PHLF NewsPublished for the members of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation No. 168 January 2005

In this issue:2

Our Work: Recent Progress

10Oliver Miller Homestead

Barn Raising

14Our Historic Parks:Restore and Adapt

20Event Preview: February – June

P r o t e c t i n g t h e P l a c e s t h a t M a k e P i t t s b u r g h H o m e

Nonprofit Org.

U. S. Postage

PA I D

Pittsburgh, PA

Permit No. 598

acres from the Jehovah’s Witnesses,knowing that Landmarks was willing to partner with them to preserve“Lowenhill.” Landmarks purchased apreservation easement on the façade,thus giving Landmarks control over thefaçade in perpetuity and the Simmonssome needed funds to apply toward therestoration. A painter by profession,Tom spent “five years of Saturdaywork” restoring the house, and Chriswas in charge of progress during theweek. The house had no foundation andthe floor had sunk 20 inches.

The Simmons had a contractor installa foundation. They added a stylisticallyappropriate two-story rear entryway.

With that brief yet significantannouncement from about

15 years ago, Landmarks alerted itsmembers to the endangered status of the Lowen house, “Lowenhill,” built inBeechview in 1864 by John Lowen. The property, which included six acreswith a spectacular view of Pittsburgh,had passed through various hands andhad then entered the marketplace.

In the December 1991 issue of PHLF News, the photo of the housewas twice as big, and the story, twice as long, described the house caught incontroversy: some wanted to tear thevacant and vandalized house down;others wanted it designated a CityHistoric Structure. The house survived,but was not designated.

It was next mentioned in the March1995 PHLF News. The Jehovah’sWitnesses, who had acquired the entire tract of land in 1992, planned tobuild a church on a portion of landadjacent to the house but had agreednot to interfere with the house itself.Landmarks’ president Arthur Zieglerhad been instrumental in facilitatingthat agreement. The 1995 article calledfor “someone committed to restoring asubstantially deteriorated, but remark-able house on a fine piece of property.”Two years later, in 1997, the couplecame forward.

Tom and Chris Simmons purchasedthe derelict house and one and a half

Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation100 West Station Square Drive, Suite 450Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1134www.phlf.org

Address Service Requested

Civil WarFarmhouseSavedA rarity in Pittsburgh is the board-and-batten . . . farmhouse at 311 Lowenhill Road, a sturdy and simple house of around 1860 whose principal ornamentation isdelicately-cusped verge and eavesboards. At the end of April the housewas up for auction, and by this timemay be no more than a memory.

––PHLF News, Summer 1990

Chris Simmons painted a mural of thefarm, as it might have looked in the 19th-century, on one of the dining room walls.

They were able to save the metal roof,much of the exterior woodwork, andsome of the original window glass.Inside, they reclaimed and replacedinterior woodwork and wood flooring,and restored the handsome centralstaircase. The front porch still needs tobe replaced, and when that is done themajor restoration work will be complete.

Thanks to the partnership betweenthe Simmons and Landmarks, and theowners’ unwavering commitment to the restoration of their historic property,the reality of “Lowenhill,” not thememory, endures. 2005

Old House Fairin the

David L. LawrenceConvention Center

It’s part of the Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show!

March 12 & 13Saturday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

KDKA-TV and City Paper are the marketing sponsors. The Community

Design Center of Pittsburgh will offer professional consultations

for your home renovation plans. There will be more than 50 vendors,

neighborhood organizations, and speakers.

For complete information visit:www.oldhousefair.com

or contact Cathy McCollom412-471-5808, ext. 516

cathy@phlf.org

In 1997 Landmarks purchased a preservation easement on the Lowen house inBeechview from Tom and Chris Simmons, who then used the proceeds to help themrestore the endangered house of 1864. The need to save “Lowenhill” triggeredLandmarks’ interest in the relationship between scenic open land and urban and ruralbuildings––an interest that evolved into the successful first phase of our Historic FarmPreservation Program (PHLF News, September 2004). Below: “Lowenhill” in 1997.

