Category Archive: PHLF News
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Housing Resource Center Underway
PHLF News
October 23, 2009Construction is now moving forward with our Housing Resource Center to be located in an area of the Packard Building in Wilkinsburg that we acquired with a grant from the Hillman Foundation several years ago.
The Center is being developed with grant funds from the Allegheny Foundation, a charitable trust of Richard M. Scaife.
It will consist of an office for Landmarks Community Capital Corporation East and a meeting and display room in which people from throughout Wilkinsburg and in fact the Western Pennsylvania area will be able to learn about housing restoration, solicitation of bids, and we will offer Do-It Yourself classes.
Various non-profit organizations here that specialize in various aspects of physical restoration, sustainability, greening buildings will provide educational services. The Center should be functioning by spring.
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Tax Abatement Program Passed in FLAG Communities
PHLF News
October 23, 2009Property owners in Freeport, Leechburg, and Apollo will have a new incentive to make capital improvements to their buildings now that a tax abatement program has been approved in the three boroughs.
The Freeport Leechburg Apollo Group worked with Freeport, Leechburg, and Apollo boroughs, Freeport Area school board, Leechburg Area school board, Apollo-Ridge school board, the Armstrong County commissioners, and the Armstrong County department of Planning and Development to successfully adopt the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program. LERTA, which applies to commercial and industrial properties, provides a property tax abatement schedule to improvements made to a given property.
The local taxing bodies agreed to a 10 year abatement schedule, where 100% of the property taxes are abated for the improved portion of the building in the first year, and then by 10% less each subsequent year so that by year 11, property taxes are collected on the full assessed value of the property.
The value of the LERTA program is that there is no decrease in current tax revenue for a given property. The local taxing bodies will continue to collect what they have been, but now there is an incentive for property owners to make improvements to their buildings because they do not need to fear their improvements will immediately result in higher property taxes.
Of the seven local taxing bodies that collect property tax (three boroughs, three school districts, and the county), all but Leechburg Area school district adopted LERTA. Leechburg school district amended a tax abatement program they already had in place to be consistent with the LERTA tax abatement schedule.
Rich Palilla, Executive Director of the Armstrong County department of Planning and Development, feels the LERTA program is a good economic development tool that Armstrong County has been a strong advocate for; “The Armstrong County commissioners have been a vocal advocate for the LERTA program because it gives communities a real economic development tool to use to help existing property owners and attract new ones. Several years ago the commissioners adopted a policy that the county would adopt LERTA ordinances for any borough that adopted a LERTA resolution. Roughly 25% of the boroughs in Armstrong County have now adopted LERTA and we are pleased with the amount of reinvestment that has occurred as a result”.
The new tax abatement program is one that the Freeport Leechburg Apollo Group (FLAG) hopes will compliment their efforts to revitalize the downtown districts of its three member communities. FLAG administers a façade grant program that business owners in the three towns can utilize to make improvements to their buildings. The group has had a lot of interest from local businesses and property owners already, and feels that LERTA will encourage even more property and business owners to make improvements to their buildings.
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Tickets Still Available for Recognition Event
by Jack Miller
PHLF News
October 21, 2009Reduced-price tickets are still available through Landmarks for the Western PA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ National Philanthropy Day Celebration on Wednesday, November 11, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel in Station Square. Landmarks has been named AFP’ s 2009 Outstanding Philanthropic Organization for:
- its exemplary record of civic responsibility in support of philanthropic causes;
- its demonstrated generosity to substantially impact regional non-profit programs;
- for encouraging and motivating others to take leadership roles toward philanthropy and community involvement;
- by distinguishing itself by encouraging creative and innovative programs; and by its advancement of philanthropy in general.
The event includes a cocktail reception, buffet stations, the award presentation followed by a desert reception. Ironically, the site of the awards ceremony and reception would not exist today without Landmarks’ intervention. To reserve your $35 discounted ticket (a savings of $15), please contact Jack Miller at jack@phlf.org or 412-471-5808, ext. 538 before November 4 for additional information.
