Category Archive: Education
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4 schools in region to share preservation grant
By Mary Pickels
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, July 20, 2007Four area schools of higher education will share in a $200,000 Getty Foundation grant aimed at preserving the individual campuses’ historic buildings and landscapes.
Each of the four schools — Seton Hill University, Washington & Jefferson College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and California University of Pennsylvania — also contributed $10,000 to the effort.The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation announced the Campus Heritage grant. A foundation team will begin studying the schools this month, concluding in March 2009.
“The benefit is they get a very complete analysis of their historic buildings,” said Arthur P. Ziegler Jr., president of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. “Even if they are in perfect condition, they get a plan for future maintenance; recommendations for restoration; disability (improvements); and landscaping — down to how to prune a bush properly that might have been there 50 years.”
The individual reports, Ziegler said, can assist the schools with fund-raising to implement specific plans.
According to the Getty Foundation Web site, each of the schools exhibits a range of design in its academic buildings, distinctive campus planning and landscapes, and individual structures that represent American architectural history both locally and nationally.“They all have historic buildings, and/-or historic landscapes,” Ziegler said. “They are small in size, not likely to apply individually. And they are within easy travel distance for our team. And they were very cooperative. … We went to several and said: ‘In our view, you would qualify.’ These four were very enthusiastic.”
Seton Hill’s winding entrance drive is lined by 80 sycamore trees that are 100 years old, spokeswoman Becca Baker said. She called its historic buildings “a campus treasure.”
“Once we receive the conservation plan for Seton Hill — which will detail the PHLF’s recommendations for the preservation, conservation and continued use of our historic buildings — we plan to incorporate the recommendations into our campus master plan,” Baker said.
McMillan Hall, built in 1793, and Old Main, built in 1836, are Washington & Jefferson College’s flagship buildings, said Kristen Gurdin, director of foundation and legal affairs. McMillan Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“One of the unique features of Old Main is that it has two towers,” Gurdin said.
After the Civil War, Washington College and Jefferson College united because of the loss of student soldiers. The towers represent the two schools.
“One of the benefits (of the study) will be the strategic assessment of the campus all at one time,” Gurdin said.
IUP’s Sutton Hall and Breezedale Alumni Center, and California’s Old Main, are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places — a consideration in their candidacies for the Getty grant, Ziegler said.
“During this final year of the Campus Heritage initiative,” said Getty Foundation Director Deborah Marrow in a news release, “we are pleased to fund the preservation planning for four of Pennsylvania’s historically important campuses.”
Two years ago, a similar grant was awarded to Allegheny College, Geneva College, Slippery Rock University and Grove City College. The earlier round of grants included funding from the Allegheny Foundation, said Ziegler.
Mary Pickels can be reached at mpickels@tribweb.com or (724) 836-5401.
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Getty Foundation Grant to Support Historic Campus Heritage Program
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation announced today it has received a Campus Heritage grant from the Getty Foundation. It will enable Landmarks to undertake conservation planning studies of buildings and landscapes of four major Western Pennsylvania colleges and universities: Seton Hill, Washington and Jefferson, Indiana U. of PA, and California U. of PA. This is the second Campus Heritage grant to Landmarks from the Getty Foundation.
“The Getty’s peer review committee is impressed by Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation emphasis upon collaboration among several educational institutions,” said Getty Foundation Director, Deborah Marrow. During this final year of the Campus Heritage initiative, we are pleased to fund the preservation planning for four of Pennsylvania’s historically important campuses.”
The purpose of the Campus Heritage program is to encourage colleges and universities to develop preservation plans for their historic buildings and landscapes. Getty Foundation awarded a previous grant to Landmarks in 2005 to enable it to study the historic campuses of Allegheny College, Geneva College, Slippery Rock University, and Grove City College. The reports of Landmarks were enthusiastically received by the presidents, staff, faculty and students of all four institutions and has already resulted in successful fund-raising by the schools to begin to implement the plans.
“This grant brings notable and significant outside recognition and assistance to our rich collection of historic colleges and universities scattered throughout Western Pennsylvania, “said Arthur Ziegler, President of Landmarks. We look forward to another year of intensive activity together with developing educational programs with these institutions to involve faculty, students, and staff in a useful learning process with the professional staff and consultants of Landmarks.”
The work will begin in July and be concluded by March 31, 2009. The team will be Eugene Matta, Landmarks Director of Real Estate and Special Development Projects, who will manage the project; Thomas Keffer, Property Restoration Manager; Landmarks Design Associates, architects; and Liberto Landscape Design, all of whom are local and who worked successfully on the first Campus Heritage Grant.