Chris and Tom Simmons

P a g e 2 P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

OUR WORK: Recent Progress

Clinton FurnaceRemembered

Attendees of the September 2 historical marker dedication (from left to right): Senator Jack Wagner; Bob McGurk, Forest CityManagement; Cathy McCollom, Pittsburgh History & LandmarksFoundation; Jane Crawford, Pennsylvania Historical and MuseumCommission; Ken Kobus, United States Steel Corporation; JerryPeckich, Major General Anthony Wayne Foundation; First LadyMarjorie O. Rendell; Representative Michael Diven; Marilyn Ross-Peckich, Clinton Furnace Historical Marker Committee;Stephan K. Todd, United States Steel Corporation; andRepresentative Thomas Petrone. Photo by William Rydberg, PHOTON

Station Square, developed by the Pittsburgh History & LandmarksFoundation between 1976 and 1994 and now owned by ForestCity Enterprises, was formerly the headquarters of the Pittsburgh& Lake Erie Railroad and the site of Pittsburgh’s first successfulblast furnace. From 1859 to 1927 the Clinton Iron & SteelCompany was located near where the Gateway Clipper parkinglot is. The Clinton furnace, a metal encased vessel, led to moreadvanced furnaces capable of producing huge amounts of ironand resulting in modern blast furnaces. A historical marker,placed in Bessemer Court near the converter, was dedicated onSeptember 2, 2004 to commemorate the furnace.

During the ceremony, Landmarks’ chief programs officer CathyMcCollom thanked Jerry Peckich of the Major General AnthonyWayne Foundation for his leadership in raising the money thatwas needed to match the grant from the Pennsylvania Historicaland Museum Commission to fund the Clinton Furnace marker,and for organizing the marker dedication ceremony and preparinga commemorative booklet. Marilyn Ross-Peckich and MarleneSilverman served as co-chairs of the Clinton Furnace HistoricalMarker Committee.

By coincidence, about two weeks later Landmarks was given a superb oil painting by Thornton Oakley, dated 1905. The

painting shows theMonongahela Wharfin the foregroundwith the WabashBridge (1904–48),the Clinton Furnace,and Mt. Washingtonbeyond. Oakley wasborn in Pittsburghbut spent most of his adult years in the Philadelphia-Wilmington area. His works include six murals for theFranklin Institute in Philadelphia, 48 paintings for theNational GeographicSociety, and illustra-tions in numeroustravel books writtenby his wife.

On November 17, 2004, Landmarks’ Historic PlaqueDesignation Committee, chaired by Richard M. Scaife,reviewed the 2004 nominations and awarded 15plaques, described as follows in chronological order:

Grand Hall of the Priory, formerly St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Pressley and Nash Streets,Deutschtown, was designed in 1854 by Father JohnStibiel; architect Sidney Heckert added the vestibule in1906. The award recognizes the building’s physicalprominence, historic character as one of the oldestchurches in Pittsburgh, and revitalized function as theGrand Hall, preserved and adapted by the owners of the neighboring Priory (a 1988 Historic LandmarkPlaque recipient).

Willow Cottage, Squirrel Hill, c. 1860, is a City ofPittsburgh Historic Structure, now owned by ChathamCollege. Its exterior was restored and its interiorrecreated by Landmarks Design Associates Architects.The Victorian Gothic/Swiss cottage, originally one andone-half stories with truncated arched windows, gables,and decorated barge-boards, is a prime example of the“picturesque” architecture championed in the1840s and 50s by Andrew Jackson Downing.

Jane Holmes Residence, 441 Swissvale Avenue,Wilkinsburg, was designed by Barr & Moser andconstructed c. 1869 and after. It is a conspicuous andgravely handsome architectural presence in Wilkinsburg,erected originally as The Sheltering Arms, a home forwayward girls, that now provides housing for seniors.

Teutonia Maennerchor, 857 Phineas Street, East Deutschtown, was designed by George Ott anderected in 1888 for a German choral society. Part of the half-timbering on the façade is genuine “bricknogged” timberwork with panels filled in with brick.The National Register building contains a handsometheatre and a rathskeller.

