Category Archive: Preservation News
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May Tours and Special Events Feature a Pittsburgh “Palazzo,” Downtown’s Best, and a Mt. Lebanon Main Street
PHLF News
April 22, 2010Join us in May for the following special events. For reservations contact Mary Lu Denny: marylu@phlf.org or 412-471-5808, ext. 527.
“The Twentieth Century Club: Inside a Pittsburgh Palazzo”Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Where: Twentieth Century Club, 4201 Bigelow Boulevard, Oakland
Times:
5:30 p.m. cash bar
6:00 p.m. Lecture and Tour
7:00 p.m. Dinner
Fee: $45.00 members; $55 non-members
RSVP by Wednesday, May 5, 2010: marylu@phlf.org
(Twentieth Century Club members may call the club to make reservations.)Join us for a special lecture, tour, and dinner at the Twentieth Century Club in Oakland. Architect and Landmarks’ Trustee David J. Vater will tell the story of master eclectic architect Benno Janssen and discuss the myths symbolized in the stone carving and murals during his illustrated talk, “The Twentieth Century Club: Inside a Pittsburgh Palazzo.”
Participants will tour the 1910 building concealed inside the 1930 addition and see one of the city’s finest remaining Art Deco ballrooms.
Dinner will be served in the Georgian Revival dining room; entree choices are orange roughy with lemon sauce, petite filet of beef steak with Marsala mushroom sauce, or a signature (vegetarian) pasta dish from the chef.
This event follows in the tradition of PHLF’s tours of private clubs: we have held similar, well-attended events at Longue Vue Club (Janssen & Cocken, 1924-25), Oakmont Country Club, Fox Chapel Golf Club, and Edgewood Club.
Downtown Pittsburgh Grant Street Walking TourDates: Every Friday in May––7, 14, 21, 28
Where: Meet on Grant Street near Sixth Avenue, at the Omni William Penn Hotel entrance
Time: Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Fee: FREE (contributions welcome)
RSVP: Reservations are appreciated the day before the tour: marylu@phlf.orgThe Grant Street walk has it all: in a fast-paced tour you’ll see some of Pittsburgh’s most significant architectural landmarks, green spaces, and skyscrapers, and you’ll hear about a military defeat and triumph and the lowering of Grant’s Hill. The same tour is offered every Friday in May. Join us and get to know downtown better.
Mt. Lebanon: First in a Series of Saturday “Car Free” Walking ToursDate: Saturday, May 29
Where: Meet at the clock on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon (at the stair entrance to the “T”)
Time: 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Fee: FREE (contributions welcome)
RSVP: Reservations are required by May 26: marylu@phlf.orgKaren Cahall, PHLF’s education coordinator and Mt. Lebanon resident, and Eric Milliron, Mt. Lebanon commercial districts manager, will share information about significant historical events and current developments along Washington Road.
You’ll be able to tour the Art Deco Municipal Building and Public Safety Building and peek into lots of main street businesses. This SATURDAY walking tour is offered in cooperation with Car Free Fridays and BikePGH! Ride the bus or take the “T” to Mt. Lebanon and enjoy the walk.
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Fairbanks Feature: A New Train of Thought – The Wayne A. Cole Collection: Ghost Rail series and other volumes
James D. Van Trump Library | Frank B. Fairbanks Transportation Archive | Fairbanks Features
Showcasing a variety of materials located in the Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation Archive
No. 2 Presentation:
The Wayne A. Cole Collection––Ghost Rail series and other volumesWayne A. Cole is a graduate of Geneva College and a retired English teacher from Blackhawk High School. His series of railroad books fills a reference gap that is not addressed in any other publications. He is working on additional books for his Ghost Rails series, which will be added to the Fairbanks Archives as funds permit. We thank Mr. Cole for donating one of the volumes listed here.
Most of the rail lines written in these books are abandoned now, but they were vital to the economy of their area when first built.
- Ghost Rails Volume 1 1850-1980Abandoned Railroads, Their Industries, Last Runs Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania
- Ghost Rails Volume II Western Allegheny Railroad CompanyThe last steam in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the last F units in revenue service in America, Western Allegheny Railroad, the Bessemer and Lake Erie, the BR&P, and the Pennsylvania Railroad 1903-1994
- Ghost Rails III ElectricsUpper Ohio Valley, West Virginia, Ohio, Pa.
- Ghost Rails IV Industrial ShortlinesA historical series of the abandon railroads and their industries Ohio and Pennsylvania State Line
- Ghost Rails V PRR Butler Branch and Buffalo Creek GhostsWinfield Railroad to PRR Kiski Junction
- Ghost Rails VI Harmony RouteThe Pittsburgh Harmony Butler & New Castle Railway
- Beaver Valley Railroad Company The history from Bridgewater to Vanport, from Sun Oil Co. to Cook-Anderson, lumber and sand, and finally the atomic bomb
- Rails of DreamsThe Youngstown and Southern Railway; The Pittsburgh Lisbon and Western Railroad; The Pittsburgh Coal Company’s private railroad––the Smiths Ferry Branch
- Where Earth Dissolves Like Snow The Keystone Driller Story
- To be added in the future: Ghost Rails VII through X
The Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation Archive is open by appointment on Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Use of the archive is free to PHLF members (one of the benefits!); non-members are assessed a $10 use fee.
