Category Archive: Historic Properties
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Mellon cutting ties with historic building
By Patricia Sabatini,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, March 03, 2005Mellon Financial Corp. has decided not to renew its lease at Two Mellon Center, Downtown, ending its ties with a building that harks back to Mellon’s roots as financier to the nation’s corporate chieftains.
Mellon, which declined to say how much space it occupies or how many employees work at the ornate, Gothic-style structure also known as the Union Trust Building, said the move was an effort to cut costs.
Employees will be relocated in phases to the company’s three other Downtown buildings before the lease expires in May 2006, Mellon spokesman Ken Herz said.
Those buildings include Mellon’s headquarters on Grant, known as One Mellon Center; the adjacent Client Services Center; and 525 William Penn Place, also known as Three Mellon Center. Mellon has about 6,300 employees Downtown, Herz said.
In January, Mellon extended the lease at its headquarters building through 2028. The company owns the client services building and 525 William Penn Place, where it in turn leases space to Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania for its local headquarters. Citizens purchased Mellon’s banking operations in 2001.
The Union Trust Building, owned by the DeBartolo family since 1984, opened in 1923 as the headquarters for the Union Trust Co., founded by the Mellon and Frick families. The Mellon family’s banking operations merged with the Union Trust Co. in 1946 to form Mellon National Bank and Trust Co.
Herz said Mellon still planned to hold its annual meeting in the auditorium at Two Mellon this May.
(Patricia Sabatini can be reached at psabatini@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3066.)
This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. © Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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Market House in line for $300,000 in renovations
The South Pittsburgh Reporter
March 1, 2005City Council President Gene Ricciardi announced last week he has successfully secured $300,000 in federal funding for infrastructure improvements to the historic South Side Market House.
Preliminary costs are estimated at $100,000 for a new roof and approximately $200,000 for new windows, but Ricciardi is hopeful that there may be enough funds to expand the kitchen as well.
“The Market House, located in an important historic district, is truly a community treasure that has been entrusted to our generation by our parents and grandparents.” said Ricciardi. “We have an obligation to maintain it as a safe and comfortable facility.”
At the present time, the Market House is open for a wide range of Senior Programs. “The improvements that are being funded will assure that we continue to provide this wonderful second home for our senior citizens,” said Riccardi.
Riccardi says that The Market House Children’s Athletic Association is now organizing recreational activities for children ages 4-12, beginning with deck hockey. For more information, call 412-488-8390 or visit pghmarkethouse@msn. com.
“The South Side is fortunate to have a great facility like the Market House where programs for our seniors and our children can take place,” said Ricciardi. “Spending money now on necessary improvements has long-term benefits. A vibrant senior and recreational center helps our community thrive, contributes to neighborhood stability, and adds to the market value of our homes.”
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Downtown switching from business to residential
By Tony LaRussa
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, February 27, 2005Pittsburgh’s business leaders think they finally have hit on a way to revitalize Downtown: Rather than focusing solely on making it the place to work and shop, position it as a place to live.
“The era of having totally commercial districts is over in Pittsburgh and other cities,” said Herb Burger, who helped launch the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership more than a decade ago and is among those spearheading the latest effort to revitalize the Fifth and Forbes corridor.“All indications point to the need to have residential development Downtown to stabilize the area and create a community of people who not only work there, but live and shop there as well,” Burger said.
Patty Burk, program director of Pittsburgh’s Downtown Living Initiative, believes efforts to increase the amount of residential development Downtown are part of a national trend.
“We’re seeing a growing number of people in Pittsburgh who view urban living as something cool, something they want to be part of,” Burk said.
“I think it’s a combination of people growing bored with the suburbs — whether it’s spending an hour or more a day commuting or something else — and realizing the city offers some great buildings within walking distance of their jobs as well as lots of cultural activities.”
Business leaders believe increasing the size of Downtown’s population will lay the groundwork for improving the retail climate.