Murray Hill Avenue Historic District, 1010–1201Murray Hill Avenue, Squirrel Hill, consists of some 40 houses constructed after 1890, sited on a particularlydramatic hillside street. Most of the houses are QueenAnne or Colonial Revival, augmented by an occasionalShingle Style dwelling. Willa Cather lived for a time at1180 Murray Hill Avenue. The designated area is a City of Pittsburgh Historic District.

Husler Building, 1 West Main Street, Carnegie, wasdesigned and erected in 1896 by Samuel T. McClarren.Today the building is the History Center of the HistoricalSociety of Carnegie. Its blend of RichardsonianRomanesque and Renaissance Classicism is shared with the architect’s Morrow and Woolslair Schools (on the National Register) and is found in the work ofleading Pittsburgh architects of the 1890s, such asLongfellow, Alden & Harlow and Rutan & Russell. The Husler Building is McClarren’s sole documentedsurviving commercial building; he is best known for housesin the Thornburg National Register Historic District.

The Pittsburgh Golf Club, designed by Alden &Harlow in 1899 and enlarged by them in 1904, is theoldest surviving designed golf clubhouse in AlleghenyCounty. Margaret Henderson Floyd has written: “With elegant white woodwork and broad porches, the golf club design related closely to the classicalinteriors that [Alden & Harlow] were designing at thistime in the East End and to country houses in SewickleyHeights that stood on spectacular sites.”

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 600 Pitt Street,Wilkinsburg, was designed and erected in 1903. Thearchitect was English ecclesiastical architect and water-colorist George Nattress, who worked in Philadelphiafrom 1891 to 1904 (after 1899, with his son in the firmof George Nattress & Son). The Allegheny CountyHistoric Site Survey called the church “one of the finerexamples of Gothic Revival architecture in Wilkinsburg.”

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Homewood Branch,7101 Hamilton Avenue, Homewood, was designed byHoward K. Jones for Alden & Harlow and erected in1910. This library reveals a new attitude toward design:instead of the grave Classicism of the older buildings,there is a rather light English Gothic treatment. Thelibrary recently underwent a major rehabilitation byPfaffman & Associates.

Schenley Park Visitors Center, Schenley Drive,Schenley Park, designed by Rutan & Russell andconstructed in 1910 as theSchenley Park Pavilion, is one of the earliest survivingbuildings in the park. Theexterior of the building has beenrestored by Landmarks DesignAssociates Architects, who alsoadapted interior spaces for itsuse as a Visitors Center.

The partly Venetian Gothic,partly French Gothic façade of the Osterling Studio andOffice, 228 Isabella Street,North Side, was applied byFrederick J. Osterling to anolder building in 1917. Therenovation of the architect’soffice took place duringconstruction of Osterling’sUnion Arcade, downtown onGrant Street, where similarFlamboyant tracery was used.

Continued on page 16

Thornton Oakley, untitled, 1905. Oil on canvas, 281/2" x 521/2"

15 Historic LandmarkPlaques Awarded in 2004

Jane Holmes Residence, Wilkinsburg

Osterling Studio andOffice, North Side

The Pittsburgh Golf Club, Squirrel Hill

skills and resources they need to establish a maintenance plan fortheir historic religiousproperty, determine its “public” value, andbroaden their base of support.

In 2004, parishionersfrom more than 80 historic religiousproperties in Vermont, Atlanta,Boston, Cincinnati,Philadelphia, Pittsburghand the Mid-Atlanticregion and San FranciscoBay area participated in News Dollars/New Partners. A member from St. Paul’sEpiscopal Church in Oakland, Californiasaid: “This is the single most importantopportunity for breaking out of standard-ized thinking we have.” Pastor Dan Cramerfrom Zion Christian Church in Carricksaid, “There are manageable pieces thatwhen put together make a big difference.”

Pittsburgh participants in 2004 were:Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church(North Side); Bethel Presbyterian Church;Calvary United Methodist Church(Allegheny West); Calvary MemorialPresbyterian Church (Etna); EmmanuelEvangelical Lutheran Church (CastleShannon); First Baptist Church ofPittsburgh (Oakland); MulberryPresbyterian Church (Wilkinsburg); St. Andrew Lutheran Church (Shadyside);and Zion Christian Church (Carrick).

