Category Archive: Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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North Shore discovery well worth the effort
By Richard Byrne Reilly
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, August 13, 2007An old well unearthed by construction crews digging the North Shore Connector tunnel has given archeologists a brush with history.
Among glassware and dinner plates was a 10-inch-long toothbrush that historians speculate was last used in the 1850s.“It’s very exciting to find a toothbrush because you generally don’t find them,” said Lori Frye, a lead historian and archeologist with GAI Consultants, a cultural resource group hired by the Port Authority of Allegheny County, which is overseeing the tunnel project.
The toothbrush — made of a compound resembling stone and hardened wood — is one of hundreds of artifacts that workers found inside the well, which is in a massive shaft being prepared for a huge German boring machine that will tunnel under the river for a T subway extension connecting Downtown and the North Shore. The well was discovered two weeks ago.
So far, items retrieved from the well have been packed in 50 plastic bags and taken to GAI’s headquarters in West Homestead. Each item is cleaned, researched, bagged and tagged before being sent to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, said Benjamin Resnick, a cultural resources manager for GAI. Items that filled 30 other bags have been recovered from other areas of the construction site since digging began earlier this year.
Items found include bottles, plates, pencils, kerosene lamps and toys, such as pieces of porcelain dolls. Often, when water tables changed or if the well became contaminated, the well was used as a garbage dump — and therefore is an archeological treasure troves.“These are actual physical pieces of our past. The artifacts are from a narrow time frame. It allows us to form a picture of the people who lived here before,” Resnick said.
The shaft sits near the corner of Mazerowski Way and West General Robinson Street across from PNC Park on the North Side. The area was in separate town known as Allegheny City before Pittsburgh annexed it in 1907.
The well was found in an area that had been a sprawl of heavy industry and smaller shops producing glassware, iron-cast stoves, train locomotives and houses in the mid-19th century, said Mike Coleman, president of the Allegheny Society. Pittsburgh painter Mary Cassatt was born in 1844 nearby. Coleman said workers undoubtedly will uncover more artifacts as they dig deeper.
“They’re going to unearth a lot of stuff,” Coleman said.
Resnick estimated that the well dates from the mid-19th century or possibly the early 19th century.
Armed with massive research books with titles such as “Encyclopedia of Britain Pottery and Porcelain Marks,” Resnick’s four-member team tries to determine the manufacturer and production dates for the material. A majority of the ceramics found were produced in England and Ohio, he said.
Resnick’s team is compiling an archeological impact report that will be presented to the Port Authority.
“Anything we collect, we give to the team. This is historical in nature, and that’s why we go through the process in order to preserve history,” said Keith Wargo, director of the North Shore Connector Project.
One of the choicest finds is a large, ornate glass boar, missing three legs and part of its tusks. GAI assistant lab director Colleen Dugan says the boar was a collector’s piece. Numerous clay smoking pipes and scores of bottles — including containers for medicine, alcohol and soft drinks — have been catalogued.
“I love the pig. I named him Spider Pig after the pig in ‘The Simpson’s Movie,'” Dugan said.
One large bottle, in pristine condition, has a label reading: EE Hecks, Pharmacy. Corner of Smithfield and Liberty Streets, Pittsburgh, PA. Prescription Bottle.”
The well was discovered 15 feet below ground, and crews haven’t finished excavating it. The mud and earth have helped keep many items intact, experts said.
“The preservation has just been phenomenal,” Resnick said.
Richard Byrne Reilly can be reached at rreilly@tribweb.com or 412-380-5625.
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Renovations inch closer at historic Dormont pool
By Daveen Rae Kurutz
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, August 6, 2007After two seasons of uncertainty, Dormont Pool users can expect changes that will cement the future of the historic summer hot spot.
Dormont council is expected to approve a measure tonight to begin accepting bids to renovate the aging pool’s bathhouse.“It’s a good start to keeping this pool the centerpiece of the community,” said John Maggio, president of Friends of Dormont Pool, a nonprofit group that raised money for repairs. “Everyone’s been great and offered a lot of support.”
