Category Archive: Preservation News
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Senate Bill 820 Moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee
December 31, 2003
Senate Bill 820 and its companion bills House Bill 951 and 952, provide financial incentives through the creation of State Historic Tax Credits for the restoration of historic residential and commercial properties. Twenty-one states have existing Historic Tax Credit legislation and States with these Historic Tax Credits report significant economic growth as a result. In order to be competitive with states in attracting development, the Pennsylvania Legislature needs to enact a State Historic Tax Credit as well.
If you wish further information about this important legislation, please access www.pataxcredit.com.
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History & Landmarks Foundation Makes Historic Religious Properties Grants
By Ron DaParma
TRIBUNE-REVIEW REAL ESTATE WRITER
Sunday, November 16, 2003Sixteen churches and a synagogue in Pittsburgh and in suburban communities and have received 2003 Historic Religious Properties Grants and Technical Assistance Awards from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
The program, now in its eighth year, is designed to help architecturally significant properties that provide social services to their neighborhoods, have viable congregations and can match the grant.
Grants, which range from $1,000 to $5,000, are to be used for architectural restoration projects. Examples of the work include repairing and restoring stained glass, roof repair, exterior painting, and in one case, the restoration of a church dome.
Technical assistance is directed to assisting congregations in prioritizing restoration projects and establishing preventative maintenance programs.
The program is funded by year-end gifts from Landmarks members and trustees and from general funds budgeted by the foundation.
In Pittsburgh, those receiving grants are: Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church and Calvary United Methodist Church, North Side; Bellefield Presbyterian Church and First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh, Oakland; Epiphany Church and the Wesley Center A.M.E. Zion Church, Hill District; First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh, Shadyside; Our Lady of the Angels Parish (St. Augustine), Arsenal; Paole Zedeck Congregation, Squirrel Hill; Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, downtown; and Valley View Presbyterian Church, East Liberty.
Suburban awardees are Calvert Memorial Presbyterian Church, Etna; Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Castle Shannon; First English Lutheran Church of Sharpsburg, Sharpsburg; Old St. Luke’s, Scott Township; St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKees Rocks; and Zion Christian Church, Carrick.
Ron DaParma can be reached at rdaparma@tribweb.com or 412-320-7907.
This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review © Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey Writes Letter of Support for Landmarks
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Hearth and Home: Ben Avon Heights house embodies practical, simple qualities of Craftsman style
By Gretchen McKay,
Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Saturday, October 25, 2003If visitors ask a local architecture buff where to find a Craftsman-style house in Pittsburgh, they may be sent to Thornburg, a western suburb founded in 1900 by two cousins enamored of California homes built in the American Arts & Crafts style.
But the truth is, you can find these simple yet intricately detailed homes in many of Pittsburgh’s older suburbs. By the late 1890s, a growing number of Americans had tired of the decorative excesses of the Victorian era, and many liked the idea of an informal home with practical built-ins, open living spaces warmed by a central fireplace and a deliberate lack of ornamentation.
“They made sense to young middle-class people who didn’t have servants but wanted something affordable and stylish,” says Al Tannler, historical collections director for the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.
A prime example can be found at 17 New Brighton Road in Ben Avon Heights. Listed by Re/Max North for $279,900, this 2 1/2-story house features all the charming architectural details that make a Craftsman so appealing: exposed beams, built-in furniture and heavy use of stone, cedar and other natural materials.
Built sometime in the 1900s, the four-bedroom house was one of the first three houses constructed in Ben Avon Heights, a tiny, tight-knit community of about 110 homes just seven miles from Downtown. Only four families have called the place home, including Thomas Pomeroy, who moved in with his family in 1911. As an adult, he helped found the Pittsburgh law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart and served as a Pennsylvania Supreme Court judge in the 1960s and ’70s. The present owners have lived there for 37 years.
The tone is set at the front steps, where a large wrap-around stone porch, fronted by a long row of mature bushes, encourages residents to sit awhile. Chocolate-brown cedar shingles, a low-pitched, gabled roof and brackets under the gables add to the rustic feel.
The front door opens directly onto the core of the house: the 29- by 15-foot living room. Graced by an exposed-beamed ceiling and high, diamond-patterned windows, this free-flowing space feels intimate, yet is large enough to hold several different seating areas along with a grand piano. As in most Craftsman-style houses, the interior wood surfaces are stained instead of painted to emphasize the grain and integrity of the wood.