October 1, 2004Dear Ms. McCollom:

I am writing to inquire whether PHLF isconsidering offering the “New Dollars/New Partners” Program again? Our churchis interested in participating since it seemslike a program that would benefit us in ourattempt to find funding to restore andmaintain our church property….

––Paulette J. BaloghThe Church of the Holy Cross, Homewood

Good news travels quickly. Just as parish-ioners from nine local congregations weregraduating from the first Pittsburgh offer-ing of the nationally recognized trainingprogram created by Partners for SacredPlaces, members from four more churcheswere writing to Cathy McCollom, chiefprograms officer at Landmarks, to ask if asecond training session would be held.“Landmarks hopes to raise $15,000 so wecan bring the program to Pittsburgh again,”said Cathy. New Dollars/New Partners forYour Sacred Place gives participants the

Based on program evaluation forms, the majority of participants were motivatedto plan and carry out a capital campaign;better able to work together as a team;more knowledgeable about the value of their resources and programs; better ableto assess building repair and maintenanceneeds; and better able to identify potentialfunding partners. By the end of 2004, the majority of participants had completeda grant application, prepared a casestatement, made a presentation to theircongregation, and planned internal andexternal funding campaigns, among otheraccomplishments.

If you are interested in contributing to a second offering of New Dollars/New Partners, or participating in thetraining program, contact Cathy: 412-471-5808, ext. 516; cathy@phlf.org.

Religious Properties program if you havenot yet done so. See the sidebar at right fordetails.

In an e-mail to Cathy of December 7,2004, Pastor Dan Cramer of Zion ChristianChurch summed up the importance ofLandmarks’ outreach effort: “Thank you so much for the great news about the grant for the windows. That is wonderful,and we deeply appreciate it. You at PHLFcontinually surprise us with all the waysyou help all of us who are not used to being helped––churches!”

Three of the eleven historic religious property grant recipients in 2004 (from left to right): The Pittsburgh New Church in Homewood,designed in 1929 by Harold Thorp Carswell; Mulberry Presbyterian Church in Wilkinsburg, designed in 1905 by Hoffman & Company; and First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Shadyside, designed in 1926 by Corbusier, Lenski & Foster.

First Offering of New Dollars/New Partnersin Pittsburgh Is a Success

Trustee George Dorman chairs Landmarks’Historic Religious Properties Committeethat oversees a program of financial andtechnical assistance to churches and syna-gogues in Allegheny County that haveviable congregations and provide socialservices in their communities. By the end of2004, chief programs officer CathyMcCollom had announced grants totaling$70,000 to eleven historic churches:

• Bellefield Presbyterian Church (Oakland)

• Episcopal Church of the Redeemer(Squirrel Hill)

• First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh(Oakland)

• First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church(Shadyside)

• Hawthorne Avenue Presbyterian Church(Crafton)

• Mulberry Presbyterian Church(Wilkinsburg)

• The Pittsburgh New Church (Homewood)

• Presbyterian Church of MountWashington

• St. Andrew Lutheran Church (Shadyside)

• St. Thomas Memorial Episcopal Church(Oakmont)

• Zion Christian Church (Carrick)

Grant funds support architecturalrestoration projects and are matched by each congregation. In addition, thefollowing churches will receive technicalassistance from Landmarks:

• Clark Memorial Baptist Church(Homestead)

• First United Presbyterian Church (Crafton Heights)

• Emsworth United Presbyterian Church

• Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Church(Carnegie)

• Risen Lord Church (North Side)

Chairman Philip B. Hallen presented the grant and technical assistance awardsduring the annual Historic ReligiousProperties seminar on October 19, 2004 at the Urban Mountain Gathering Place on Mt. Washington.

Landmarks’ Historic Religious PropertiesProgram is funded through year-end giftsfrom its members; through grants fromprivate foundations, including in 2004 theAnne L. and George H. Clapp Charitableand Educational Trust, the Forbes Funds,the Milton G. Hulme CharitableFoundation, and the Katherine MabisMcKenna Foundation; and through general funds budgeted by Landmarks.Please contribute to the 2005 Historic

Reach outwith a gift

to Landmarks

to support its

Historic Religious

Properties program

of grants and

technical assistance.