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Allegheny West Civic Councils Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House Tour
PHLF News
October 19, 2009
This popular guided tour will feature restored Victorian homes plus the historic Calvary United Methodist Church, famous for its beautiful Louis Tiffany stained glass windows. Also, visit one of the world’s largest toy train museums—a private collection of hundreds of colorful train sets from the early 20th century; many of them rolling through enchanting miniature villages.Tours will be scheduled at 12-minute intervals between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm on Friday evening, 10:00 am and 8:00 pm on Saturday. Reservations are required. It is recommended that tickets for the model train exhibit also be purchased in advance.
These personally guided tours afford a rare opportunity to glimpse a by-gone era and experience the warmth of the season in a truly “old-fashioned” style. Most homes in Allegheny West are over 100 years old and Victorian in architectural style. Lavishly decorated for the holidays, they recall the late 19th Century birth of the traditional American Christmas—elaborately decorated mantels, towering Christmas trees, and pine, holly and mistletoe on stairs and chandeliers. This unique tour is part of Rick Sebak’s Emmy Award® winning documentary, “Happy Holidays in Pittsburgh” showcasing the finest holiday celebrations in Western Pennsylvania.
A Holiday Shop will be available at the conclusion of the tour where hot cider will warm you while you browse the antiques, gifts, and a variety of handcrafted items. Tickets for the regular tour are $20 per person. Tickets for the model train exhibit are $10 per person.
Brunch and tea tours are being offered on Saturday. Guests will meet for brunch or tea in a private residence and then take the tour. These tours are $40 per person.
And finally, there will be an exclusive five-course dinner and tour on Saturday evening prepared by caterer Linda Iannotta. A limited number of tickets are available at $100,
This year, we are also offering special signed tours for the hearing impaired.
The guided tours will originate from Calvary United Methodist Church located on the corner of Allegheny and Beech Avenues in the Allegheny West Historic District. Allegheny West is located just west of the Aviary and West Park and north of the stadiums on Pittsburgh’s Near North Side. Free parking is available throughout the neighborhood and in select CCAC parking lots.
Ticket quantities are limited. Tickets may be ordered on-line at our website: alleghenywest.org. If you need further information, please call, 412-323-8884.
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Historic Mann’s Hotel Demolished
PHLF News
October 12, 2009The historic Mann’s Hotel in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, located at 23 Singer Avenue was demolished in the early hours of October 10, 2009. The hotel was built in the early 1800s and functioned as a hostelry for many years.
The Mann family Ted and Karen Suslovic-Mann tried to continue the operation of the hotel, serving the traditional turtle soup to many loyal customers at lunch and dinner and wanted to develop it as a B & B, but the costs were too high. They tried valiantly for years and our president Arthur Ziegler met with them many times to see if a feasible plan could be developed. Catherine Baker Knoll, when she was Lieutenant Governor, also communicated with us a number times as she too struggled to save the hotel.
When its doom seemed to be sealed, Mike Shealey and others developed a plan to salvage what could be saved and to photo document the building as it was taken down, but surprisingly it vanished on October 10, 2009 demolished by the authorities in McKees Rocks in the early hours.
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Businesses in Leechburg Restoring and Opening
PHLF News
October 6, 2009-It’s hard to miss Ray Voyten’s newly restored building in downtown Leechburg; during the day, passersby can take in a variety of improvements to the building; new awnings, new doors and windows, freshly cleaned bricks, and more. At night, the building’s façade is cast in a warm yellow light thanks to new up-lighting that was installed. Mr. Voyten was able to renovate his building thanks to the Freeport Leechburg Apollo Group’s façade grant program, where business owners can get funds from the group for façade improvements.
