Category Archive: Preservation News
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Special Events to Recognize Landmark Donors
by Jack Miller
Director of Gift Planning
September 1, 2007Landmarks Heritage Society members will be acknowledged for their significant financial support in 2006/07 at two special events on September 26th at two historic downtown buildings.
All who made planned gift commitments or gifts of $1,000 or more during that period have been invited to a reception and tour of The Granite Building, formerly the German National Bank Building. Landmarks President Arthur Ziegler will not only be on hand to thank donors for their support, but will give his annual preservation report where he will focus on how Landmarks has used preservation to promote economic development in the region.
Following The Granite Building tour & reception, Heritage Society members who have made irrevocable planned gift commitments to Landmarks will attend a dinner and program at The Duquesne Club, adjacent to The Granite Building. These donors will receive a personalized pen made from salvaged wood from a local historic building.
Both events are being underwritten by Alan Greenberg and Matt Thompson of The North Shore Group, Citi Smith Barney in New York. The Granite Building owner Holly Brubach has generously made her building available for an exclusive “under construction” tour. “In Landmarks board member Holly Brubach, we have a Pittsburgher who toured the world, then returned home to develop a downtown landmark for residential housing and retail use,” says Landmarks President Arthur Ziegler. “In Alan Greenberg and Matt Thompson, we have two out-of-state investment specialists who recognize the value of the Pittsburgh region and are actively
involved here. “It’s that type of external enthusiasm coupled with preservation easements and historic tax credits that’s driving useful development in the Pittsburgh market.” Heritage Society members who have not responded to their invitation are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. For more information, please contact Jack Miller at jack@phlf.org or 412- 471-5808, ext. 538.
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Cathedral of Learning bricks mistakenly cleaned
By Andrew Conte
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, August 30, 2007The Cathedral of Learning’s dirt nearly had its finest moment.
After clinging to the 42-story University of Pittsburgh building for 70 years, the black soot almost received its own plaque to recognize evidence of the city’s industrial past.“Somebody has to honor those people who made the city,” said E. Maxine Bruhns, director of the cathedral’s Nationality Rooms, who came up with the idea. “These grimy stones were a perfect tribute.”
University officials agreed to keep a few blocks dirty near the Fifth Avenue entrance when they spent $4.8 million this summer to wash the Indiana limestone exterior, fix mortar joints and replace rusty fasteners. The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation planned a marker.
“The new generation of students attending Pitt have no idea this city was the workshop to the world,” said Louise Sturgess, the foundation’s executive director. “The dirt visually lets people know what the air was like, and the air was filled with the gritty soot from all of the industry.”
Bruhns hand-picked the blocks for their markings and high-profile location. Workers built a cover so the area wouldn’t be cleaned, and the school newspaper reported in June that a crew member was assigned to protect it.
But after most of the building had been cleaned and the cover removed, another worker noticed the blemish. Without asking, he washed away the grime — so the blocks look as fresh and bright as the rest.
Overall, the cleaning project turned out better than anyone expected, said Park Rankin, the university architect. It was just an oversight that Bruhns’ blocks were washed, he said.
Still, the damage has been done — or undone.
Standing near the spot Wednesday, Paul Sawyer, 24, a junior from Whitehall, said he forgot all about the formerly dirty facade when he returned to campus this month.
“I didn’t even notice,” he said.
Andrew Conte can be reached at aconte@tribweb.com or 412-320-7835.
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Bottle Brigade raises money to restore Braddock library
By Kacie Axsom
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, August 30, 2007John Hempel doesn’t drink soda. But the University of Pittsburgh biologist has helped to collect about 6,500, 20-ounce soda bottles to help the environment and raise money for restoring the Braddock Carnegie Library.
Hempel sends the bottles to New Jersey-based TerraCycle as part of its Bottle Brigade program. TerraCycle makes and distributes lawn and garden fertilizer — essentially worm poop, as company publicist Paul D’Eramo puts it.The company gathers the waste matter and puts it in tanks with hot water and extracts nutrients from it, D’Eramo said. They package it in those reused bottles from about 3,800 groups such as Hempel’s.
TerraCycle sends empty boxes that can hold as many as 70 bottles to Bottle Brigade participants, which includes schools and nonprofits. Groups fill their boxes, and twice each year, TerraCycle sends a check for 5 cents per bottle to the school or charity of their choice, and 6 cents per bottle if they have been washed and de-labeled. That means every filled box is worth $3.50 to $4.20 for a charity.
