Category Archive: Preservation News
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Mt. Lebanon theater to get $3 million
By Craig Smith
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, April 29, 2008Officials working to reopen the Denis Theatre in Mt. Lebanon outlined plans for the $3 million project Monday.”Time has not been kind to the Denis,” said Anne Kemerer, executive director of the Denis Theatre Foundation. “There is water damage, vandalism, some outdated equipment.”
The theater’s marquee is in pieces in the lobby. Its basement is filled with 70 years’ worth of items.
The Denis opened in 1937 as a one-screen moviehouse with a capacity to seat 1,200. It changed hands a number of times over 60 years before being bought last year by Mt. Lebanon Commissioner D. Raja. The 11,000-square-foot theater closed in 2004.
Raja, who purchased the theater on Washington Road in November to keep it from being converted to an office complex, has signed a 15-year lease to rent the building to the Denis Theatre Foundation.He hopes the project will spur other development in the community.
“It will be the catalyst,” Raja said.
The foundation is hoping to raise money for the renovation from government grants and private donations.
The Denis would reopen as an art house, showing independent, foreign language films and documentaries.
The timetable for the project depends on the success of the fundraising effort, officials said.
Craig Smith can be reached at csmith@tribweb.com or 412-380-5646.
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Preservation group takes control of Market Square block
By Diana Nelson Jones,Pittsburgh Post-GazetteMonday, April 28, 2008The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation has joined forces with N&P Properties to control the development of almost a block of buildings on Market Street, between Fifth Avenue and Market Square, Downtown.
Two five-story buildings in that block are now shells in the process of renovation into seven apartments, and a third will join the other two as retail space on the sidewalk level.
The foundation last week bought the Thompson Bakery building, which now houses the restaurant Ciao Baby, and N&P bought the Buhl Building at the entrance to Market Street at Fifth Avenue and gave the foundation an easement in perpetuity to protect the architectural integrity and terra-cotta facade.
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Barden to honor $3 million pledge for Hill development
By Mark Belko and Rich Lord,Pittsburgh Post-GazetteMonday, April 28, 2008North Shore casino developer Don Barden will maintain his $3 million pledge to the Hill District after all.
After meeting today with Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Mr. Barden said the money would be spent over five years to “spur economic development” in the Hill above the Mellon Arena. He had originally pledged to commit the money within three years in the area near where a new hockey arena is being built.
Mr. Barden described his decision as a “happy medium.” He had petitioned the state gaming board to drop the commitment, saying it was contingent on getting development rights to the arena area. Those rights went to the Penguins.
Now Mr. Barden said he is planning to spend the money deeper into the Hill District.
Mr. Onorato and Mr. Ravenstahl praised Mr. Barden for continuing his commitment and said they would send a letter to the gaming board to support his bid to refinance the construction of the North Side casino.
Mr. Barden said the financial struggles of his casinos in Indiana, Colorado and Mississippi will have no bearing on the Pittsburgh project. He said they are entirely separate entities. Mr. Barden is seeking to refinance the casino project because costs have escalated.
He also dismissed concerns raised by Standard & Poor’s ratings service last week as technical in nature. He said Moody’s released a much more favorable number today.
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Casino owner says he will keep pledge to Hill District
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, April 28, 2008Casino owner Don Barden said today he will make good on his promise to spend $3 million “to spur economic development” in the Hill District, but that the money won’t be used near a new $290 million hockey arena.”We want to extend the development opportunities outside of that area — further and deeper into the Hill District so that the people in that community can have the benefit, and we hope to do this within a five-year period,” Barden said.Once Barden’s Majestic Star Casino opens, he said he will spend the $3 million as seed money to hire engineers, designers and architects who will determine how best to develop the Hill District outside of the 28-acre zone that the Penguins have the right to develop around the arena.
Barden petitioned the state Gaming Control Board two weeks ago allow him to eliminate the $3 million commitment to the Hill District because the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority gave the Penguins the right to develop the 28 acres, not Barden. Barden told the commission that his $3 million commitment was contingent on getting the right to develop the 28 acres.