The organization, dedicated to keeping the 87-year-old pool from closing, collected about $812,000 from donors and in grants since spring 2006.
The group received $75,000 from Allegheny County and $250,000 from the state Department of Conservation of Natural Resources. Both grants require the borough to match the money.
Initially, officials estimated repairs at $2.6 million, but Maggio said $1 million is more realistic.The landmark art-deco pool, which opened in 1920, is believed to be the largest public pool in the state. Other than the addition of a community recreation room in 1996, the facility has undergone little renovation.
The pool almost closed last summer after officials discovered leaks and an unstable bathhouse. Friends of Dormont Pool formed and raised about $30,000 to pay for plugging leaks and shoring up the pump room.
In the offseason, workers sealed cracks and repaired pipes to ensure the pool would not leak.
“This is about 1 million gallons of water we’re talking about,” said Ann Conlin, a Dormont councilwoman. “That’s not something you want to mess with.”
Repairs are scheduled for the bathhouse and to support the nearby deck.
“Once these repairs are done, it could stay that way for many more years,” Conlin said. “But we want to add some amenities, but keep the footprint of the pool.”
Council will meet at 7:30 tonight at the municipal building on Hillsdale Avenue.
Maggio said the pool is an essential part of the borough’s identity.
The citizens group shouldered the burden of raising money, Conlin said. She and other borough officials say the group saved a community icon.
“”They’ve done a tremendous job … to make Dormont Pool a jewel,” Conlin said. “For generations to come, people will be able to keep driving down Banksville Road thinking, ‘Oh my God, it looks like a beach.’ The integrity of the pool will continue.”
Daveen Rae Kurutz can be reached at dkurutz@tribweb.com or 412-380-5627.
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Market Square may get historical makeover
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, July 30, 2007Two Market Square landmarks could be poised to regain their early-20th century charm when the city’s Historic Review Commission weighs renovation plans Wednesday.
Developers and architects believe the improvements will heighten the appeal of the square — a place many avoid because of the prevalence of homeless people and panhandlers.
Washington County developer Lucas Piatt said exterior renovations to the vacant G.C. Murphy Building will restore a 1920s or ’30s era look, based on photographs of the store in its heyday. On the opposite side of Market Square, Nicholas Coffee Co. plans to turn a closed bar into a coffee shop with an old-style European look.
Most of Piatt’s $32 million renovation project is to begin by year’s end. Retail space will occupy the first floor of the G.C. Murphy Building, and most of the 38,000-square-foot headquarters of the YMCA will be on the second floor. The Y will occupy a portion of another floor as well.
“The benefit of having the activity back in the building is huge,” Piatt said. “The tax repercussions for the city will be phenomenal.”
Piatt’s project will receive about $6 million in state aid and benefit from tax credits for restoring historic buildings.
Downtown architecture firm Strada LLC is handling the design work on the G.C. Murphy Building and nearby structures, such as the adjoining seven-story D&K Building.
“There’s a combination of architectural styles within all these buildings,” said John Martin, a Strada principal. “We’re trying to bring the buildings as close as we can to their own original look.”
Original brick that was painted over will be exposed, decorative stone fixtures at the entrance will be rebuilt, and windows will be replaced.
“The (historic commission) would rather you don’t invent,” Martin said. “They don’t want it to be Disneyized.”
To avoid that, he’s relying on photographs of the buildings from the 1930s to help guide the design. Martin said he thinks the commission will approve the project. The changes still would need approval from the state Museum and Historic Commission.
Nicholas Coffee hopes to expand its imported coffee, tea and spices business to include the former Mick McGuire’s bar next door on Graeme Street. The Irish pub was closed Jan. 12 after police arrested three people accused of dealing drugs from the business.
Architect Doug Sipp of Sipp & Tepe Architects has designed about $50,000 worth of facade renovations for coffee shop owner Nicholas G. Nicholas. The interior would be changed into a cafe offering coffee, espresso, pastries and other treats.