“More people living Downtown adds vibrancy to the city, which should lead to a healthier retail environment,” said Nancy Hart, interim executive director of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. She said a goal of doubling the Downtown population — currently fewer than 4,000 people — is a realistic one.
Developer Ralph Falbo, who has teamed with the Zambrano Corp. and Equa Landmark Communities on a proposed 84-unit luxury condominium complex on Fort Pitt Boulevard near Stanwix Street called First Side, is banking on greater interest in Downtown living.
“I walked past that site all my life and noticed the beautiful view of the river,” Falbo said. “And I’ve long felt that the lack of upscale condos available for people who want to live Downtown really was a missing link in the fabric of the city.”
Falbo, who is hoping to break ground on the 18-story building in the spring, estimates the project will cost about $28 million. Work is expected to take about 18 months.
Downtown residential projects that are under construction or being planned include:
An 18-story, 151-unit luxury apartment building at Seventh Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard in the Cultural District. The project is being done by Lincoln Property Co.
Conversion of the upper six floors of the Fidelity Building on Fourth Avenue into 24 apartments by developer Dean McHolme, who also has plans to convert a seven-story office building at 111 Wood St. into apartments.
Conversion of the Union National Bank Building at Fourth and Wood streets into 60 condominiums.
Construction of 20 luxury apartment units at 930 Penn Ave., near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
While developers are optimistic about the future of residential development Downtown, those who jumped in early have had their difficulties.“I certainly believe the city is ripe for the national trend of people looking for a different lifestyle, a more urban experience, than was sought 20 or 30 years ago,” said Eve Picker of No Wall Productions, one of the city’s “loft living” pioneers. “But Pittsburgh tends to lag behind the rest of the country a bit, so Downtown has been a bit of a tough sell.”
Over the past several years, Picker has developed 21 upscale residential properties on First Avenue and along Penn Avenue, Downtown. However, a downturn in the city’s real estate market has meant several units remain vacant.
Burger said his group is concentrating on developing the lower portion of Fifth Avenue, from the closed Lazarus department store building down to Liberty Avenue.
While he cautions that plans for the Fifth and Forbes corridor are in the very early stages of development, the initial vision is to preserve the best of the older buildings and add a number of new structures.
Previous Fifth and Forbes plans promoted by Mayor Tom Murphy were sharply criticized by officials of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation because they included demolition of many older structures.
Burger said his group is working with Philadelphia residential developer Carl Dranoff on the latest Fifth and Forbes plan, which initially calls for between 600 and 800 residential units on the second and third floors of various buildings, and retail space at ground level.
Another change that will likely occur is a shift in who is spearheading the development effort, Burger said.
While the city will certainly be a major player in any effort to develop Downtown — the Urban Redevelopment Authority owns a significant number of buildings in the Fifth and Forbes corridor — success ultimately will have to rely on private initiatives.
“I think there is a greater sense that the political atmosphere is not the place to get things done,” Burger said. “It’s going to take people in the private sector saying we have to do something Downtown. Of course, the developers will be looking to the city to assist them.”
Tony LaRussa can be reached at tlarussa@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7987.
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Renovation of Edgewood train station back in limbo
By Joe Grata,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Saturday, February 19, 2005Renovation of Edgewood’s historic train station will have to wait. Again.
The Port Authority board’s engineering and construction committee yesterday recommended rejecting all bids for the train station improvements and rehabilitation of the Swissvale Avenue and Whitney Avenue pedestrian tunnels under the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway Extension.
Engineering and Construction Manager Henry Nutbrown said the low bid for only the general construction portion of the project was $715,000, well more than the $420,000 estimate. The electrical and heating-ventilation low bids totaling $124,000 also exceeded estimates.
“We believe the proper course is to step back, redesign and reduce the scope of the project” in order to bring costs closer to budget, he said.
A group of Edgewood officials and residents fought the 2.3-mile busway extension for more than a decade. Consequently, the Port Authority dropped the local improvements from plans and went ahead with the busway, anyhow.
