Ethnic Intimidaton Charges Filed Against Pittsburgh Architect

Pittsburgh PA

24 March, 2022

8:05 AM

Description

PITTSBURGH, PA — One of the city's most well-known and respected architects and his wife are facing criminal charges after police accused them of harassing residents of Shadyside. Robert Pfaffmann, 66, and Lisa Haabestad, 64, are charged with ethnic intimidation, criminal mischief and criminal conspiracy, Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said. Pfaffmann is president of Pfaffman & Associates, which has been involved in numerous Pittsburgh building projects. The couple was identified after photos of them public safety officials placed online last week drew numerous responses. At the time, police said there were "several incidents of harassment and intimidation" at an address in Shadyside. According to police, a man had his yard signs defaced with political and anti-national messages and a bag of rice thrown onto his property with similar sentiments written on it. He also was subjected to abusive language and threats, police said. An immediate neighbor and his family report being similarly harassed on an almost daily basis since the end of February. While police have not identified the nationality of the targeted people, KDKA-TV spoke with one of them. He said the harassment has occurred since 2020 and has gotten worse since Russia's invasion of Urkraine. Police said the FBI has been notified about the incidents. No one answered a Patch call to Pfaffmann's office early Thursday. An email seeking comment on the charges was not immediately returned. According to his LinkedIn profile, Pfaffmann has been involved in a number of significant projects in around Pittsburgh. He worked on Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Building Performance & Diagnostics and the redevelopment of former brownfield sites such as Washington's Landing and the Pittsburgh Technology Center. Other notable projects include the Heinz History Center, Meadowcroft Rockshelter, the Carnegie Museum's Powdermill Nature Center and the Port Authority of Allegheny County's Gateway T station. Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.