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Ceiling collapse at Schenley High clouds building’s future
Wednesday, July 11, 2007By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials will check ceilings throughout Schenley High School after a collapse in a second-floor stairwell yesterday forced the relocation of summer school for about 900 students.
The incident may rekindle debate about the future of the triangle-shaped Oakland landmark, which architects have said would need $55.7 million to $86.9 million in renovations to remove asbestos and address other problems.
A custodian found the fallen ceiling after arriving at work early yesterday.
The district canceled summer school for high school students yesterday and later announced it was relocating the classes to Peabody High School in East Liberty for the duration of the term, which expires July 30.
Schenley hosted summer classes for students from all 10 district high schools.
Classes will operate on the usual schedule. The district today will begin providing shuttle buses at dismissal time to help students get from Peabody to their regular Port Authority bus stops.
District spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said she did not know whether the ceiling collapse released asbestos into the air.
She said tests determined there was no air-quality problem immediately outside the stairwell. But she said no test yet had been performed inside the stairwell, which was enclosed after the ceiling collapse.
Ms. Pugh wasn’t able to say whether Schenley will hold its orientation program for incoming freshmen next month. Each high school is scheduled to hold the orientation, a new program, before the 2007-08 year begins.
The fate of the building, which is more than 90 years old and on the National Register of Historic Places, has been in limbo since November 2005. That’s when school Superintendent Mark Roosevelt, citing the high renovation costs, proposed closing the building and moving Schenley High School to the former Reizenstein Middle School building in Shadyside.
He pulled the proposal for further study after students and parents objected, citing Schenley’s storied history and high achievement. Supporters said the school’s location in vibrant Oakland had helped to make its international studies program a success.
Since then, officials have discussed possible financing methods but made no decision, even though they’ve lamented the district’s growing capital costs and the related strain on the operating budget. The recently launched project on districtwide high school improvement could help to determine the building’s future.
(Joe Smydo can be reached at jsmydo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1548. )
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Monroeville history can be viewed on Web
By Jake Panasevich
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, July 5, 2007In the past month, Monroeville Historical Society president Lynn Chandler has witnessed what she thinks are the organization’s most exciting changes since she became a member 27 years ago.
Those changes are allowing history to be pieced together by Monroeville natives scattered across the country.After six years of work and nearly a year of revision, the Monroeville Historical Society’s improved Web site is up and running at www.monroevillehistorical.org.
“The advantage to have an organ to reach out to the public is very important,” Chandler said. “We hear from people from all over the country. The fact that we can do all of this is wonderful.”
The site features a much-expanded “Our Photo Album” with more than 600 pictures. They are organized into different categories, such as people, events and street scenes. One category displays multiple shots of the same location that illustrate changes in the local landscape over the years.
The “Significant Houses” and “Monroeville’s History” sections have been updated and expanded with the help of feedback given by visitors to the site.
The society’s Web designer, Jeff Federoff, said the information on the site is presented more clearly, and it’s easier to navigate. It allows visitors to search and download articles with ease, he said.
“There’s more menu options available,” said Federoff, a Monroeville native who now lives in Forest Hills. “You can view articles faster with the new menu options.”
Family profiles have been added to the Web site. This section contains biographical sketches of 20 families who helped shape the community. The society collected information for the profiles over the years.
The profiles are a work in progress. The society is seeking additional information on the Tilbrook, Snodgrass, Lang, Simpson, Speelman, McMasters and McGinnis families.
It is seeking comments, corrections, additional photos and ideas on how to improve the site. People can contact Louis Chandler, the Web site coordinator, and Lynn Chandler’s husband, at lchan@alltel.net or 724-327-6164.
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Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation works to identify local historic structures
By Robin Acton
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, June 24, 2007Architectural historian Albert M. Tannler rattles off names and dates and addresses in a rapid-fire manner when he talks about significant properties in Allegheny County.
Drawing from memory, he speaks of architects and builders and landscapers as though they are his friends, delving into their family histories, career passions and design trademarks. He peppers conversations with detailed information about the building materials, design styles and engineering innovations incorporated in their projects.Tannler, the historical-collections director for the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, has much to talk about. Allegheny County, he says, is rich with some of the nation’s finest examples of architectural design, engineering and planning.
In May, more than three dozen of those significant properties were recognized by the foundation’s Historic Landmarks Plaque Committee, which awarded historic designation to 21 sites that include 38 buildings, three districts and the landscapes at two golf courses.
