Crystal City, MO – A long-dormant piece of Crystal City’s industrial past is being revived as a vibrant hub for the future. For His Families Inc., a local nonprofit led by Heather Crosby, has purchased the former Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company headquarters at 26 Mississippi Ave. and has begun transforming the historic site into The Crystal Shard — a multi-use community center and wedding venue.

The three-story building, once the heart of the nation’s largest plate glass plant, is getting a modern makeover while preserving its industrial roots. The first floor of The Crystal Shard will serve as a full-scale community center, complete with meeting rooms, a commercial kitchen for cooking classes, a youth lounge, and a “maker space” outfitted with tools such as a laser engraver, embroidery machine, heat press, lapidary machines, and other creative resources.

The second floor will feature an industrial-themed wedding venue — a tribute to the building’s heritage and Crystal City’s identity as a former glass manufacturing powerhouse. The third floor will serve as a private residence.

Outside, the project includes a public garden with winding paths, a greenhouse, and a woodworking shop aimed at teaching woodworking skills. Visitors will be invited to paint and place kindness rocks in the garden — a space Crosby says is designed to foster “peace and calmness.” She hopes the garden will also become a popular backdrop for wedding, prom, and senior photos.

“The garden will be a center for the community,” Crosby said, adding that residents will be encouraged to help plant and maintain it.

Founded with the mission to “empower parents, encourage children, support families, and grow the community,” For His Families Inc. aims to promote emotional and physical well-being through compassion, love, and grace.

The site’s transformation carries deep historical significance. Originally home to American Plate Glass Company in 1871, the area’s high-quality silica deposits led to Crystal City becoming a hub for glass manufacturing. By 1908, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company — later known as PPG Industries — had developed Crystal City Works Nine, which became the world’s largest plate glass plant.

The plant operated for over a century, producing glass for everything from buildings to World War II bomber canopies, before ceasing operations in 1990. By 1991, the factory’s power was cut and the admin building fell into disuse — until now.

With The Crystal Shard, Crosby and For His Families Inc. hope to restore the building’s legacy — not through industry, but through community.

Paul Barnard Editor

Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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