A large stone wood-burning fireplace flanked by oak built-ins anchors the end near the enclosed staircase; a cushioned window seat that runs the length of three windows adorns the opposite side. The living room is the heart of a Craftsman, says Ken Lonsinger of Dormont, whose Web site, www.craftsmanperspective.com, features dozens of Pittsburgh Craftsman-style homes.
“They’re very warm. To me, it conveys a real sense of home and hearth, where people congregate and spend their evenings together.”
The living room spills directly into the dining room through a pair of french doors. This appealing space features another cushioned window seat and green-and-white floral wallpaper. At 18- by 13 feet, it is large enough for even the longest dining-room table.
The kitchen, on the other hand, could use updating. Only 11- by 10 feet, it features a small built-in pantry and an adjoining powder room. It opens through a side door onto a small brick patio off the wraparound porch that empties onto a large backyard dotted with maples and oaks.
The second floor holds four bedrooms and the home’s only full bath. The 15- by 15-foot master bedroom has hardwood floors and spacious his-and-her closets on either side of a small built-in window seat that opens to provide additional storage for blankets or clothing. A second bedroom opens onto a small porch overlooking the back yard (careful, no rail!) while a third features a mirror-topped sink tucked inside one of the closets. A small fourth bedroom at the rear of the house would make a perfect nursery or home office.
The third floor has a large walk-in closet and two more bedrooms. Currently used for storage, this unfinished space — with slanted ceilings and original pine floors — would make a wonderful guest suite or children’s playroom. A sink in one of the rooms indicates it once had working plumbing and could probably accommodate another bathroom.
Shaded by an enormous maple and embraced on one side by a sprawling hydrangea, the house is less than a block from the Ben Avon Heights playground (once part of the long-defunct Ben Avon Golf Club). It is also within easy walking distance of Shannopin Country Club, the hub for many community events and recreational activities.
“It’s so private,” says listing agent Bonnie Stright. “And the architecture is so pretty.”
Gretchen McKay can be reached at 412-761-4670 or gmckay@post-gazette.com .
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Victorian Visitor: Is the lady of the house now the lady of the library?
By Millie Albert
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Wednesday, October 29, 2003Stories abound of unexplained activity in the house on North Balph Avenue, now home to Andrew Bayne Memorial Library. And some say the odd occurrences really picked up during the time that the centuries-old tree, nicknamed the “Lone Sentinel,” was being
removed from the property.
Many attribute the mysterious happenings to the spirit of Amanda Bayne Balph.
“I know of no one who fears Amanda,” said library director Sharon Helfrich. “We consider her a benevolent, playful spirit who wants to join in the activities.”
Amanda’s husband, James Madison Balph, a prominent Allegheny County architect, built the home in 1875. When Amanda, who was widowed in 1899, died 13 years later, her will stipulated that the home and its four acres be used as a library and park.
The Andrew Bayne Memorial Library opened in 1914, named in honor of Amanda’s father, a member of the 1837 Constitutional Convention who was elected Allegheny County sheriff in 1838.
The mansion is beautifully appointed with marble fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, mahogany woodwork and a transom above the entrance etched with James’ initials. The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation awarded it a Historic Landmark plaque in 1976 and a merit award in 1998.
Here are some of the tales of mysterious events that have been attributed to Amanda’s ghost.
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On a cold, October day a few years ago, a group of 30 first-graders were gathered in an upstairs room, silently engrossed in a Halloween story that was being read to them. For no apparent reason, the overhead fan began spinning, chilling the room and disrupting the children, teacher Debbie Scigilano recalled. Scigilano, who is still a teacher at Assumption School in Bellevue, remembers being puzzled. “But not wanting to alarm the class further, we continued with the program. Storytime ended and we went to another room to select books, turning off the fan on our way out. When we returned later to collect our coats, mysteriously the fan began to whirl again. I was later told that employees believe Amanda, who loved children though she had none of her own, turns the fan on to communicate her approval of children’s programs.”
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On a balmy evening a few years ago, more than 100 people lounged on the library’s lawn enjoying a live jazz band. Helfrich noticed lights shining through the attic windows. Certain that she had turned them off and locked the building before the concert began, she trudged to the attic while scolding Amanda for playing with the lights.
One year later, a group was assembled on the lawn at dusk watching a movie.