Barden asked in his petition to remove a ballroom and outdoor amphitheater from his plans for the casino.Barden said today that the outdoor amphitheater and ballroom will be built, after all, but not until the second or third year of the casino’s operation. The North Shore casino is projected to open in May 2009.
“Our casino will look the same, feel the same,” as the original plans, Barden said.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato met for about 90 minutes with Barden in Ravenstahl’s office before announcing Barden’s change of heart.
Barden downplayed financial concerns about how he will pay to build the casino, which has ballooned in price from $450 million to $770 million, including insurance, legal and financing fees.
Bond rating agency Standard & Poor’s on Thursday issued a B-minus credit rating with a negative outlook for the Majestic Star holding company, PITG Gaming HoldCo.
“I think at the end of the day, all the financial concerns, if there are any, will be resolved and will open on time,” Barden said.
Onorato praised Barden’s cooperation.
“He’s done nothing but adapt every time we’ve asked him,” Onorato said.
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.comor 412-765-2312.
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Bank pulls loan for North Side townhome project
By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, April 26, 2008A crucial bank loan to build 23 townhomes on a dilapidated North Side thoroughfare has fallen through, forcing the project’s founders to scramble for another lender.The long-delayed first phase of the Federal Hill townhouses was set to begin in late May or early June until lender Fifth Third Bank yanked its promise of a $3.16 million loan. The $5.7 million project was conceived by the Central Northside Neighborhood Council and partner S&A Homes.“I was really shocked when I heard that the bank had pulled out because it is a really good deal for them,” said Robert Iseman, S&A’s new home sales manager. “But I don’t think it’s going to be an issue, we’re still shooting to break ground at the same time.”
Not everyone is so certain.
“There’s a lot of confusion right now because we don’t know what’s been lost,” said Randy Zotter, a longtime member of the neighborhood group and a candidate for a seat on the 15-member governing council.Zotter questioned why Michael Barber, CNNC’s executive director, portrayed the Federal Hill project as “going along well” during an April membership meeting even though Fifth Third Bank had pulled 55 percent of the first phase’s funding.
Barber said financing should not be a problem.
“At this point, we are very close to securing a construction loan commitment and have indications of strong appetite for lending in general,” he said in a statement.
The council’s April newsletter states six homes — priced from $130,000 to $230,000 — are expected to be completed by November. It suggests people interested in receiving special financing, such as deferred mortgages, to apply for pre-sale contracts by April 23.
“The membership wants to know why they haven’t heard about (the problem),” Zotter said. He said he wants to be sure the homes will be ready by November for anyone who started the financing process. Three applicants have, so far.
Joan Kimmel, a CNNC board member, said members weren’t told about Fifth Third’s withdrawal “because two other banks were immediately interested.”
Any delay would be minimal, she said. The neighborhood council is pursuing a loan from Mellon Bank or Dollar Bank, Kimmel said.
The Pennsylvania Housing Agency might be willing to fill the gap, as well, said Bob Bobincheck, the agency’s planning and policy director. The agency committed a prepaid loan of $1.8 million to Federal Hill.
Lenders, such as Fifth Third Bank, often retract loans because of unfavorable financial market conditions and not because of a failing on the project manager’s part, said Howard B. Slaughter Jr., CEO of Landmarks Community Capital Corp. and a former Pittsburgh region director for mortgage industry giant Fannie Mae.
“Right now many lenders are looking very closely at all the credits that they are considering approving,” Slaughter said. “We know what’s happening with the housing market (downturn), and it means that there is more scrutiny.”
Federal Hill might have been particularly exposed to turmoil in the financial market because the groundbreaking has been delayed since 2006, giving lenders more time to change their minds. The project plan says it eventually will offer 60 three-bedroom townhomes ranging in size from 1,430 to 2,350 square feet.
“I’m optimistic,” said Tom Cummings, housing director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. “If they can get started by July, they can have the homes built in five or six months.”
The URA has contributed a $670,319 loan and $730,000 grant.
Separately, the authority will provide up to $470,000 in various levels of deferred mortgages to some would-be buyers. The URA’s board could soon vote on $1.1 million in road and sewer line improvements in the Federal Hill area.
The project has been aided by liens the city agreed to forgive on some of the land. Pittsburgh inexpensively repurchased 11,000 liens in late 2006 with the intention of forgiving ones where developers might build.