The buses-only road opened between Wilkinsburg and Swissvale-Rankin in July 2003. A year later, the borough and the authority reached agreement on changes to the 1,500-square-foot train station. Now housing an antique shop and real estate office, the historic building is adjacent to the busway at the bottom of Maple Avenue.
Once the scaled-back renovations are done, the Port Authority is to lease the building to Edgewood for a nominal amount for 29 years. The borough is to use it for community purposes.
In other business, the authority board:
* Recommended a $2,450,000 extension of an agreement with consultant Booz Allen to oversee a $151 million contract to buy 28 light-rail vehicles and rehabilitate 40 old LRVs, all by late next year.
So far, all 28 new cars have been shipped; 14 are used in daily service. The first two old vehicles have been rehabilitated and are being tested on South Hills tracks; five more have been shipped to CAF USA’s plant in Elmira, N.Y., for work.
* Gave preliminary approval to a maximum $400,000 extension of a $6.6 million contract with a group of consulting firms to continue work on a draft environmental impact statement for a proposed high-speed, magnetically levitated train between Pittsburgh International Airport and Greensburg.
Maglev Inc. and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, partners in the maglev project, are awaiting Federal Railway Administration approval to release the statement for a 45-day public comment period and four public hearings. They expect those proceedings to take place this spring.
* Heard Nutbrown report continuing progress on development of an intermodal transportation facility in Robinson. By this time next year, he said work is expected to be under way on an 820-space park-n- ride lot and on Montour Run Road improvements at The Pointe at North Fayette retail center.
* Was told staff and Bethel Park officials are working toward what Nubrown called “a satisfactory outcome” to the municipality’s plans to impose a 10 percent parking tax on the authority’s new 2,200- space parking garage at the South Hills Village T station.
“The tax at this time would be counterproductive to our efforts and could result in reduced ridership,” Nutbrown said, rather than boost ridership after $500 million in light-rail improvements over the past several years.
(Joe Grata can be reached at jgrata@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1985.)
This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. © Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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Landmarks Awards $70,000 to 11 Historic Religious Properties
Trustee George Dorman chairs Landmarks’ Historic Religious Properties Committee that oversees a program of financial and technical assistance to churches and synagogues in Allegheny County that have viable congregations and provide social services in their communities. By the end of 2004, we announced grants totaling $70,000 to eleven historic churches:
Bellefield Presbyterian Church (Oakland)
Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (Squirrel Hill)
First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh (Oakland)
First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (Shadyside)
Hawthorne Avenue Presbyterian Church (Crafton)
Mulberry Presbyterian Church (Wilkinsburg)
The Pittsburgh New Church (Homewood)
Presbyterian Church of Mount Washington
St. Andrew Lutheran Church (Shadyside)
St. Thomas Memorial Episcopal Church (Oakmont)
Zion Christian Church (Carrick)
Grant funds support architectural restoration projects and are matched
by each congregation. In addition, the following churches will receive technical assistance from Landmarks:
Clark Memorial Baptist Church (Homestead)
First United Presbyterian Church (Crafton Heights)
Emsworth United Presbyterian Church
Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church (Carnegie)
Risen Lord Church (North Side)
Landmarks’ Historic Religious Properties Program is funded through year-end gifts from its members; through grants from private foundations, including in 2004 the Anne L. and George H. Clapp Charitable and Educational Trust, the Forbes Funds, the Milton G. Hulme Charitable Foundation, and the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation; and through general funds budgeted by Landmarks.
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Southern Hospitality; Brentwood house has the long, cool lines of a mint julep
By Gretchen McKay,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Saturday, February 05, 2005The Greek Revival style, which is characterized by low roof lines, square or rounded columns and a simple, symmetrical shape, is a common sight in Pittsburgh’s older neighborhoods. The most dominant architectural style in the United States during the mid-1800s, the style was adopted in most parts of the country.
Regional differences, however, exist. In the Northeast, for example, entry porches tend to be less than full height, and the imposing columns associated with the style are often replaced with decorative pilasters.