Now, it seems like other businesses in downtown Leechburg are catching the renovation bug, and new stores are opening after seeing the improvements happening to the buildings and public spaces in town. Vicki Beuth, owner of Leechburg Floral, is making improvements to her storefront with the assistance of a grant from FLAG, which is made available through a grant attained by State Senator Jim Ferlo. Her renovation includes new awnings, and touch up painting on the façade. Beuth is also part of a newly formed female investment group called Leechburg Investment Projects (LIPS).
Drawing on the wealth of experience the nine women bring to the table, their goal is to open businesses, operate them for a short period of time, and then sell the business to a younger entrepreneur. The funds that are generated from the sale will be used to continue the process with another storefront until, according to Beuth, “all of the storefronts in Leechburg are filled”. The new owner will have a built in network of seasoned business people to ask questions and provide guidance. Their first business is Books & Beans, slated to open at the end of October at 156 Market Street. Books & Beans will feature coffee by Prestogeorge, fresh baked goods and sandwiches, and free WI-FI internet access.
Another business slated to open at the end of the month is Reuman & Kraft Antiques located at 155 Market Street. Inside visitors will find some of the best selection of antiques from all eras. The wonderful items displayed in the storefront windows may have already tempted those familiar with Leechburg, and the owners are looking forward to opening their doors for the public.
Peg Carnahan from Peg’s Tanning, was one of the businesses that was inspired by all of the restoration activity happening in town, and decided to fix up the exterior of her building as well. After renting her space for seventeen years, Ms. Carnahan purchased the building, located at 116 Market Street. She immediately set out to improve the façade, installing a classy awning and painting portions of the façade. She has been amazed by the reaction and encouragement she has received from other business owners, and is excited for all of the momentum in the downtown.
One of the shopkeepers encouraging her is Amy Glendenning who owns the Hair Shop located at 114 2nd Street. Ms. Glendenning is in the process of a full façade restoration on her building as well. With the help of a grant from FLAG Ms. Glendenning cleaned her original brick façade, installed a new awning, and replaced her windows with specialty-heated windows from GreenHeat, located outside Kittanning. These windows, which Vicki Beuth also plans to utilize in her façade project, heat a section of a room using very little electricity, allowing business owners to save money on their utility bills in the winter.
Graff Gourmet & Printing liked FLAG and Voytex Electrical’s façade and storefront renovation so much that they moved in to the renovated storefront located at 139 Market Street (135 Market Street was also renovated, and houses Mr. Voyten’s electrical business). The new location offers an improved interior space to display their gourmet food items, Lionel trains, as well as house their printing business in the rear of the storefront.
Visitors to Leechburg will now have a convenient location to stay close to the downtown. Last weekend, John Truett opened the Old Parsonage Bed and Breakfast located in an old church built in 1867. There are currently two rooms available, the Ancient Egyptian room featuring a full sized sarcophagus, and the Lilly Bone room, reputed to be haunted by the spirit of a former caretaker of the church. The Old Parsonage Bed and Breakfast is located at 156 Siberian Avenue, just a few blocks from Leechburg’s central business district.
Not all of the activity in Leechburg has to do with building improvements; Krutz Jewelers located at 146 Market Street is offering a unique piece of jewelry in honor of breast cancer awareness. Diane Krutz is a breast cancer survivor and co-owner of the jewelry store. Krutz Jewelers is offering a unique diamond ring with a linking ribbon motif designed by Diane. The ring won first place in the design category at the Pennsylvania Jewelers Association’s 13th Annual Jewelry Design Competition. The PinkiePromise ring is available only at Krutz Jewelers in downtown Leechburg and a portion of the sales goes to support breast cancer research
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Dollar Bank Lions Moved, to Be Restored
by Louise Sturgess
PHLF News
September 12, 2009Dollar Bank Lions: Photos and Story
From about 8:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2009, PHLF Executive Director Louise Sturgess photographed the process of removing the 139-year-old Dollar Bank lions from their pedestals in front of the venerable Fourth Avenue and Smithfield Street bank in downtown Pittsburgh. Local companies Golon Masonry Restoration, Inc. and Century Steel Erectors did an excellent job in preparing, handling, and lifting the lions.
