Latest News
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PHLF Public Tours Begin April 28 and Continue through November 2
Thanks to the enthusiasm, energy, and knowledge of our docents and education staff, PHLF is offering more walking tours than ever this year and two bus tours. Members will receive a printed copy of our 2019 walking tour brochure in the mail this month––and they receive discounts on all neighborhood walking tours and bus tours. Click here to become a member!
For the first time this year, PHLF will offer free walking tours on Wednesdays from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. and on Fridays from Noon to 1:00 p.m., May through October. Click here for a monthly listing of our free walking tours in Downtown Pittsburgh or in Oakland.
Click here for a listing of docent-led walking tours in various neighborhoods throughout the Pittsburgh region.
Click here for descriptions of our Downtown’s Best walking tour and for the dates of four special tours (two walking tours, two bus tours) that are only offered once.
There are plenty of choices this year, and we hope to see many of you on our tours.
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Landmarks Scholarship Applications Must Be Postmarked by April 17
Thanks to funding support from PHLF’s Brashear Family Named Fund, the McSwigan Family Foundation Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, and others, PHLF offers a scholarship program for high-achieving, community-minded, high-school seniors in Allegheny County who will be attending college or university in the fall of 2019. If you would like to donate to our Landmarks Scholarship Program to help it grow and to ensure that it continues, please click here or contact Louise Sturgess, executive director of PHLF. Thank you!
“The Landmarks Scholarship recognizes students who have achieved academic excellence and possess the potential to make a difference in the Pittsburgh community and beyond,” said David Brashear, a PHLF trustee and the program founder. “The students selected by our committee already feel connected to the city and its history and will hopefully continue to serve the region as leaders in promoting PHLF’s values.”
Since 1999, PHLF has awarded scholarships to 72 high school seniors who care deeply about the Pittsburgh region. The scholarship award of $6,000, payable over four years to the recipient’s college or university, is for book and tuition expenses only. In addition, PHLF has awarded Honorable Mentions (a one-time gift of $250) to 14 students since 2016. Thirty-four of these 86 recipients attended Pittsburgh Public High Schools and 52 attended other schools within Allegheny County.
Click here to learn more about the eligibility requirements and criteria and to download an application. The application deadline is Wednesday, April 17, 2019.
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All Aboard for PHLF’s “People & Places” Trolley Tour
For the first time, PHLF will be offering a trolley tour for fourth-grade students in two Pittsburgh Public Schools that will help them learn about the person for whom a Pittsburgh place is named. Then, students will draw a building, bridge, or park that they imagine could be designed, or restored, and named for them in the future, based on what they hope to accomplish in life.
“Our fieldtrip begins in the Dollar Bank Heritage Center,” said Louise Sturgess, executive director of PHLF, “where so much biographical information is presented about a diverse group of early Pittsburgh immigrants who opened accounts at Dollar Bank. The trolley route also includes several buildings and a park in the Cultural District and three bridges leading to the North Shore, as well as the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, August Wilson House, and Freedom Corner.”
“This fourth-grade tour builds upon our third-grade trolley tour to five historic Pittsburgh places,” added Karen Cahall, education coordinator at PHLF. Ten schools will be participating in PHLF’s “Building Pride/Building Character” trolley tour this spring. Over the years, many third-grade students have called the full-day tour to the City-County Building, Allegheny County Courthouse, Fort Pitt Museum, Fort Pitt Block House, Duquesne Incline, and Points of View statue on Mt. Washington “the best fieldtrip ever.”
With Molly’s Trolleys back in business, PHLF is happy to be expanding its trolley tour opportunities.
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Oakmont Country Club Offers Free Historic Tours May through December
Few golf courses in the world have the fabled history, tradition, and legacy of Oakmont Country Club. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark and host of 19 major championships to date, Oakmont tells the history of the game of golf in our own backyard.
Golf historians will lead participants through the handsomely preserved 116-year-old clubhouse and share information about the founding of the club and the Fownes family that made it possible. Historic photographs, memorabilia, and artifacts in the History Hall document some of the legendary moments during the nine U.S. Opens held at Oakmont, and there is a collection of USGA trophies to admire as well. The tour includes a walk through the original men’s locker room. Weather permitting, guests will tour the historic “inland links” golf course and see the extraordinary vistas, narrow fairways, treacherous sand bunkers, and iconic “Church Pew” bunker. Guests will be able to test their putting skills on Oakmont’s world-renowned putting surfaces and visit the Oakmont Professional Shop.