“It is really going to bring affordability to city living,” Iseman said of Federal Hill.
North Side residents said they believe the Federal Hill project is critical to attracting developers to improve an area once considered off-limits when the X-rated Garden Theatre was operating.
There are other promising signs. The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will break ground on a building during a May 9 ceremony at 1210 Federal St.
Jeremy Boren can be reached at jboren@tribweb.comor 412-765-2312.
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Getty Foundation grant funds study of IUP’s heritage
by Laura Kingsbury/Editor in Chief
The PennApril 25, 2008
Thanks to a $100,000 Campus Heritage grant from the Getty Foundation, IUP’s historic buildings and landscapes are being studied to ensure the preservation of the campus’ rich history.Since its creation in 1984, the Getty Foundation has worked toward fulfilling a philanthropic mission of “supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the understanding and preservation of the visual arts locally and throughout the world,” according to its Web site, getty.org.
“The university was invited to participate in a historic review of our landscape and historic buildings built prior to 1950,” said Bob Marx, IUP’s executive director of facilities operations, engineering and capital planning. “We then had the opportunity to qualify for the Getty project and submitted a proposal and other materials, working in conjunction with the university relations division.”
In order to begin the historic review, IUP has contracted with the Pittsburgh Landmarks Foundation, which will perform studies on the various buildings and landscapes and then offer suggests for preservation by March.
In addition, Marx also said the suggestions that result from the study will help IUP’s facilities team move forward with renovations while still keeping consistent with the heritage.
Recently, PLF has performed similar studies at Grove City College, Allegheny College, Geneva College and Slippery Rock University, said Eugene Matta, PLF’s director of real estate and special developments programs. Currently, studies are in the works at Seton Hill University, Washington and Jefferson and California University of Pennsylvania in addition to IUP, said Eugene Matta.
“It’s important to note that this is not to replace or question any development plan that the university may have,” Matta said. “The two things should and can coexist amicably.”
In terms of IUP’s buildings, a team of architects and historians are surveying and getting familiar with many structures that are more than 50 years old, said Ellis Schmidlapp, president of Landmarks Design Associates, who will be providing the PLF’s long-term preservation suggestions.
The buildings currently being reviewed are Breezedale and Fisher Auditorium as well as Clark, Keith, Waller, McElhaney, Sutton, Uhler, Leonard, Whitmyre and Wilson halls.
“An important part of saving old buildings is planning,” Schmidlapp said. “It’s also finding a new use, because a building has to be useful to be preserved.”
An example, he said, could be Waller Hall, which when was originally designed in 1926 to be a gymnasium but is now used for the theater department.
In addition to finding uses for the buildings and ensuring they are up to modern codes, PLF also focuses on their lighting and overall visual appeal.
More specifically, Thomas Keffer, PLF’s property and construction manager, takes photographs of campus at night to survey both for beauty and for safety.
In doing this, he said he looks for ways to brighten up the campus by adding more lighting to sculptures, architecture and landscapes.
“You can light the trees, instead of the sidewalks; it’s much more beautiful that way,” said Ron Block, the project’s design consultant and landscape historian.
For the PLF’s report, Block is also examining IUP’s landscapes, especially those in the Oak Grove.
“If you ask students what their favorite thing about campus is, they will probably say the Oak Grove,” he said. “So we recognize the importance of it, and even if you are running out of space, you don’t want to build anything there. Some of the trees were there before the buildings.”
However, in order to make these suggestions fit the atmosphere of campus, both IUP and the PLF are stressing the importance of student input.
“Students can give input and articulate what they see as a building’s purpose,” Schmidlapp said.
Marx agreed that it is important to get students, faculty and staff interested in learning and writing about IUP’s heritage.
To get involved with this project, students are encouraged to contact Marx at bmarx@iup.edu or Matta at eugene@phlf.org.
© Copyright 2008 The Penn
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New housing units set on Penn Avenue
By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, April 17, 2008Three loft-style townhomes to be built in Bloomfield are another example of an “exciting” transformation of housing on Penn Avenue in four city neighborhoods, community leaders said Wednesday.Small projects like this one “can really stabilize a corner in a community,” Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said at an event marking the start of construction of an $800,000 residential complex at Penn and Gross Street.“There are amazing things happening along the Penn Avenue corridor, and this is just a little gem of a project, but it’s a missing tooth,” said Jeffrey Dorsey, executive director of Friendship Development Associates.