100% of your gift will helpcaretakers of churches andsynagogues restore stained glass,repair leaking roofs, paint exteriorwoodwork, create handicap-accessible entrances, renovateinterior spaces, fund feasibilitystudies, and repair significantartwork, among many otherrestoration improvements.

Help us reach our annual fund-raising goal of $20,000from members and friends.

Mail your tax-deductible gift to:Mary Lu DennyDirector of Membership ServicesPittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation100 West Station Square Drive, Suite 450Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1134

Please reference your gift: Historic Religious Properties

If you would rather make acontribution to support eitherLandmarks’ endowment, or itsneighborhood preservation servicesor education programs, then simplyindicate this in a note with your gift.Such donations are also welcomeand indeed are very much needed.

A copy of the official registration and financial information of the Pittsburgh History & LandmarksFoundation may be obtained from the PennsylvaniaDepartment of State by calling toll free withinPennsylvania 1-800-732-0999. Registration doesnot imply endorsement.

P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 P a g e 3

Representatives from St. Andrew Lutheran Church (far left andcenter), with staff members from Partners for Sacred Places, andCathy McCollom of Landmarks (far right)

Pastor Douglas H. Spittel from First TrinityEvangelical Lutheran Church (left) andChairman Phil Hallen

Landmarks Awards $70,000 to 11 Historic Religious Properties

Museum Commission to supportrestoration of the Woods house(c. 1790) at 4604 Monongahela Street.

Sylvia Easler of Allegheny County’sParks and Recreation Departmentasked Tom Keffer of Landmarks tomeet at Hartwood Acres in IndianaTownship to review the condition ofthe casement windows and stained andleaded glass windows, and commenton restoration suggestions presented by The Friends of Hartwood Acres(FOHA). As a result of the meeting, the FOHA agreed to prepare a completerestoration package with associatedcosts and plans to raise funds to restorethe 1920s house designed by Alfred W. Hopkins of New York.

Tom Keffer gave advice to BaldwinBorough and the Baldwin Historical Societyso they could carefully uncover a two-storylog house from the 1820s, disassemble it,and rebuild it next to the Borough buildingon Churchview Avenue. The log cabin hadbeen covered in Sheetrock and rows ofrusted metal shingles.

Landmarks objected to the demolition of 421 West 8th Avenue in Homestead(which once housed Buffington’s restaurant).The building serves as an entrance to theHistoric District. We recommended that theCounty of Allegheny sell the building forone dollar to any person, group, or devel-oper for the sole purpose of completeexterior restoration. As of mid-Decemberthe building was still standing.

We encouraged the “Concerned Citizensof the Ambridge Area School District” in their battle to save the three-storyAmbridge High School of 1926. The schoolboard is proposing to replace the historicstructure with a new school. PreservationPennsylvania listed Ambridge High Schoolon its 2004 Pennsylvania-At-Risk listbecause it represents a wave of neighbor-hood school closings and demolitions.

P a g e 4 P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

OUR WORK: Recent Progress (continued)

Landmarks AwardsPreservation Loans toSouth Side & WilkinsburgIn December 2004 Landmarks awarded a $250,000Preservation Fund loan to the South Side Local DevelopmentCompany (SSLDC) so it could purchase the long-derelict FotoHut building at 1505–07 East Carson Street. The three-story

commercial building was con-structed in 1881. SSLDC hasformed a joint venture withTREK Development Group tocreate nine apartments and threecommercial spaces in the historic building. SSLDC intends tomove into one of the spaces. Construction on the $3 millionproject will begin in the summer of 2005.

As reported in the September 2004 issue of PHLF News,Landmarks is working with Wilbur Young, mayor ofWilkinsburg Borough, and local businesses and residents todevelop a comprehensive neighborhood plan to revitalize theWilkinsburg area. Thanks to a $68,000 Preservation Fund loanfrom Landmarks, Black Vietnam Era Veterans, Inc. will be ableto purchase a heating system for its headquarters building at1027 Wood Street in Wilkinsburg.

Staff Assists Area Boards & OrganizationsWe briefly note a few of the conferencesand organizations we supported in 2004.