“The equipment was new and had worked perfectly, but it abruptly stopped working on that evening,” Helfrich said. “Again I looked to the attic, and again the windows were illuminated. As I climbed the steps to the attic, I offered a deal to Amanda. I promised her I wouldn’t be angry with her for turning the lights on this time if she would just let the DVD player work. I returned outside and the equipment worked fine for the remainder of the evening and the attic windows remained dark.”
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Amanda’s will specified that no trees were to be removed from the estate. But disease claimed all but one of the many stately elms that stood watch like sentinels over the house.
In 1998, the champion elm known as the “Lone Sentinel” became a victim of age and disease and had to have its branches removed and its trunk shortened.
During the work, the number of odd occurrences at the library increased, some said.
“It was during this time that I was alone in the old family parlor, now our computer room, when something caught my eye,” recalled Linda Momper, assistant director of the library. “As I turned, I saw a woman’s torso clad in dark clothing reflected in one of the bay windows. I dismissed it as imagination and continued on with my work for a minute, then turned again to the window. The reflection remained. Three times I did this, and three times the image was evident. The fourth time I checked, it was gone.”
During the same period, Helfrich said, she was filing papers in a small room with the door open when a dark figure silently glided past, continued down the hall and vanished.
“All doors leading to the outside are on an alarm system. Other doors have deadbolts. There’s no way anyone can get in without our knowing it,” Helfrich said.
It was also while the tree was being removed that computers would behave mysteriously.
“There are two computers behind the check-out desk, and I was working at one,” Helfrich recalled. “Alone behind the desk, I heard what sounded like a scanning noise. As I looked at the second computer’s monitor, numbers appeared there. Then just as mysteriously as it started, it stopped. This happened often during this period. There were also reports of a woman wearing a large, Victorian-style hat appearing in the window of Amanda’s bedroom. My opinion is that Amanda was unhappy about the tree and her spirit was restless.”
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A crew working after hours to refinish wood floors in the house reported hearing footsteps repeatedly in the room above, Helfrich said. The time was 2 a.m., the workers were alone in the library and all the doors were locked.
Other times, workers who were called to fix malfunctioning phones would find nothing wrong. Then, unexpectedly, the problem would correct itself, she said.
In addition, Helfrich said, “Books would appear in the wrong stack just seconds after I had shelved them in the correct place.”
From 1975 to 1982, Ted Zettle and his wife, Corrie, lived in an upstairs apartment above the library, at a time when the second and third floors were rented.
“We often heard unaccounted footsteps and a metallic beeping,” said Ted Zettle, who now lives in West View. “Incidentally, after our son, Max was born, the sounds became much more frequent. It’s difficult to explain, but there’s a definite friendly presence in the house. We experienced a warm, welcoming feeling there. The house is very elegant, and my guess is that Amanda is happy sharing the home she loves.”
Does Amanda’s spirit move playfully throughout the library as some believe or can the mysterious circumstances be logically explained?
The answer may lie in Amanda’s portrait, which hangs over the fireplace in the parlor where she welcomed guests for more than 30 years. An attractive lady, dressed in dark clothes, with softly coifed hair and a slight smile, her countenance is benign.
“She appears serene, but look closely,” Helfrich said. “There’s a definite twinkle in her eye.”
Millie. Albert is a freelance writer.
This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. © Pittsburgh Post Gazette -
Windows to the spirit
By Kellie B. Gormly
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, October 28, 2003When the Rev. Ron Fleming strolls through his sanctuary at Mifflin Avenue Methodist Church, his 1924 stained-glass display of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane sparkles like a brilliant kaleidoscope in the afternoon sun.
“When the afternoon sun comes through, it is just spectacular. It lights the whole sanctuary,” says Fleming, 52, pastor of the congregation of about 400 members in Wilkinsburg. He says he is reminded of the center of his Christian faith as he views the pre-crucifixion garden display and the towering stained-glass resurrection scene, which looms to the right of the pulpit as he preaches.This church’s opalescent works by J. Horace Rudy, a stained-glass wizard from 1890s Pittsburgh, are among four displays featured on Sunday’s Stained Glass Masterpieces 1890-1930 bus tour. The three-hour tour — sponsored jointly by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Solutions program as part of their regular city architectural tours — will escort participants to the four landmark buildings that contain some of the city’s ornamental and stained-glass crowning glories.