Tours are offered on the following Monday mornings in 2019, from 8:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.:
- May 13 and 20
- June 3 and 24
- July 8 and 22
- August 5, 12, and 19
- September 9, 16, and 23
- October 7, 14, and 21
- November 4 and 18
- December 2 and 9
Essential information:
- The tours are free of charge. Donations are welcome, with the proceeds going to the Fownes Foundation.
- Each tour is limited to 15 people. Advance reservations are required!
- For reservations, contact Oakmont Country Club at 412-828-8000.
- For further information about the tours, contact the Oakmont Country Club Archives at 412-828-8000, ext. 257 or by email at archives@gmail.com.
- All tour participants must arrive at the club by 8:45 a.m. on their tour date. Light refreshments will be provided by the club. Casual attire and comfortable shoes are encouraged, but please NO JEANS OR DENIM.
- Photography is welcome.
- Disabled access is available.
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Landmarks Scholarship Opportunity for High School Seniors
Thanks to funding support from PHLF’s Brashear Family Named Fund, the McSwigan Family Foundation Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation, and others, PHLF offers a scholarship program for high-achieving, community-minded, high-school seniors in Allegheny County who will be attending college or university in the fall of 2019. If you would like to donate to our Landmarks Scholarship Program to help it grow and to ensure that it continues, please click here or contact Louise Sturgess, executive director of PHLF. Thank you!
“The Landmarks Scholarship recognizes students who have achieved academic excellence and possess the potential to make a difference in the Pittsburgh community and beyond,” said David Brashear, a PHLF trustee and the program founder. “The students selected by our committee already feel connected to the city and its history and will hopefully continue to serve the region as leaders in promoting PHLF’s values.”
Since 1999, PHLF has awarded scholarships to 72 high school seniors who care deeply about the Pittsburgh region. The scholarship award of $6,000, payable over four years to the recipient’s college or university, is for book and tuition expenses only. In addition, PHLF has awarded Honorable Mentions (a one-time gift of $250) to 14 students since 2016. Thirty-four of these 86 recipients attended Pittsburgh Public High Schools and 52 attended other schools within Allegheny County.
Click here to learn more about the eligibility requirements and criteria and to download an application. The application deadline is Wednesday, April 17, 2019.
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PHLF’s Educational Programs Build Pride in Pittsburgh Public School Students
PHLF staff and docents have involved more than 660 students from nine Pittsburgh Public Schools in several innovative educational programs since January, thanks to corporate funding support through the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program, and from the McSwigan Family Foundation Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation and Eat’n Park Hospitality Group Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation.
“Whether it’s participating in our Portable Pittsburgh or Career Awareness programs that are presented in their schools, or in field trips to Carnegie Mellon University or Chatham Village for creative writing and art experiences, the students are immersed in the activities, eager to learn about their school and community, and encouraged to be proud of their hometown,” said Karen Cahall, education coordinator.
The following comments from Pittsburgh Public School teachers express the value of PHLF’s “Building Pride/Building Character” educational program and their appreciation to our donors:
- Portable Pittsburgh: “Excellent, knowledgeable presenter; great artifacts. It was so nice that the students were trusted to touch and feel so many old and valuable things.”
- Poetry & Art at CMU: “This experience was priceless. I loved giving our students a view of their world (and city) outside of what they already know.”
- Poetry & Art at CMU: “Thanks so much for continuing to fund this program!”
- Career Awareness: “Students were able to explore different careers. They were able to see what tools and education are needed.”
- Career Awareness: “Many of the careers presented use math in various ways. Students see the importance of learning math skills for their future.”
- Career Awareness: “Students understand/learn how education ties into future careers.”
- Career Awareness: “It helped build background knowledge that is essential for students’ ability to read and understand increasingly complex text.”