So the stately, stone Greek Revival that sits at 4344 Brownsville Road in Brentwood is something of a rarity here. With its full-width, two-story colonnaded porch and massive chimneys, the structure — a true Southern Colonial — would look more at home in a Gulf Coast state like Louisiana.
Its architectural style isn’t the only thing that’s a bit unusual about the house, which is currently for sale by owner for $395,000. Located just across the street from South Hills Country Club, it sits on three-quarters of an acre, a large lot in most suburban communities and “huge” by Brentwood standards. And the house itself, which has five bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths, boasts more than 4,000 square feet of living space.
“You won’t find too many houses of this style and size in the area,” says owner Mary Jane Jones.
The house was built in 1925 by distinguished local architect Louis Stevens (1880-1961) as his personal residence. Workers used 16-inch-thick stone gleaned from an old church that had been torn down in Downtown Pittsburgh. In 1949, Stevens sold the property to D. L. Feick, president of Brentwood Motor Coach. It was given Historic Landmark status in 1993 by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
The double front door, which stands in the middle of the porch and features sidelights, deposits visitors directly into the living room. Like the two-story porch, this sunny space stretches the entire width of the house and offers occupants a wonderful view of the front yard through two pairs of six-over-six windows.
The 33-by-15-foot living room is actually two rooms divided by an entryway into an adjoining hall. Mirror images of each other, they boast decorative crown molding and chair rail, oak floors and twin log-burning fireplaces with polished marble surrounds. On each side are built-in bookcases with cabinets underneath. Foot-deep window sills like those found in early farmhouses add to the spacious feel, as do the soft buttercream walls.
The living room leads into a wainscoted center hall, which is also accessed by a six-panel side entry door off the driveway. Many older homes have problems with storage, but that’s not the case here; the hall, which wears tasteful maroon floral wallpaper above the chair rail, contains a coat closet under the staircase, two more closets at the other end and a small cubby for games and hats next to the stairs.
A french door opens onto the family room. At 28 feet by 18 feet, this comfy space is nearly as large as the formal living room. But it’s much more relaxed, thanks in large part to a sizable wood-burning brick fireplace with stone hearth. Because the kitchen lacks a breakfast room, one corner of the family room serves as informal eating area. But there’s still room enough for several sofas and two large armoires.
Adding to the room’s charm are four large picture windows that overlook a fenced-in side yard landscaped with rhododendrons, peonies, lilies, irises and azaleas. A door opens onto a rear deck with a small rock garden off to the side. A magnolia blooms beautifully each spring in the fenced-in back yard.
More french doors open onto a formal dining room with red-and-white striped wallpaper and exposed hardwood floors. Twin built-in china closets allow for display of heirlooms. The room also features a decorative fireplace with marble surround.
Swinging doors lead into the recently renovated kitchen. A happy marriage of old and new, this L-shaped space has white-painted beadboard walls, rustic slate floors and cherry cabinetry. The black appliances include double wall ovens, a dishwasher and an electric cooktop. There’s also a separate built-in pantry and, off a back hallway, a small powder room with beadboard walls and a first-floor laundry.
The second floor holds five bedrooms, including two with doors leading to the front veranda. The pale-yellow master bedroom suite, which measures 17 by 16 feet and overlooks Brownsville Road, is both comfortable and practical. His-and-her closets on either side of a decorative marble fireplace feature built-in dressers, and there’s a private master bath with twin sinks. There’s also a small, private porch overlooking that back yard. On a clear day, someone standing there can see the top of the U.S. Steel Building and in the summer, fireworks.
A second front bedroom, painted a deep maroon, has the same double closets with drawers and marble fireplace and also opens onto the top veranda. A third bedroom has two large closets on either side of an alcove.
The most unusual bedroom lies at the rear of the house and is accessed by a back staircase from the kitchen. Originally the maids’ quarters, this charming little room — which features lilac wallpaper and light-purple woodwork — has a wide-plank built-in closet and a tiny nook overlooking the back yard with built-ins on either side. There’s also a separate kitchen area down a narrow hall and, tucked into the roofline, a small bath.
