Category Archive: PHLF News
-
Schwartz Market Goes Organic: Thanks In Part to PHLF Tours
by Louise Sturgess
PHLF News
August 12, 2009
Elisa Beck, who is related by marriage to the the family who owns the building where Schwartz Market is located at 1317 E. Carson Street, always made a point of serving as a parent chaperone when her daughter’s high school toured a certain area of the city with PHLF.After listening to tour guide Louise Sturgess for several years, she became inspired to create a series of special events and promotions at Schwartz Market, South Side’s main street grocer, and to introduce local and organic produce there.
The first event on August 1 was a grand success.
A second event is planned for September 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Stop by Schwartz Market on that day for cooking demonstrations and to see what new locally prepared foods are being introduced.
If you’d like your local product introduced into the store of have an idea for a product line, email: elisabeck@aol.com
-
Pitts Historic Pittsburgh Website Adds More Resources
PHLF News
Al TannlerAugust 12, 2009
The Historic Pittsburgh website (digital.library.pitt.edu/pittsburgh) has added another resource to its inventory of historical text, maps, photographs, census records, and finding aids.
Historic Pittsburgh City Directories consists of 125 digitized and searchable city directories between 1815 and 1945. You can search/browse the city directories at http://digital.library.pitt.edu/p/pitttextdir PHLF was one of three institutions that provided hard copy directories for the project.
PHLF also has several hundred Western Pennsylvania railroad images on the website, provided by the Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation Archive.
-
Landmarks completes detailed GIS maps of Wilkinsburg
By Michael Sriprasert
PHLF News
August 5, 2009Landmarks recently completed a comprehensive list of GIS (geographic information system) maps depicting a number of important data sets in Wilkinsburg.
These data sets include: the level of tax delinquency of properties, abandoned structures, vacant tax delinquent land, foreclosures, section 8 rental units, available vacant parcels for a side-lot program, property sales, and crime statistics.
All maps give an overall picture of the Borough in addition to depiction the information by ward.
These maps will be an important source of information regarding development efforts in Wilkinsburg, and will be available shortly through the PHLF website.
-
Heinz School students from CMU to work with PHLF on housing in Wilkinsburg
by Michael Sriprasert
PHLF News
August 5, 2009Starting this Fall, students from the Heinz School will be working with PHLF to refine its strategy for housing developments in Hamnett Place.
Their analysis will include determining the target market segment and their value drivers for both fully restored homes and shell/rehab properties, a new product PHLF is proposing which conveys to new property owners stabilized and secured homes ready for custom build-out.
-
Façade Improvements Coming to Jean’s Southern Cuisine in Wilkinsburg
by Michael Sriprasert
PHLF News
August 5, 2009
With loan funds provided by Landmarks Community Capital Corporation through the State’s Neighborhood Partnership Program, and in partnership with TriState Capital Bank, Jean of Jean’s Southern Cuisine will be improving her façade by adding lighting that will brighten up her signage and storefront in evening hours.The improvements will certainly shine light on one of the premier businesses on Wilkinsburg’s main street. The contractor is Union Electric Construction, Inc., which is located in Homestead.
-
Crescent Apartments Receives Financing From State
by Michael Sriprasert
PHLF News
August 5, 2009
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency recently awarded PHLF tax credits for the Crescent Apartments project, a 27-unit restoration development of two historic structures in the Hamnett Place neighborhood of Wilkinsburg.This $9 million dollar project will be the largest to date in Wilkinsburg, and will have a transformative effect on Hamnett Place, which is soon to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Crescent and Wilson House will have a community room, a computer facility, and all units will be hard wired for high speed internet. Social services will be provided by Hosanna House both on and off-site.
The Crescent Apartments is adjacent to the Housing Resource Center (HRC) and the housing restoration work ongoing in the area, all of which are PHLF initiatives. It will also contain a field office for LCCC.
The HRC and housing restoration, in addition to the Crescent, will bring PHLF’s investment to over $11 million dollars in Wilkinsburg. Sota Construction is the general contractor of the Crescent project, Landmarks Design Associates is the architect, and NDC Real Estate Management is the management agent.
-
Vandergrift Farmers Market: Bigger and Better Than Ever
by David Farkas
PHLF News
August 5, 2009
The Vandergrift Farmers Market is enjoying its biggest season in its four-year history.The Farmers Market has doubled the number of vendors from last season, adding products such as eggs and beef to the product offering. Its not just vendor sales that are up; the number of customers visiting the market has increased to an average of 375 each Thursday.
With the help of a Department of Agriculture grant secured by PHLF, the VIP was able to hire Project for Public Spaces (PPS), a consulting firm with expertise in markets throughout the world.
The VIP is now implementing the long-term expansion plans, which include improving Teeple Memorial Park, located adjacent to the Farmers Market area.
Eventually, the park will feature an amphitheatre, permanent seating, tables, and a memorial wall. The parking lot surface and curbs will be replaced with a permeable concrete material to manage excess storm water runoff.
-
Record Number of Scholarship Applicants and Winners
PHLF received a record number of applications this year from college-bound high-school students in Allegheny County, and awarded a record number of scholarships. Six winners were selected out of 68 applications, bringing the total number of Landmarks Scholarship recipients to 35 people since the program’s inception in 1999.
PHLF trustee and program founder David Brashear noted that “PHLF was able to award 6 scholarships this year, thanks to a successful fund-raising event last year that gave us the resources to expand our scholarship program and several new trustee commitments this year.”