Hempel’s chosen cause is the Braddock Carnegie Library, because he is the vice president of Braddock’s Field Historical Society, which owns it. He and his colleagues at Pitt have placed barrels around their department and have earned about $370 to go toward restoration projects.
That $370 could buy fewer than two seats in the library’s music hall, Hempel said. It’s also about $30 shy of the $400 needed to replace one of the 39 window sashes.“Relative to the amount of money the music hall restoration needs, it disappears in the decimal dust,” Hempel said. “It’s at least a way of bringing in a trickle of money, and it’s satisfying.”
Hempel maintains a personal compost pile and recycles newspapers, bottles, cans and Styrofoam, he said. He also sprays the TerraCycle product on his orchids.
“In many ways, (recycling is) easier than lugging a bag of smelly stuff down to the curb,” he said.
Laurel Roberts is a lecturer at Pitt and has been collecting bottles with Hempel for about eight months. She estimates she’s collected 300 to 400 in that time.
She told her students about the project and where they can find a collection bin, and when she’s out walking her dogs in her Highland Park neighborhood and sees a bottle, she picks it up.
“It’s easy, and it’s actually fun,” Roberts said. “When you find one, it’s almost like a scavenger hunt.”
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Many twists and turns for East plans in last three years
By Peggy Conrad,
Staff Writer
Woodland Progress
Wednesday, August 22, 2007By the end of this month or early in September, East Junior High School in Turtle Creek could be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“It’s an excellent designation, an excellent honor,” says Ron Yochum, chief information officer of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.
He hired a specialist in the field, Laura Ricketts, to research and document the history of the building and submit the proposal, which is “a very, very complicated process,” according to Yochum.
In March, the commission voted unanimously to nominate the structure to the National Register. The National Park Service requested some additional details, which Ricketts submitted with the nomination on July 16.
“We’re hopeful the National Park Service will agree with us, as well as with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission,” Yochum says.
A decision could be made in the next couple of weeks, as the approval process takes about 45 days to complete. The designation would provide protection for the structure if any federally funded project were threatening the building.The school board voted to begin the process of closing East earlier this year and is scheduled to make a final decision in October. Generations of area residents have attended the school, and many are anxious to see what will become of it.
The first cornerstone for the building was laid in 1917. The school opened in 1918 and the first class graduated in 1919.
In 1939, an addition to house the gym and additional classrooms was built by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency that provided jobs during the Great Depression. A plaque stating the details of the addition is housed, but not currently mounted, at the school.
Originally Union High, the institution was the first joint high school in Pennsylvania, combining Turtle Creek, Wilmerding and East Pittsburgh high schools, according to Bob Mock, head of Committee to Save Turtle Creek High School.
The building became Turtle Creek High, then East Junior High after the merger that formed Woodland Hills School District.
“To remove such a wonderful landmark in the community would be tragic,” says Yochum. “I think it’s an asset for the community that should be preserved.”
If it achieves historic status and a project threatens the building, the case would go into an automatic review process, he says. If the district were to renovate the building, it would not be a problem, unless the renovation would affect the facade.
“I’m sure the community would not be happy with that.” Yochum, whose agency has been offering assistance to Committee to Save Turtle Creek High School, could not be more correct in that assessment.
About two and a half years ago, the group of Turtle Creek residents came together to protest the district’s plans to demolish the building and construct a new junior high school on the same spot.
“Had they done that, knowing what we know now, what a big mistake they would have made,” says Mock, who rallied his neighbors to join the cause.
A national preservationist who attended a town meeting in Turtle Creek in 2005 in support of preserving the school said the structure was a “slam dunk” for the National Register.
“It sailed right through at the state level,” says Mock, a 1968 alumnus of the high school. “This is a positive for our community and a positive for the school district.”
The past few years have been a roller-coaster ride for anyone invested in the future of East. A brief outline follows:
- August 2004 — HHSDR Architects presented preliminary plans for renovation and for new construction. The architects did three to four variations on plans for a new building in the months that followed.
- January 2005 — Hundreds of residents turned out for a town meeting held by the board to voice their opinions on proposed renovation plans for several district buildings. Options for East included the possibility of relocating the school.
- April 2005 — Survey companies were authorized to begin surveying the property at East in preparation for renovation or reconstruction.