“We’re saying you’ve got a lot of neat stuff in this town, and these are the examples,” Tannler says. “We’re saying that these properties are worth saving.”
The newly designated sites join some 500 others throughout Allegheny County that have been awarded historic plaques since the program began in 1968. They range from churches to private homes to public buildings to golf courses — each with a story to tell about the architect, builder or era in which it was constructed.Residential architecture in this round of designations includes a log house built in 1832 in Gibsonia, Victorian homes in Leetsdale and Oakdale, and Colonial revival homes in Shadyside and Munhall. An enclave of Arts & Crafts houses in Fox Chapel and two modern homes built in 1936 in Ross also made the list.
The former St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, one of three churches recognized last month, is the only surviving documented building in Pittsburgh designed by the region’s first female architect, Elise Mercur, according to information provided by the foundation. Designations also were awarded to several public buildings and Mellon Square, an urban oasis described in foundation materials as “an outstanding example of mid-20th century design, urban planning and local philanthropy.”
In some cases, property owners applied for the designation, while foundation staff members nominated others for the committee to review. But all are important to the area’s heritage, Tannler says.
Save and protect
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, a nonprofit formed in 1964 by Arthur P. Ziegler Jr. and James D. Van Trump, was the nation’s first historic group to launch a countywide survey of architectural landmarks when it embarked on the project in 1965. Through that survey, and another completed in the mid-1980s, more than 6,000 sites have been documented.
Historic designation has been awarded to only a fraction of those properties, according to the foundation’s executive director, Louise Sturgess. She says that working with more than 20 or 30 properties at a time would be an unmanageable undertaking for everyone involved.
Tribune-Review owner Richard M. Scaife, who has chaired the plaques committee for the past two decades, describes its members as individuals who are “dedicated to architecture.” The committee meets at least once a year to review properties that are up for consideration, relying largely on pictures, application materials and information from the foundation’s staff.
Sometimes sites are considered after the property owner submits pictures. In other instances, staff members find a building or a church that they think is worthy of being saved and nominate it for the committee to review.
“We have no shortage of buildings to judge,” Scaife says.
Although the plaques identify properties as historic landmarks, the distinction does not protect them from demolition or alteration. The foundation staff works to correct the misconception that plaques restrict owners in what they can do with their properties.
“The most important thing that people need to know about the plaques is that they don’t protect the buildings, people do,” Sturgess says. “The plaque program gets to the heart of the mission to show people that there’s some pretty amazing stuff out there that we don’t want demolished.”
Scaife, who is passionate about history and architecture, says he’s concerned that some worthy properties might be lost. He says he worries most about the Union Trust Building, a Downtown landmark that has been up for sale for some time.
The Flemish Gothic-style building designed by Frederick Oesterling, one of Pittsburgh’s premier architects, was completed in 1917 for owner Henry Frick. It was used as a shopping arcade with 240 shops on four levels. A rotunda was capped with a majestic stained-glass dome.
“You want to save those that are important,” Scaife says. “I’m not sure what will become of it. When it comes to historic, architecturally significant structures, remodeling is worse than tearing down.”
Ziegler, the foundation’s president, concedes that he also worries about “a lot of properties every day.” However, he notes that the historic-plaque designation appears to benefit preservation efforts.
“The plaques bring honor and public notice to properties. Those things in themselves help provide staying power to buildings,” Ziegler says.
Making the grade
Properties that are considered worthy of historic plaques need not be majestic, impressive structures, records show. Modest, wood-framed homes, gardens, parks, golf courses, churches, mansions, public buildings and bridges all have found a place on the list, either individually or as part of historic districts.
Some are examples of ingenious engineering, architecture or planning, while other sites are important because of the architects responsible for their design. Program administrator Frank Stroker III, who has been with the foundation since 1984, says that the common denominator is historical significance.
Stroker says that placement of a plaque is done at a cost to the property owner of about $150 for a standard aluminum marker. Larger markers and those made of bronze are more expensive.
Most property owners are pleased with the designation, Tannler says, adding that it often starts them on a path to historical research. He says the program’s credibility also appears to help properties attain recognition on the National Register of Historic Places as National Historic Landmarks.
Property owners can choose not to accept a plaque from the foundation. When that happens, the site holds the designation and is listed in foundation materials, but remains unmarked. In some cases, plaques are refused by people who are reluctant to participate because they don’t want to draw attention to themselves, Tannler says.