Although the homeowners currently use the rooms for storage, they could easily be turned into guest quarters or an in-law suite, or perhaps even a home office.
Because of the home’s size and circular floor plan, it’s the perfect house for entertaining, says Jones. It’s also very private, thanks to the long row of fire bushes that line the driveway and towering maple trees out front, which help keep the property cool during the summer.
Afraid of a house that’s 80 years old? Not to worry. Along with central air, the house has a new roof and all new windows. The owners have also replaced the original wood siding with HardiPlank, a fiber-cement product that resists rotting and cracking. The porch has new wood floors and railing. There is also a two-car attached garage, as well as a two-car tandem detached garage.
(Post-Gazette staff writer Gretchen McKay can be reached at gmckay@post-gazette.com or 412-761-4670.)
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Nomination of the Buhl Planetarium Building to be a City Historic Structure
PITTSBURGH, February 3, 2005— On February 2, 2005, the Historic Review Commission made a preliminary review of the nomination of the Buhl Planetarium Building for City historic designation. The Commission determined that there is reasonable cause to believe that the building will meet the definition of Historic Structure as set forth in the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. This means that the regulation of the building’s exterior appearance will continue during the designation process (for a maximum of eight months).
The Historic Review Commission will hold a Public Hearing at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 to take testimony from the public concerning the appropriateness of the proposed designation. This hearing will be held after 1:30 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room on the first floor of the John P. Robin Civic Building at 200 Ross Street, Downtown. All members of the public are invited to attend.
The Historic Review Commission will make its recommendation to City Council concerning the designation of the building at its April 6, 2005 meeting. This recommendation, together with the recommendation from the City Planning Commission, will be transmitted to City Council for its review and for Council’s final decision.
If you have any questions, please contact the Historic Review Commission at 412-255-2243.
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Slowing urban sprawl
By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW REAL ESTATE WRITER
Sunday, December 12, 2004Jack Miller remembers well the day in 2000 when he met Lucille Tooke on her family farm in Pine.
Tooke stopped the tractor she was riding and in the subsequent conversation she eventually told Miller, “I think God sent you to me.”“Talk about pressure,” said Miller, director of gift planning for the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
His mission — to find some way the nonprofit preservationist organization could help Tooke preserve her farm, and save it from ending up as part of either another new housing development or a commercial project in the fast-growing suburban North Hills.
Starting with Tooke’s farm, the Landmarks Foundation has used novel financing strategies as part of its Historic Farm Preservation Program to save five historic farms in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, encompassing some 1,300 acres of property and 10 different farm structures.
It did so with the help of a $500,000 grant from Richard King Mellon Foundation, which the foundation matched with an additional $600,000.
Using bargain sales and sometimes complicated gift strategies, the Landmarks Foundation has been able to leverage that $1.1 million to protect structures and land with an estimated value of about $6 million, said Arthur P. Ziegler Jr., head of the organization since its inception 40 years ago.
“Farms are disappearing at a very rapid clip in Allegheny County and Southwestern Pennsylvania and urban sprawl is gaining even though we have a declining population,” Ziegler said. “Our program has been important both in terms of slowing sprawl and preserving farms and farm buildings and that way of life.”
“Some of these historic farms that can show how people lived 100 or 200 years ago need to be preserved,” Miller said.
That doesn’t mean economic development has be stopped in the process.
“They can be developed around rather than developed on,” Miller said.
One problem is that the program now is out of funds. And the foundation has identified at least 10 more farms it says are “architecturally significant.”
Nine are in Allegheny County and one is in Washington County. In addition, it has had inquiries about other farms in Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties.
If the organization had another $1 million, it could save another 2,000 acres and five of those properties, Miller believes.
Landmarks has approached other foundations in hopes of raising more funds, Ziegler said. In addition, Miller said the foundation is hoping to work with others dedicated to preserving farm properties, including the Allegheny County Agricultural Land Preservation Program, in an effort to attract more private support.