- November 2005 — The school board voted in favor of borrowing approximately $30 million to fund the proposed building of a new East Junior High and renovations of the Wolvarena and high school soccer stadium. The district scheduled groundbreaking for the new school building in the summer of 2006.
- November 2005 — A town meeting organized by Commit-tee to Save Turtle Creek High School overflowed with outraged residents who wanted the building to be preserved.
- December 2005 — The board directed HHSDR to de-velop further renovation plans following objections by residents to the planned demolition and rebuilding of the school. Construction costs increased to estimates of $20,641,170 for renovation and $20,329,874 for new construction.
- Initial plans called for putting an addition on the front of the building, but the committee requested the facade not be altered. The administration said keeping the exact shell of a renovated building would increase the cost.
- February 2006 — The board decided to not vote on whether to rebuild or renovate the school until it received more public input on the issue. The district sought residents from all its communities to serve on an ad hoc committee to study the proposed renovation / construction plans.
- May 2006 — After meeting for two months, the committee recommended the district create detailed and comparable design plans, one each for a renovated and new structure, and that the board commit to the least expensive option. Be-cause of a lack of support among members, the board voted to not follow the recommendation and to no longer pursue constructing a new building, but to have renovation plans developed in more detail.
- June 2006 — HHSDR presented an update on work needed immediately at East and asked for direction. Cost of the urgent “A-list” items was $500,000 to $750,000.
- A “B-list” of needed but not urgent items would have cost about $5 million. Following discussion, it was clear the board would not reach a consensus, so the architects were asked to return at a meeting on June 28.
- There was no discussion regarding renovation at that meeting because the board had not had adequate time to meet with the architects and make a decision.
- October 2006 — The superintendent announced the district would consider closing East and two other schools due to declining enrollment.
- Superintendent Roslynne Wilson recommended, as part of the Next Quarter Century Plan, closing Rankin Intermediate, Shaffer Primary and East, as they had the biggest enrollment declines. The proposal was based, in part, on state Act 1, which limits how much districts can hike taxes. The closing of East would save more than $800,000 a year.
- December 2006 — Parents voiced concerns at a public hearing on the plan to consolidate schools. Several board members were concerned that the proposal would have a negative impact.
- January 2007 — All who spoke at a second public hearing were opposed to the consolidation plan. At its next meeting, the board listened to residents and voted down the superintendent’s plan as well as a counterproposal to close East in 2008.
- March 2007 — The board voted to begin the process of closing East and consolidating all seventh- and eighth-graders at West Junior High in 2008-09.
- The Swissvale school, to be renamed Woodland Hills Mid-dle School, would have to be renovated at a cost about $5 million and would have about 740 students in the first year.
- July 2007 — The board held a public hearing on the possible closing of East. Res-idents were opposed to closing the building without a definite plan in place on its future use.
Several options were discussed, including moving ad-ministration offices to the school, turning the building into a creative and performing arts high school for the district and turning it into a charter high school.
Wilson said the process to close the school will include formation of an ad hoc committee that will be asked to report to the board on Oct. 3. The board expects to vote to close the school on Oct. 10.
“It’s been a long saga with a lot of twists and turns,” says Mock, who believes East deserves historic designation for many reasons. The white brick structure was built in the neo-classical style as part of a “City Beautiful” campaign designed to uplift communities in the early 1900s, he says.
“There’s a lot of history here.”
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$500K to fund feasibility study of commuter rail
By Rich Cholodofsky
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, August 17, 2007Efforts to start commuter rail service from Arnold into Pittsburgh keep chugging along as county transit officials this week received a $500,000 state grant to study whether the project is feasible.
Officials announced Thursday they likely will hire a consultant later this year to determine whether there are enough potential riders to justify rail service as well as peg cost estimates for the project.The Westmoreland County Transit Authority is exploring a two-phase project that would offer commuter rail service between Arnold to the Strip District and Latrobe to downtown Pittsburgh.
“We want to get this study done as quickly as we can, maybe within a year,” said authority Executive Director Larry Morris. “Then a decision to go forward or not will be made.”
The state grant will pay for the feasibility study. Transit officials have been waiting for nearly six months for the money.
In the meantime, plans for the commuter rail project have been tweaked as officials moved to extend the proposed Greensburg-to-Pittsburgh line eastward toward Latrobe.“It made sense to extend it out to Latrobe because Latrobe has a train station that has been remodeled and is being used now by Amtrak,” Morris said. “It only made sense to extend it out a little bit.”