Attention getters
Homeowners William Wakeley and Matthew Galla love the distinction that comes with living in the dream home they bought when they relocated from Palm Springs, Calif., to Munhall two years ago.
They paid $195,000 for the 107-year-old home at 518 E. 11th St., thinking it was a steal compared with the cost of real estate on the West Coast and in major cities across the country. They soon realized the house was rich in history because it is one of only two surviving structures from a group of six original Carnegie Steel Co. managers’ homes.
When neighbors told them of the home’s past, they turned to the foundation for help with research.
“It was mentioned in several books. All this history came out, and we were just floored,” Wakeley says.
They applied to the foundation’s plaque program, and their home was included in the most recent round of historic-designation awards. They’ll have a party for the official unveiling of their plaque when it is installed on the house, which also is being featured at 11 tonight in an episode of “If These Walls Could Talk” on the Home and Garden Television Network.
Wakeley, a graphic designer, took a year’s sabbatical to paint, decorate and complete some deferred maintenance on the house. He and his partner, who works at Federal Home Loan Bank, put a personal touch on the 6,000-square-foot home, which has been featured twice on the Munhall Holiday House Tour.
“We love this house,” Wakeley says. “The bones were here and the structure is wonderful, but we just wanted to make it our own. We absolutely love Pittsburgh.”
Local treasures
Fulfilling the foundation’s educational mission, its volunteer guides tell people that Pittsburgh’s historic landmarks can be found on almost every corner of the city.
“Always look up. You’ll see things up there that you won’t see below,” retired high school teacher Gabe Funaro says while leading a group of third-graders on a recent sunny morning.
Funaro leads the group from the foundation’s Station Square headquarters across the Smithfield Street Bridge and into the heart of Downtown. Along the way, he explains the meaning of historic designations, identifies types of stone and teaches the students to spot decorative gargoyles and grotesques jutting from buildings.
At the Union Trust Building, Funaro points out the historic plaque awarded in 1968 and tells the students the story of the building’s architect and its origin as one of the nation’s first indoor shopping malls. Hot, tired and preoccupied with their approaching lunch time, the students begin to fidget until Funaro takes them inside and asks them to look up.
They stop in their tracks and gasp aloud, awed at the sight of the towering spiral ceiling of the central rotunda.
“The main thing is, at this age, we just try to get them to look,” Funaro says.
And that’s the object of the plaques, Sturgess says, noting that the markers make people stop and think and look at properties that have been identified as important. Then, they might want to go inside and explore further, or they might become passionate about preservation to save these places for future generations.
“They do not build buildings the way they used to,” Sturgess says. “When a place is gone, it’s hard to revive the memories.”
Historic sites
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation’s Historic Landmarks Plaque Committee recently designated as historic landmarks these sites listed in order of their construction dates:
Chalfant Log House: 2716 West Hardies Road, Gibsonia, Hampton, 1832
Elm Ridge, James Gardiner Coffin/John Walker house: 1 Breck Drive, Leetsdale, 1869
W.J. Stewart/Howard Stewart house: 124 Hastings Ave., Oakdale, 1873
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (now Christian Tabernacle Kodesh Church of Immanuel): 2601 Centre Ave., Hill District, Pittsburgh, 1896
Colonial Place Historic District: Nine houses, Shadyside, 1898
Carnegie Steel manager’s house: 518 E. 11th Ave., Munhall, 1900
Armstrong Cork Co. Buildings (now the Cork Factory Lofts): 2349 Railroad St., Strip District, Pittsburgh, 1901, 1902, 1913
Elmhurst Road Historic District: Six houses, Fox Chapel, 1904-20
St. James Episcopal Church (now The Church of the Holy Cross): 7507 Kelly St., Homewood, 1905-06
Mt. Lebanon Golf Course (formerly Castle Shannon Golf Club): 1000 Pine Ave., Mt. Lebanon, 1907-08
First National Bank of Pitcairn (now commercial/rental): 500 Second St., Pitcairn, circa 1910
Central Turnverein (now Gardner Steel Conference Center, University of Pittsburgh): 130 Thackeray St., Oakland, 1911-12
H.J. Heinz Co. Buildings (five buildings, now Heinz Lofts): Progress Street, Troy Hill, Pittsburgh, 1913-27
Fox Chapel Golf Club: 426 Fox Chapel Road, Fox Chapel, 1924-25, 1931
Pythian Temple (now New Granada Theatre): 2007 Centre Ave., Hill District, Pittsburgh, 1927-28
Keystone Athletic Club (now Lawrence Hall, Point Park University): 200 Wood St., Downtown, Pittsburgh, 1928
Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building: 710 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, 1928-30
Southminster Presbyterian Church: 799 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, 1929
Edgeworth Club: 511 East Drive, Edgeworth, 1930-31
Swan Acres Historic District: Two houses, Ross, 1936
Mellon Square: Downtown, Pittsburgh, 1954-55
For more information about other properties identified by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation as historic landmarks, go to www.phlf.org.