“The facade will be like a step-down European storefront,” said Mike Kratsas, project manager. “There will be large windows like an old-time storefront.”
Arthur Ziegler, president of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, welcomed both of the historically sensitive upgrades to Market Square.
“I think that both coming together give a great deal of substance to the effort to make the square a vital part of the residential Downtown,” Ziegler said. “Restoring historic buildings creates an environment where people want to be.”
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.com or 412-765-2312.
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Bedford Springs course put back on map
By Rick Starr
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, July 22, 2007Many golf courses would be proud to claim either Donald Ross or A.W. Tillinghast as its designer. Bedford Springs Resort Old Course displays the work of both architects from the “Golden Age” of golf course design.
The classic 18-hole course, which just reopened for public play, offers a rare chance to not just study their hole designs, but play them.
Bedford Springs is back on the golf destination map following a $120 million renovation and restoration of the links and 216-room hotel by Bedford Resort Partners, Ltd.
Green fees range from $110 to $135.
The resort reopened July 12 after being closed for almost two decades. It was virtually abandoned in 1986, just two years after the Department of the Interior designated its hotel and spa as a National Historic Landmark.
Located about 100 miles east of Pittsburgh, Bedford Springs Old Course now welcomes a new generation of golfers.
While the hotel dates to 1804 (Vice President Aaron Burr was one of its original guests), golf didn’t arrive on the scene until 1895.
Spencer Oldham built the original 18-hole layout, complete with geometric designs such as the S-curve and donut bunkers, which have been restored on the third hole.
In 1912, while cutting it back to a nine-hole layout, Tillinghast designed a classic little 130-yard par-3 hole (now the 14th hole) which he named “Tiny Tim.”
Ross kept “Tiny Tim” intact when he redesigned the course in 1923. Even Ross couldn’t improve on Tillinghast’s use of mounding, wetlands, a creek, pond and tight bunkering on the short hole.
“Tiny Tim” stretches from 108 to 138 yards, and Tillinghast later wrote about the 13 little mounds on the left, referring to them as the “Alps.”
Bedford Springs superintendent David Swartzel said Ross’ work is obvious on holes No. 4 through 9, which follow the flood plain of Shober’s Run, one of the states Gold Medal trout streams.
“We created a lot of habitat for trout during our construction,” Swartzel said.
While only 6,785 yards from the back tees, Bedford Springs Old Course features five par-5 holes, and five par-3 holes.
The signature par-4 sixth hole, known as Ross’ Cathedral, is cut out of a deep stand of oak and hickory.
“You could pick that hole up and put it down in Ashville, N.C., and you wouldn’t know the difference,” Bedford Springs golf pro Ron Leporati said. “Beautiful is the only word to describe it.”
Architect Ron Forse, whose Forse Design team specializes in golf course restorations, rebuilt every course feature at Bedford Springs, from the bunkers to the bent grass fairways, greens and tees.
“It’s all new, but it’s not a new style of architecture,” Swartzel said.
Forse also reinstated Ross’ original closing holes, which had been replaced by a driving range.
Bedford Springs is the 37th Ross design and 11th Tillinghast layout which Forse has restored.
“These strategic courses are forever enjoyable for every golfer’s ability,” Forse said.
About Donald Ross
No course designer had a greater impact on the American golf landscape in the first half of the last century than Donald Ross.Born in 1872 in the north Sottish coastal town of Dornoch, he arrived in the United States in 1899 to build the Oakley Golf Club near Boston.
Before his death in 1948, Ross built or designed 413 courses, and his work still can be seen across New England, the midwest, and southeast coast.
Over 100 national championships have been played on his courses.
Courses considered to be among his best include Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, N.C., Oakland Hills Country Club in Birmingham, Mich., Inverness Club in Toledo, Oak Hill in Rochester, N.Y., and Seminole in North Palm Beach, Fla.