Dorsey’s organization, developer of the project, acquired the property nine years ago with housing development in mind.
A $462,000 equity investment by Landmarks Community Capital Corp., a nonprofit created last year by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, moved it forward, he said.When the townhomes are completed in about 12 months, they will join dozens of single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums built or planned in Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship and Lawrenceville, said Richard Swartz, executive director of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corp.
These projects replace vacant lots and less desirable row housing, Swartz said.
About eight blocks away, Friendship Development is ready to start building the Glass Lofts, a “green” condominium project at Penn and Fairmont Street with 18 loft units, a restaurant, art studios and office space.
“We have commitments for eight sales already,” said Dorsey.
The units will range in size from 845 to 1,873 square feet and be priced from $180,000 to $330,000, according to the neighborhood group’s Internet site. But a number are reserved as “affordable” housing that can be purchased for about $80,000, he said.
As many as 80 single-family homes or townhomes have been built in the four neighborhoods in the past five years, Swartz estimated.
At the same time, about 35 businesses — mainly artists, studios and arts organizations — have moved into spaces in some of the vacant commercial buildings in the area.
Reducing neighborhood crime and developing Children’s Hospital in Lawrenceville were key to the transformation, officials said.
Ron DaParma can be reached atrdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.
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Hill to have say on Save-A-Lot
By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, April 9, 2008A community meeting Saturday could be a “make or break” moment for the effort to bring a Save-A-Lot grocery store to the Hill District.The 10:30 a.m. session at the New Light Temple Baptist Church on Centre Avenue could help determine if supporters of the plan can sway opponents, said Howard Slaughter, CEO of Landmarks Community Capital Corp.“We will see if the community is really interested in having Save-A-Lot come to the Hill District,” said Slaughter, who is helping to organize the meeting.
Landmarks Community Capital is a nonprofit corporation formed last year by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to spark community revitalization.
The main sponsor is Councilwoman Tonya Payne, whose district includes the Hill District.
For years, there has been widespread support for a Hill District supermarket. Some residents, however, say they’d prefer a “full-service” store, larger and with a greater selection of products, than those generally operated by St. Louis-based Save-A-Lot.
They’ve asked about such features as an in-store bakery or pharmacy, for example.
“You have to start somewhere,” said Payne, who believes the grocery store could be a catalyst for other retailers to come into the neighborhood.
“I think we are on the verge of something good. We have somebody in Save-A-Lot that is willing to take the first plunge, and it could create opportunity for further development,” she said.
Still, she and others will leave it up to the community to decide, Payne said.
Before the meeting, an 8:30 a.m. bus tour will take residents who have signed up in advance to get a firsthand look at Save-A-Lot’s store in Wilkinsburg. That store is one of five the chain operates in the Pittsburgh area, among 1,600 stores nationwide.
At the meeting, Mark Goodman, chief operating officer of Save-A-Lot, and other speakers will address concerns of residents. Others include people from communities that have a Save-A-Lot store, including Chris Jenkins, executive director of the Black Vietnam Veterans in Wilkinsburg.
“Save-A-Lot remains very interested in locating in the Hill District, but they certainly believe community support is imperative,” Slaughter said.
Payne intends to pass out a survey for residents to state their opinions and make suggestions for Save-A-Lot to consider in its planning.
“It will be what the community wants, but based on the conversations that have taken place over the last several years, the community wants nothing less than a full-service supermarket,” said George Moses, a member of the Hill District Consensus Group.
Moses said Save-A-Lot’s discount pricing is not enough to offset his concerns about its product selection and no-frills approach to service, including having customers bag their own groceries.
Instead, he’d like to see public officials press full-service grocers such as Giant Eagle or Shop ‘n Save to consider a Hill District store.
Giant Eagle believes its stores in nearby neighborhoods such as the North Side, South Side and Shadyside already serve Hill District customers, said Dick Roberts, a spokesman.
Ron DaParma can be reached atrdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.