guidelines
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation created its Historic Landmarks Plaque Program in 1968 to identify Allegheny County’s architecturally significant structures and designed landscapes. The program’s guidelines indicate that buildings, districts and landscapes may be approved for a plaque if these conditions are met:
Properties must be at least 50 years old.
They must be remarkable pieces of architecture, engineering, construction, planning or landscape design, or impart a rich sense of history. Alterations, additions or deterioration cannot have substantially decreased their value in those areas.
They are not in historic districts already bearing a plaque (unless they are of exceptional individual significance).
Robin Acton can be reached at racton@tribweb.com or 724-830-6295.
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Landmarks Awards Four Scholarships to College-Bound Students
PHLF
June 14, 2007
For the ninth consecutive year, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation has sponsored a scholarship program for students in Allegheny County who are interested in the history, architecture, and landscape design of the Pittsburgh region. Four students––out of 35 applicants––were awarded $4,000 scholarships on June 12, 2007:• Jacob W. Beatty of North Allegheny Senior High School, who will be attending Carnegie Mellon University to study engineering;
• Caroline L. Mack of Schenley High School, who will be attending Drexel University to study civil engineering;
• Breanna M. Smith of Penn Hills Senior High School, who will be attending Washington & Jefferson College to study English; and
• Paul J. Steidl of Taylor Allderdice High School, who will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to study architecture and urban planning.
David Brashear, the trustee at Landmarks who sponsors the scholarship program, noted that: “We have selected four promising young students as this year’s scholarship winners who share a love of Pittsburgh and an understanding of the cultural, social, and economic value of historic preservation. As they achieve their educational and professional goals, we feel confident that they will remember their hometown with gratitude—and be in a position some day to give back to their community.”
Since the inception of the scholarship program in 1999, the Brashear Family Named Fund of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and several trustees have committed $100,000 to fund a total of 25 scholarships. Scholarship recipients have attended (or are attending) Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Chatham College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Drexel University, George Washington University, Howard University, Kent State University, Syracuse University, Temple University, University of Cincinnati, University of Pittsburgh, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Washington & Jefferson College.
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Scholarship Program is offered each year. Applications for the 2007-08 school year will be available in Jan. 2008. Applicants must:
• be a resident of Allegheny County;
• be a high school senior who has been accepted at a college or university;
• have a cumulative Quality Point Average at the end of the first semester senior year of 3.25 or greater; and
• write an essay on a certain topic, complete an application, and submit a letter of recommendation.OVER
2007 Landmarks Scholarship Recipients: Student Profiles
Photos are available by contacting Greg Pytlik: greg@pytlikdesign.comJacob W. Beatty
A graduate of North Allegheny Senior High School, Jacob will be attending Carnegie Mellon University to study engineering.
Jacob received the James R. Wall Humanitarian Scholarship Award 2004-05 and participated in Landmarks’ Architecture Apprenticeship program in 2006. He has participated in many extracurricular activities and clubs, including a church youth group and Boy Scouts. For his Eagle Scout Project, Jacob worked on a project that would benefit a retreat center for children at risk of abuse and their families. Jacob also completed multiple renovation projects to benefit the elderly and disabled.
Jacob explains in his scholarship essay how important Pittsburgh––and specifically the former offices of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, known as the “Castle”––have been to his family, the community, and the United States. “The Westinghouse Museum, of which I am currently a student member, is important to me personally since my great-grandfather and all of his sons were employed by Mr. Westinghouse their entire lives. But it is important to our entire nation because nowhere else within a span of such a few miles was more done to make lives of everyone safer, easier and more pleasant. The museum allows its visitors to experience history in the very place that it occurred.”
Caroline L. Mack
A graduate of Schenley High School, Caroline will be attending Drexel University to study civil engineering. She also plans on studying architecture as a minor or as a second major. Caroline is the first scholarship recipient to have participated in Landmarks’ school programs as an elementary school student.
Caroline received the Distinguished Youths of Western PA Award (American Cancer Society). She was a member of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, Amnesty International, ACLU, and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council of Pittsburgh. She is a volunteer with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity, Global Links, and Pittsburgh Cares.