Given the constraints of train and car travel, Ross never saw some of his courses. He did many designs from topographic maps and blueprints which he studied in his cottage behind the third green at Pinehurst.
As Ross often said, “Golf should be a pleasure, not a penance.”
Design features
Following is a list of design features which Ross repeated in many of his golf courses:• Very little walking required from one green to the next tee.
• Short par-4s built on uphill ground.
• False fronts and openings to the front of greens to invite run-up shots.
• Fallaway slopes next to greens.
• Deep trouble over the green to punish bold golfers.
• Greens (pushup construction) sloped with the terrain for drainage.
• Subtle breaks hidden in greens.
Source: Donald Ross Society
Local connections
Following is a list of area courses designed in whole or in part by Donald Ross:• Edgewood Country Club
When Ross designed the 18-hole layout for the private club in 1921, he had to factor in the typical hilly terrain near Pittsburgh.
A total of 13 holes have drop offs behind or alongside the greens.
Edgewood, which was founded in 1898 as one of the first golf clubs in the country, took advantage of its 100th anniversary to go back to many of Ross’ original designs.
Ross’ work clearly can be seen in Edgewood’s par-3 12th hole. A slightly uphill tee shot of about 175 yards must clear the false front of the green and find the right level, or bogey quickly comes into play.
“Once you get to the green, that’s when the strokes happen,” Edgewood pro Pete Micklewright said. “It’s really a classic Donald Ross design.”
Arthur Hills redesigned the areas around Edgewood’s clubhouse in 1990.
• Immergrun Golf Course
The public course in Loretto is owned and operated by St. Francis University and has never been redesigned since Ross built it in 1917. The nine-hole layout was built as part of industrialist Charles M. Schwab’s estate. He attended the college before moving on to become president of Carnegie Steel, U.S. Steel and Bethlehem Steel.
Golfers interested in playing a Ross design can pick up a bargain here – it’s only $8 for a walking round on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Rumors abound at Immergrun, but it’s not true Ross designed it for a left-handed golfer. (It’s true Schwab kept champagne cool in the spring house beside the ninth green, where he would pause with guests before finishing the round.)
• Rolling Rock Club
The private club near Ligonier was originally a nine-hole course designed by Ross in 1917.
Brian Silva designed nine new holes in 1997.
The course is not overly long – Ross’ front nine measures 3,066 yards – but makes up for it with its greens.
In typical Ross fashion, the greens are fast, well contoured and difficult to lag.
“I’d put our greens up against any in the country,” assistant pro Stephen Witcoski said.
Rolling Rock’s par-3 third hole features another Ross signature – hidden bunkers. The three massive bunkers are not visible from the tee.
More info: www.donaldrosssociety.org
Rick Starr can be reached at rstarr@tribweb.com or (724) 226-4691.
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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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Nephew seeks city historic status for August Wilson home
By Jodi Weigand
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, July 12, 2007The nephew of late Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson wants his uncle’s childhood home to mean as much to the community as did the man who once lived there.
“He wrote plays about the Hill District that took on national significance,” attorney Paul Ellis Jr. said of his uncle’s 10-play chronicle of black American life.
On Wednesday, Ellis asked the city’s Historic Review Commission to name Wilson’s former home — at 1727 Bedford Ave. — a historic structure. Commission members will vote Aug. 1. The request would need approval from the city Planning Commission and City Council.
“I don’t think there’s a question about whether we should designate this,” said commission Chairman Michael Stern.
The state dedicated a historical marker in May.
Ellis, 37, lives a block away from where Wilson grew up with his five brothers and sisters. Ellis bought the house in 2005 — the same year his uncle died at age 60. He began pursuing the historical designation about a year later.
“Many of the identified historical aspects in the Hill are gone,” Steven Paul, executive director of Preservation Pittsburgh, told the commission. “This is an example of an important structure for the community.”
Ellis said he has begun interior renovations and plans to restore the exterior of the structure to what it looked like when Wilson was a child.
