. Buba’s brother Pasquale played first clarinet in the school band and was invited to tour Europe under a program called School Band of America. The problem: Buba’s parents couldn’t afford to pay for the trip.

So the school board and town conducted a jazz concert at the library music hall in an effort to raise funds. “It was $5 a ticket,” Buba said. “So every bookie joint, every numbers runner, had to buy tickets for the concert. The night of the concert, there was a big crowd. My brother raised the funds and ended up going to Europe.”

Normally, that would be the end of a swell heartwarming story. But Buba’s stories always have a twist: After the tour, one of the bookies approached Tony Buba. “Dammit,” the bookie said, “I paid for your brother’s trip to Europe, and he never even sent me a postcard!”