Caroline’s scholarship essay explains her fascination and love of old buildings, and her ambition to pursue a career that would allow her to be involved in historic restoration. She discusses how her school, Schenley High School, was nearly sold or torn down. “Immediately [I], along with numerous other students from my school, started a petition against the possible demolition of the school we loved. We spoke at City Council meetings, and got nearly six-hundred signatures on our petition.”
Breanna M. Smith
A graduate of Penn Hills Senior High School, Breanna will be attending Washington & Jefferson College to study English.
Breanna received the Excellence in Civics Award in ninth grade. During High School, she was a member of Key Club and SADD. Through these clubs Breanna participated in teaching “stranger danger” to kindergarteners, adopt-a-highway, adopt-a-spot (which targets an area for beautification), and helped organize Frisbee tournaments to raise money for charity.
In her scholarship essay, Breanna relates the personal connection that she has felt to Pittsburgh since she was a young girl and describes how the history of her family intertwines with that of the city. “Whenever I pass a steel mill today, I feel pride in knowing the hard work my family did there. The steel mills serve as a reminder to me to be thankful for what I have. My family members wanted a better life for themselves and for their children and worked hard to improve their status. I know that going to college is an opportunity they never had, but one they desperately wanted for their children and grandchildren.”
Paul J. Steidl
A graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School, Paul will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to study architecture. He plans on earning a minor in urban planning.
Paul was a member of the Environmental Club and a participant in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Technology in 2005 and in the Pre-college Architecture Program at Carnegie Mellon University in 2002. He has volunteered for E-fest Community Festival, Young Writers Institute, and Conductive Education Summer Camp.
Paul’s scholarship essay reveals how important growing-up in Pittsburgh has been to developing his passion for architecture. Paul completed a documentary, “Living in the East End,” about neighborhoods in the East End. “I believe that people should not restrict themselves to their own neighborhoods––they should be aware of the unique people, places and events that are in every area of the city. My goal for the film was to show students in my school all of the great things that Pittsburgh neighborhoods have to offer, both architecturally and culturally.”
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Founded in 1964, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation is a non-profit membership organization working to identify and save architectural landmarks, revitalize historic neighborhoods, and instill community pride through educational programs.
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Leaks from soot removal damaging Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning
By Bill Zlatos
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, June 8, 2007The Cathedral of Learning is springing leaks.
The $4.8 million scrubbing and restoration of the 42-story landmark at the University of Pittsburgh has caused leaks throughout the building — including in two nationality rooms.“It’s a wonderful project, and the building is looking great, but it’s causing a lot of chaos inside with the water damage and sand blowing through the windows and the noise level,” said Chris Metil, associate director of the Summer Language Institute and an administrative assistant in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.
Six or seven wastebaskets caught water dripping from the ceiling during an orientation held by the institute on Monday.
“On a lot of different floors, water from the sandblasting is seeping through windows, and it’s coming in through cracks in the mortar,” Metil said. “Some departments have had water dumping in.”
A teaching assistant in the German Department had his books and papers destroyed when water drenched his desk on the 14th floor, she said.“Downstairs, there was water coming into the Czechoslovak Room,” said E. Maxine Bruhns, director of the Nationality Rooms Program. “We caught it in time. No enormous damage done.”
Bruhns was in the Middle East when the accident happened, but said the leak was discovered before it permanently damaged a mural in the Czechoslovak Room.
There was also some water around the Tudor rose corbel — an architectural projection — in the English Room.
“I go day by day and hope for the best,” Bruhns said.
University spokesman John Fedele said there have been minor leaks, but there has been no significant damage. The solution, he said: Using absorbent tube-like devices called socks to suck up the water.
“It’s like throwing a towel down,” he said, “but they’re more absorbent than towels.”
The removal of 70 years of soot is being done by blasting the building with recycled glass powder mixed with water. The Cost Co. in Forest Hills has been working on the project since March.
The company expects to finish by Sept. 28.
Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7828.
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The Harry C. Goldby Pittsburgh Preservation Fund Makes First Distribution
The Harry C. Goldby Pittsburgh Preservation Fund recently made its first distribution to underwrite a keynote address on April 19th commemorating the 75th anniversary of Chatham Village.
The 46-acre planned community, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005, was
begun in the 1930s. It is one of the most celebrated and influential projects designed by Clarence S. Stein and Henry Wright, America’s foremost urban planners of the Garden City movement. The event, co-sponsored by Landmarks, was held at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall in Oakland.