The farm preservation program got its start when Tooke donated her 64-acre Hidden Valley Farm on Old State Road. It features a farmhouse built in 1835 that was awarded an historic landmark plaque in 1979.
“She (Tooke) wanted to see if there was a way she should get the funds she needed to retire without having to prostitute the farm,” Miller said.
At his suggestion, Tooke agreed to establish what is known as a charitable remainder unitrust, or CRUT.
With this form of gift, a donor transfers cash, securities or other properties to the trust, and in the process avoids capital gains tax, receives a federal income tax deduction, and a percentage of the trust’s value in income annually over a set period.
Because federal tax laws required the trustee to entertain bids to assure the highest price for the assets, Tooke could not just give the farm to the foundation outright. But she was legally permitted to specify that any organization willing to preserve the property would have the right to match the highest offer.
Thus, Landmarks ended up as the highest bidder, paying about $580,000 to purchase the property. The foundation then placed preservation easement on the farmhouse and the land to prevent any nonagricultural development.
Tooke was able to retire in Chambersburg, Franklin County, with a revenue stream that will last a total of 20 years. Her three daughters will receive the payouts if she dies before that period expires.
Landmarks Foundation’s objective was not to own the property, only to preserve it, Miller said. “So we had to find someone to buy it who would honor the terms of the easement.”
That turned out to be William Versaw, of Fox Chapel, who is also interested in preservation.
“I have five children and wanted to find a place we could use and enjoy close to home,” said Versaw, who has restored the historic farmhouse and enjoys gathering apples on the property for apple pies.
“It also had an appeal to it because it can never be developed, so it can be passed on to future generations,” he said. “I’m not opposed to development, but if we can save some green space in this area, it makes for a good balance.”
Versaw purchased the property for about $400,000, and he gave the foundation an additional $10,000 to endow the preservation easement. The funds cover Landmarks’ expense in monitoring the property annually.
“We lost about $200,000 on the deal, but we should get that back from the funds that remain in the trust at the end of the 20-year period,” Miller said. That is because Tooke made the foundation the irrevocable beneficiary of her trust.
The foundation found other methods to preserve other farm properties.
One example is the O-Shea-Hausen farm in Donegal, Westmoreland County, a property owned by two priests, Jeremiah O’Shea and C. William Hausen, which traces its roots back to the early 1800s.
Landmarks helped the owners pay off a mortgage (about $50,000) on the 62-acre site, generate some additional income for their retirement through a charitable gift annuity and provide $10,000 to endow the monitoring costs for a preservation easement.
The foundation will get back the gift portion of the annuity when the donors die.
O’Shea said he and Hausen purchased the Geary farm in 1992. It contained a barn that dated back to the 1890s, which was built by the Geary family, and a log cabin, which dates to the mid-1800s.
O’Shea said he contacted Landmarks after getting information about its program from American Farmland Trust.
In another case, Landmarks assumed a mortgage on a farmhouse owned by James and Dorothy Wycoff, descendants of the original owners of the Van Kirk Farm in Elizabeth in order to obtain a preservation easement. Horses used in the Lewis & Clark Expedition once were boarded on the 71-acre farm property.
It also saved two other properties in Elizabeth, one a 214-acre farm off Park Avenue owned by the estate of Helen R. Wycoff by negotiating a preservation easement.
The other property was an adjoining 54-acre parcel off Rothey Drive. The organization purchased the property at fair market value and conveyed it to owner of the Wycoff farm, who accepted the land as payment for an easement.
“Every situation is different,” said Miller. “It depends on the owner’s life situation, their family situation. But I think it’s important for people’s personal advisers to help them recognize that sometimes they can help them achieve their goals by showing them how they can give away their assets rather than keeping them.”
In the case of preserving an historic farm property, “You don’t have to give it away and lose it; you can give it away and keep it,” he said.
Ron DaParma can be reached at rdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.