“We always point the lions out on our tours,” said Louise, “to many thousands of students and adults, so we wanted to document their removal. We have even designed a T-shirt, with Dollar Bank’s permission, featuring one of the lions guarding our Historic Landmark plaque. We give the T-shirt to students to wear on our downtown tours.”
PHLF has had several conversations with Dollar Bank over the past few years since the lions were showing extreme signs of deterioration. Many PHLF members expressed their concern to our staff over the deterioration of the lions. We commend Dollar Bank for putting together a plan that calls for both restoring the original lions and displaying them inside, in a protected environment––and making an exact replica of each lion for installation outside, on the original pedestals.
Where the Lions Have Gone
The two lions, each carved by Max Kohler in 1871 from a single block of Connecticut brownstone, were lifted by a crane, loaded onto a flatbed truck, and transported to McKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, Inc. in Oberlin, Ohio. There they will be restored and returned to Pittsburgh in midyear 2010, and placed inside, in a yet-to-be-determined location. Since the original lions are works of art they will be displayed in a place where they will no longer be damaged by weather.
In addition to restoration of the original lions, two new lions will be replicated and installed on the pedestals at the Fourth Avenue building in 2010. Nicholas Fairplay of Fairplay Stonecarvers LLC, also in Oberlin, Ohio, is a European-trained artisan and master carver who will use digital imaging and computer modeling to produce two new lions, each of matching uniform color. The stone itself will come from a quarry in China, since it was determined through a world-wide search that stone from that quarry most closely matches the original brownstone.
PHLF Co-founder Describes the Lions Best
Since the lions will be gone for a year, our members and friends might take comfort in revisiting Jamie Van Trump’s essay, “Lions in the Streets: A Sculptural Hunting Party in Pittsburgh,” from Life and Architecture in Pittsburgh, published by PHLF in 1983. Jamie Van Trump (1908-1995) was a co-founder of PHLF and its architectural historian:
“The financial district of Pittsburgh has, in fact, a not unsurprising affinity for lion sculpture, and one can go hunting with profit in the space of three or four blocks on Fourth Avenue. The lords of this commercial veldt are the two great couched animals in brownstone to the left and right of the portal of the Dollar Savings Bank (1869-71), whose architect was the Philadelphian Isaac Hobbs, but whose sculpture was done by Max Kohler, a skillful stonecarver of the period. Beneath the Hellenistic cornices, the Baalbek shadows of the looming façade, these heavy representatives of financial probity gaze, like Newfoundland dogs, at the passer-by with a stern domestic majesty. There is no doubt that these hearth-rug champions are the Noble Animals so dear to Victorian sentimentality. Despite their tameness and their bathos, however, they are, perhaps, the Pittsburgh lions that one loves best; they have a gemütlich dignity, a cozy grandeur that is entirely charming. They remind us, somehow, of rich elderly uncles who might, possibly, remember us in their wills.”
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Cruise to Honor PHLF Donors
by Jack Miller
PHLF News
August 13, 2009Landmarks’ 2009 Heritage Society reception and cruise will take place on the Gateway Clipper Fleet’s Princess on Tuesday, September 15 from 6:15 – 8:15 p.m.
The event will honor 2008/09 donors of at least $1,000 and individuals who have included Landmarks in their estate plan or as a beneficiary of a planned gift.
If you meet one of these criteria and have not yet received your invitation, please contact Jack Miller at jack@phlf.org or 412-471-5808, ext. 538 as soon as possible.
The 2009 Heritage Society Donor Recognition Event is underwritten by The North Shore Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Great Neck NY, Alan Greenberg, Senior V.P., Financial Advisor, and Matthew A. Thompson, CIMA® Associate V. P., Financial Advisor, for which Landmarks extends its appreciation.