Commuter service from Westmoreland County to Pittsburgh was a top recommendation of a study completed last year by a regional planning agency that explored improving transportation needs in the region.
The proposed rail line from Arnold to Pittsburgh’s Strip District would stop in New Kensington, Oakmont, Verona and Lawrenceville. It would utilize existing train tracks.
Projected costs for the Arnold line are about $140 million.
By initial estimates, the proposed Allegheny Valley rail line would service as many as 6,700 daily riders making the 34-minute commute.
Initial plans suggested the proposed Latrobe-Greensburg line could use existing tracks and train stations. It would include stops in Jeannette, Irwin, Trafford, Wilmerding, East Pittsburgh, Braddock, Swissvale and Wilkinsburg.
Early cost estimates ranged from $190 million for a limited-service system to a more ambitious $300 million line that would operate every 30 minutes during peak commuting times.
Preliminary studies have indicated that the more expensive system could carry about 8,800 passengers every day for the 49-minute trip between Greensburg and downtown Pittsburgh.
Transit officials learned earlier this year that for the first time there is a pool of money available to pay for the rail projects.
As part of the comprehensive state transportation bill approved in July by state lawmakers, $50 million a year was allocated to finance commuter rail projects throughout the state.
Rich Cholodofsky can be reached at rcholodofsky@tribweb.com or 724-837-0240.
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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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FREE Sunday Walking Tours in September Feature Five City Parks
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and Allegheny Commons Restoration Committee are teaming up to offer Free Park Walks every Sunday in September, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
The tours will focus on the natural beauty and historical significance of Schenley, Frick, Highland, and Riverview Parks and of the Allegheny Commons. Special attention will be given to recent restoration accomplishments and plans. One tour will be offered at each park:
Sunday, September 2: Schenley Park
Meet at the Schenley Park Visitor Center, 101 Panther Hollow RoadSunday, September 9: Frick Park
Meet at the Frick Environmental Center, 2005 Beechwood Boulevard,
Point BreezeSunday, September 16: Highland Park
Meet in the entry garden, near Highland Avenue and Reservoir DriveSunday, September 23: Riverview Park
Meet at the Visitor Center in Riverview Park, off Riverview Avenue, Observatory HillSunday, September 30: Allegheny Commons
Meet at the bus shelter on the corner of Cedar Avenue and East Ohio Street, North SideReservations are not required but are appreciated: 412-471-5808, x527; marylu@phlf.org
Tour Guidelines: Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Only the Allegheny Commons Tour is handicap accessible. At Schenley, Frick, Highland, and Riverview the walking tours will proceed at a leisurely pace, but will involve steps and uphill and downhill climbs, at times.
About the Sponsoring Organizations:
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, is working to restore, renew, revitalize and preserve the four great parks of Pittsburgh––Frick, Highland, Riverview and Schenley.
The Allegheny Commons Restoration Project works within the Northside Leadership Conference to raise funds to implement the master restoration plan completed by Pressley Associates of Cambridge, MA in 2002.
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, founded in 1964, works to identify and protect architectural landmarks; revitalize historic neighborhoods, and instill community pride.
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$43,000+ in Grants Awarded to Maintain and Restore Religious Proprerties
Carole Malakoff
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
August 8, 2007Since January, $43,899 has been paid out in matching grant funds to help eight congregations maintain and restore their historic religious structures. Five of these grants were from last year’s grant cycle.
The organizations were:
2006:
– Calvary United Methodist, North Side
– Hawthorn Avenue Presbyterian, Crafton
– Union Project, East Liberty
– St. Andrews Episcopal, Highland Park
– St. Anthonys Chapel, Troy Hill2007 (to date)
– Zion Christian Church, Carrick
– Bethel Presbyterian, Bethel Park
– Valley Presbyterian, ImperialThree are churches that were just awarded grants this February and have already completed work. These grant funds enabled congregations to restore stained glass windows, perform roof and gutter work, and do stonework.
Tom Keffer ,Landmarks construction manager, has provided technical assistance to three congregations. He consulted on issues of general renovation procedures, roof repairs, and stained glass restoration.
Work recently completed at Monumental Baptist Church in The Hill included stone work above the main doorway. The lintel was on the verge of collapsing. Only one of the double doors could be opened safely. After work was completed, both doors can now be opened enabling safe and easy access into the sanctuary. Monumental Baptist raised their matching funds through Sunday service collections.