“(The task) is physically and emotionally draining,” Ellis said. “What keeps me going is the spirit of my uncle and the desire to make a significant contribution to my community.
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Mt. Lebanon historical society hopes to get a home
By Craig Smith
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, July 12, 2007A Mt. Lebanon historical group wants to move its collection of artifacts from homes and rented storage space to its first permanent home.
The Historical Society of Mount Lebanon, organized in 1998, hopes to sublease the basement of a building owned by the Mt. Lebanon Parking Authority and recently asked the municipality for help paying for the plan.
A central repository for its collection will be key to the society’s continued growth, said Margaret Jackson of Dormont, the group’s president.
“I just feel that when we have that physical space, people will get excited,” she said.
Among the artifacts accumulated are children’s clothing from the 1890s, photographs and newspaper clippings, and 66 Mt. Lebanon High School yearbooks — including the school’s first, from 1931.
It also has a board game called “The Game of Mt. Lebanon.”Copies of plat books from 1934 showing the streets and subdivisions of Mt. Lebanon are stored in the living room of Wallace F. Workmaster, 73, the group’s first president.
The retired museum administrator and college professor said the documents are “marvelous research tools” that help show the community’s growth.
“If you’re trying to look at the evolution of a community, you want to know why they built what, and when,” he said.
An 1876 map of Scott shows the village of Mt. Lebanon contained 10 homes, a school, a blacksmith’s shop, a church and a general store, Workmaster said.
A permanent home for the society would preserve the history of a community whose growth was tied to the development of the automobile, he said.
Street cars began running from Pittsburgh to Mt. Lebanon in 1901, but it was the advent of “the rubber-tired vehicle that made Mt. Lebanon,” Workmaster said.
“In 1912, there were six registered automobiles in Mt. Lebanon,” he said. “By July, they were debating putting speed limits on Washington Road.”
By 1934, many families in Mt. Lebanon had two cars, Workmaster said.
The historical society’s request for $2,500 to help defray the cost of its new home could be added to next year’s budget or be paid this year, said Mt. Lebanon Commissioner David Humphreys, who says the idea of having a place for displaying the municipality’s history is important.
The commissioners haven’t formally discussed the issue of helping fund the society’s move, said Steve Feller, Mt. Lebanon manager. Work on next year’s budget will begin in November.
Craig Smith can be reached at csmith@tribweb.com or (412) 380-5646.
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Iconic Heinz sign could paint Strip District neon-red
By Andrew Conte
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, July 11, 2007H.J. Heinz Co.’s iconic neon ketchup bottle could start pouring over Pittsburgh again with a new home in the Strip District.
The sign appears headed for the east side of the Senator John Heinz History Center, pending approval by the city Planning Commission. Members heard about the plan Tuesday and could vote on it in two weeks.
“We’re certainly very excited to have it continue as part of the Pittsburgh skyline,” said Michael Mullen, the ketchup-maker’s spokesman.
Heinz has its world headquarters in the U.S. Steel Tower, Downtown, and is paying an undisclosed amount to refurbish the sign and display it on the history museum.
Although it looks old, the sign went up on the North Side in 1995 to mark the company’s 125th anniversary. It came down in April.
Heinz spun off its North Side factory and several businesses to Del Monte Foods in 2002, with an agreement to keep the sign up four years. The company had been looking for a new place to hang the 42.5-foot-high sign since the lease expired.
The history center has established itself enough so most people should not get too mixed up over seeing the ketchup bottle on the museum, said Andy Masich, the history center’s CEO.
The center is named for the great-grandson of Henry J. Heinz, who founded the food company in 1869. Sen. H. John Heinz III died in a 1991 plane crash.
“There might be some confusion from people out of town thinking it’s the Heinz plant,” Masich said.
Heinz employs 1,200 people in Pittsburgh, but makes ketchup for North America in Fremont, Ohio. The ketchup sign appears to empty out and refill itself every 30 seconds — or 1,051,200 refills a year.
Andrew Conte can be reached at aconte@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7835.