- Writing Enrichment: “The students learn about the Underground Railroad and African American history in the classroom. What a wonderful experience for them to follow a trail and see an actual house involved with the Underground Railroad. It brings the learning to life.”
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Corporate Gifts Fund PHLF’s “Building Pride/Building Character” Program
Several thousand school students, teachers, and PHLF thank the following corporations for donating to PHLF in 2018 and 2019 through the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program:
- The Buncher Company
- Dollar Bank
- First National Bank of Pennsylvania
- Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale Company
- Hefren-Tillotson, Inc.
- Huntington Bank
- Maher Duessel CPA
- PNC Bank
- UPMC
“These generous contributions will help fund the participation of 12 Pittsburgh Public Schools in a variety of enrichment programs this January through June,” said Karen Cahall, PHLF’s education coordinator. “Our programs––including poetry and art workshops, in-school presentations, and field trips––help students connect classroom learning to the built environment and build hometown pride in the process.”
“Funds from the McSwigan Family Foundation Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation and from the Eat’n Park Hospitality Group Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation also help underwrite program expenses,” added Louise Sturgess, PHLF’s Executive Director. “We have partnered with the Pittsburgh Public Schools for 13 years through the state’s EITC program and always welcome the opportunity to work with the students and teachers.”
The January 25th field trip to Carnegie Mellon University helped students deepen their understanding of community history and allowed them to make goals for their future, according to one teacher. Several students added the following comments:
- “I liked looking at all of the sculptures! I really loved writing poems and drawing with charcoal.”
- “What I liked doing was really everything. I really liked the tour and the poetry and art.”
- “The most exciting part I liked doing was walking around campus and seeing all the cool and unique (different) sculptures and buildings. Also seeing how many people come here and how many people have been here. Today, I learned a ton of history facts at CMU. I would totally recommend coming here in the future.”
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Thank You, Interns
Natalia Ruano and Sophia Vayansky––both from Duquesne University––and Erin Witt from the University of Pittsburgh successfully completed volunteer internships with PHLF in December 2018.
Natalia, who will be attending graduate school in New York City for Museum Studies, helped with the Architecture Apprenticeship program and created a series of worksheets to help students learn the Spanish words for features in our built and natural environments. She also created a word search in Spanish and a Bingo game.
Sophie, who is a Public History MA student at Duquesne University, was especially helpful in proofreading the December issue of PHLF News, suggesting website improvements for the Education pages, and analyzing our tour activity from 2012 through 2018. She also opened a Trip Advisor account for PHLF. Tour participants are now able to give feedback more easily and their comments will help promote our tour program.
Erin graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s History Department in December 2018. She attended many of the Free Friday walking tours in September and October, taking photographs and developing a list of best techniques and tips based on her observations. She also assisted PHLF’s Archivist and realized that she wants to pursue archival studies in graduate school.
We are grateful to Natalia, Sophie, and Erin for volunteering their time and talent and wish them much success. They summed up their experiences at PHLF in the fall of 2018 with the following comments:
Volunteering at PHLF has been a great experience. I got to do many exciting things, from learning about the city in the downtown walking tours to helping second graders learn about their community in Mount Lebanon. Pittsburgh is an amazing city, and every new day being at PHLF showed me a different side of the organization. PHLF has several programs that deal with many communities and involve diverse people from all age ranges and groups. With my bilingual skills, I was able to help the foundation by designing worksheets in Spanish to help children learn about the city and architecture in a fun way. I also got to help in the Architecture Apprenticeship program for high school students, by having some background in Architecture, and appreciate the effort that the architects and urban designers made to inspire the high school students in pursuing that profession. I take this opportunity with me in the next step of my life, moving to New York City to get a master’s degree and pursue a career in Art History. It was definitely a worthwhile experience; I learned so much and would love to return as a volunteer in the future. ––Natalia Ruano, Duquesne University (History)
Attending the free Friday walking tours was such a fun way to get to know Pittsburgh and meet the committed docents! Everyone was so kind and passionate. I could really get a great idea as to why PHLF is so needed and appreciated! I also loved assisting with projects in the Frank B. Fairbanks Rail Transportation Archive. It was so rewarding to get practical archival experience that helped inspire my professional goals! –– Erin Witt, University of Pittsburgh (History)