Photo by Matt Nemeth
Frank Wazni sits at the counter in Papa J’s Restaurant on Boulevard of the Allies. Wazni, an employee of Papa J’s for over 18 years, is knowledgeable of the establishment’s ghostly happenings.
Originally published in The Globe October 29, 2013
Frank Wazni does not believe in ghosts, but he certainly respects them.
Wazni, an employee at Downtown’s Papa J’s for more than 18 years, was first employed after his predecessor quit in a rage, throwing his apron down and swearing he would never return after seeing “her” again.
Who was this mysterious “her?” According to Wazni, it could have been any number of women who called the restaurant home before meeting a violent death. The building currently housing Papa J’s on Boulevard of the Allies is the oldest standing former brothel in Pittsburgh and with it comes a sordid history.
Wazni says the ghost legends have been passed down through the years. Among them are the frightening tale of a young lady shot by her husband after he discovered her working in what is now the women’s bathroom, and another woman stabbed to death by her boyfriend when he discovered her on the job in the front room.
“People tell me all the time that they’ve seen things,” said Wanzi in an interview Monday. “They brought a priest in and had the place blessed, and for a month after that we had more glasses break than you can imagine. We went through glasses like water. So yeah, we don’t do that anymore.”
Jane McAnallen 