The Archive is located on the fourth floor of The Landmarks Building at Station Square, in the offices of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
To schedule an appointment, email the Librarian James Halttunen: James@phlf.org
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Westmoreland County Students Propose New Uses for Historic Vacant Building in Monessen, PA
PHLF News
by PHLF Intern William Prince
April 1, 2010On March 22 & 23, 2010, PHLF and the Greater Monessen Historical Society hosted the 14th Annual Architectural Design Challenge for schools in Westmoreland County. Over 100 middle school and 40 high school students participated, from Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Laurel Valley, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Penn Trafford, Valley, and Yough school districts.
The students began this project in October 2009 by visiting the design site in Monessen, PA. They were assigned the task of (1) building a model showing a new use for the vacant and historic Monessen Savings & Trust Building of 1904-06 and (2) drawing a streetscape showing design improvements for the 500 Block of Donner Avenue. Through this experience, they learned about the history, architecture, and unique character of Monessen, PA.
Twenty-six teams presented their work on March 22 and 23, 2010 to a jury of architects, urban planners, and interior designers. The event was held at Monessen Senior High School and awards were presented. Students described their concepts during a 6-minute oral presentation and then entertained questions and comments from the judges.
Models showed the former Monessen Savings & Trust Building repurposed as a place of activity and entertainment housing a variety of new uses: a community center, sports emporium, day-care and tutoring center, candy store and yoga center, restaurant/hotel/coffee shop, family fun center, arts and music center, roller rink, physical therapy and exercise studio, and under-21 dance club, among other ideas. Many teams included “green-building” concepts such as roof top gardens, “living” walls, solar panels, Energy-star appliances––but the greenest feature of most models was reusing the existing building.
The judges were impressed with the students’ concepts and with the models they built to scale. Walls were constructed out of foam core, wood, or cardboard, and furniture and architectural details were crafted out of many materials, including clay. One team even created a pond filled with real fish in the vacant lot adjacent to the Monessen Savings & Trust Building.
The students learned a lot about teamwork and time management––and they gained an appreciation for the architecture and the history of main street communities. “Before this project I found the former Savings & Trust Building to be an eyesore,” said one student. “Now, I look at it as a structure that only needs to be renovated” and brought back to life for the city of Monessen.
The following photos show the project site in Monessen and some of the projects presented on March 22 & 23, 2010.
Tribune Review Article
Architectural Design Challenge Process
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Fairbanks Feature: A New Train of Thought – The James J. Hill Story, Yesterday and Today
James D. Van Trump Library | Frank B. Fairbanks Transportation Archive | Fairbanks Features
Showcasing a variety of materials located in the Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation ArchiveNo. 1 Presentation:
The James J. Hill Story, Yesterday and Today
This is but a small sampling of the materials available at the Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation Archive on The Great Northern Railroad:
- The definitive biography of James J. Hill (1838-1916), by Albro Martin. Hill blazed the trail west and built the Great Northern rail line.
- Post card of the James J. Hill House
- Magazine articles, assorted publications, dates old and recent
- Menus from the Empire Builder – 1999, 2000
- Glacier’s Grandest, by Bridget Moylan
- All Aboard for Glacier, by C . W. Guthrie
- Many large map selections of the Great Northern Railway and area, such as this one of 1952 and 1957
- Train orders from the 1940’s and 1950’s
- New Cascade Tunnel opening brochure
- Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotives
The Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation Archive is open by appointment on Mondays, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Use of the archive is free to PHLF members (one of the benefits!); non-members are assessed a $10 use fee.
The Archive is located on the fourth floor of The Landmarks Building at Station Square, in the offices of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
To schedule an appointment, email the Librarian James Halttunen: James@phlf.org
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Apartments Leasing Downtown
PHLF News
November 5, 2009Of the seven apartments at Market at Fifth, four are leased, a studio with a study is currently available, and two of two-story penthouse apartments with expansive roof decks overlooking our green and growing roof with wonderful views of the architecture of downtown Pittsburgh are still available. Please call Michael at 412-471-5808 for leasing information.
https://phlf.org/marketatfifth/
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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
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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.
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Neighborhood & Main Street Properties Available
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
Main Street Properties for Sale & Lease: Click Here
Market at Fifth: Apartments & Retail Space in Pittsburgh’s Historic Downtown
From time to time, PHLF lists other properties for sale and lease. These listings can be found here when they are available.
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Links Provided For Your Convenience, does not imply endorsement.
City of Pittsburgh Properties For Sale
The City of Pittsburgh, in an effort to reduce the number of vacant or abandoned properties, has created sources that offers a menu of properties for sale. Many of these properties are in Pittsburgh’s most historic neighborhoods.
The Real Estate Division of the Department of Finance and the Urban Redevelopment Authority accepts inquiries from the general public for purchase of those properties.
Properties for Sale
Court Auction Sales
Sealed Bid Sales
Side Yard Sales
Vacant Lots for Sale