Al Tannler, historical collections director for the foundation, will conduct the tour and explain the history behind the sparkle of the stained-glass windows — but all people have to do, he says, is come and look to appreciate the creations.
“Anything I can say to these people is nothing compared to what they’re going to see,” he says. “These are real buildings and real places.
“(Stained glass) is a living art because of the way the light affects the colors and the shapes and what you see.”
Tannler’s tour has another stop in Wilkinsburg: St. James Roman Catholic Church, which has glass works from Boston artist Harry Wright Goodhue and The D’Ascenzo Studios in Philadelphia. The other two churches are in Shadyside: Calvary Episcopal Church, which has glass from several artists including Charles J. Connick of Boston, and First United Methodist Church, whose glass artists are Ford and Brooks of Boston and Edward P. Sperry of Tiffany Glass & Decorating Co. in New York.
Connick, who grew up in Pittsburgh and created the Heinz Chapel glass, recalled “the radiant splendors that struck me dumb” when he first entered Rudy’s stained glass studio in 1894, Tannler says.
Rudy and Connick are examples of brilliant opalescent glass artists from Pittsburgh, where some of the best glass from the time was made, Tannler says.
“People tend to not realize that what they have in their back yard is good and is of value,” he says. “(Stained glass) is really important stuff.”
Fleming has a similar feeling of awe about Rudy’s work, almost 80 years later.
“The hours and meticulous nature of this just amazes me,” he says, running his hand over the aging but still shining glass.
Sparkling, historical glass displays not only have a significant role in the city’s past, but they provide delightful eye candy, Tannler says.
“This is a very vibrant medium. It’s not static,” he says. “You’re not looking at something that is just on the wall; you’re looking at something that interacts with the light and changes. It really is showing how two generations used this ancient product of sand and ash colored by minerals and created this extraordinary artwork.”
Kellie B. Gormly can be reached at kgormly@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7824.
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Carnegie Tables Historic District Ordinace
October 22, 2003
Council tabled action Oct. 14 on a proposed ordinance that would create and regulate historic districts in the borough.
Council member Jennifer Prion requested the ordinance be tabled until she can obtain information from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation.
This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. © Pittsburgh Post Gazette
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Banish the boring bridge paint
By Dave Copeland
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, October 6, 2003It was an honest mistake: In one of the first dozen or so articles I wrote for the Trib, I inadvertently called the Roberto Clemente Bridge the “Sixth Street Bridge.”
Twenty or so phone calls and several e-mail messages later, I had learned a valuable lesson about my new hometown: Pittsburghers take their sports heroes and their bridges very seriously.
Nearly four years later, I know all of the region’s landmark bridges (although I still don’t know why Pittsburghers have a fear of crossing bridges). But I still think my mistake is forgivable, given the fact that seemingly every bridge in the region is painted the same shade of Majestic Pee Yellow.
Oh wait, that’s Aztec Yellow, according to City Councilman William Peduto, who says he’s as bored with the color as the rest of us. So much so that he fired off a letter to Gov. Ed Rendell when work was completed on the 16th Street Bridge and it was painted — yawn — Aztec Yellow.
Peduto is hoping that someone will listen to a recommendation made by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation a few years ago to think about painting the bridges different colors. He’s still waiting for a response from Rendell. In the meantime, he’s come up with an idea to get the ball rolling.
“The Roberto Clemente Bridge, when it’s lit up at night, is beautiful from almost any angle in the city,” Peduto said. “Then you have the other two behind it, and they just look dull.”
So Peduto wants to find corporate sponsors who will foot the bill for upgrading the Seventh and Ninth street bridges.
He’d like to see the Seventh Street Bridge — which connects the Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side to the Golden Triangle’s Cultural District — painted ultraviolet purple and named after the artist. The Ninth Street Bridge — which links the environmentally friendly convention center with the Allegheny Valley — could be painted green and named after noted environmentalist Rachel Carson.
“You’re looking at three people who have had a great impact on the region. One in sports, one in art and one in science and literature,” Peduto said.
Unlike many people in the region, Peduto sees the bridges as important pieces of the region’s history — not the barriers that have been safely protecting the North Hills from the South Hills (and vice versa) for several generations.
“We have so many opportunities to use our bridges to make the region unique,” Peduto said. “Or we can just ignore them and keep painting them Aztec Yellow.”
Dave Copeland is a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at dcopeland@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7922.
This article appeared in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review © Pittsburgh Tribune Review