In Pittsburgh, Landmarks:

• Co-chaired the lighting committee ofRiverlife Task Force;

• Assisted the Pittsburgh DowntownPartnership with its Wine and Dine Tourof Downtown Pittsburgh;

• Served on the South Side LocalDevelopment Company’s NewcomersNight Committee;

• Helped sponsor the PennsylvaniaDowntown Center conference, and hostedwalking tours and moderated sessions;

• Participated in the Green BuildingAlliance “Building Solutions Summit”;

• Participated on the Steering Committee ofA+ Schools, Pittsburgh’s CommunityAlliance for Public Education;

• Led a tour of the Fifth-Forbes area forLeadership Pittsburgh;

• Served as a marketing advisor for ThePittsburgh Foundation and the PittsburghCultural Trust;

• Served as a co-chair for the Friends of theRiverfront Trail Mixer, which launcheseach new riverfront rails-to-trail segment;

• Co-hosted Sustainable Pittsburgh’sRegionalism and Equity Forum; and

• Co-sponsored the opening of Work Song,a play about Frank Lloyd Wrightproduced by City Theater.

In Allegheny County, Landmarks:

• Chaired the Committee on AlleghenyCounty Historic Properties;

• Worked with Communities First to fight Wal-Mart’s proposal to develop the former Dixmont State Hospital site,and to advance an alternative plan for the Dixmont site promoting sustainabledevelopment practices and conservingopen space;

• Worked with the Allegheny CountyAgricultural Land Preservation Programto enhance our ability to preserve farmproperties; and

• Served on the Mt. Lebanon HistoricPreservation Board; helped guide the firstyear of the Cultural Resource Survey; andcompleted the grant application, on theMunicipality’s behalf, for the third andfinal year of the comprehensive survey.

In Washington, D.C., Landmarks:

• Supported the third decade reunion and honors program of Partners forLivable Communities. Secretary of theTreasury John Snow was among thehonored guests.

In September 2004 Hurricane Ivan inundated themain street of Carnegie, as well as many other his-toric communities in the Pittsburgh region. So muchof the restoration progress that had been undertakenin the past few years was washed away.

A key building, the Husler Building (see page 2),stands at the edge of Chartiers Creek and houses theall-volunteer Carnegie Historical Society. To avoidthe flood waters, members carried exhibit materialsfrom the first floor to the second but the heating system was destroyed.

Landmarks’ president Arthur Ziegler and superin-tendent of property maintenance Tom Keffer touredthe building on October 29 with Historical SocietyPresident Marcella McGroghan. Former CountyExecutive James Roddey toured the building later, as well. As a result of the tour and a funding requestsubmitted by Landmarks on behalf of the CarnegieHistorical Society, the Allegheny Foundation, a

Scaife family charitable trust, agreed to provide funds to replace the heating system andcover the costs of miscellaneous building and roof repairs so that the volunteers can workthrough the winter to restore the building and exhibits. A considerable amount of moneyhas to be raised to restore the 1896 landmark designed by Samuel T. McClarren; a budget isbeing formulated for that purpose.

Technical Assistance Highlights in 2004

Homestead 8th Avenue Improvements Continue

Work has been completed on three more of the nine 8thAvenue properties in Homestead to which Landmarks gavefaçade grants and loans in 2003.

The Bulgarian-Macedonian Educational & Cultural Centerat 449–451 West 8th Avenue was renovated to replicate thestyle of Bulgarian architecture.In a letter to Landmarks ofAugust 20, 2004, PatriciaFrench, president of the Center,wrote: “I am so happy to reportthat our façade is completed,thanks to your confidence andfinancial support. We are soproud of the result!”

Advantar has restored thefaçade balconies and brickworkon its building at 218 West 8thAvenue, and installed newwindows and doors. Joe Small,president of Advantar, said: “We genuinely appreciate thehelp, guidance, and assistance that PH&LF has providedthroughout the restoration process.”

The façade of 2181/2 East 8th Avenue has been restored, andowner Judith Tener has opened Annex Cookery in the invitingnine-foot-wide space. Stop in and support Homestead’s newestmain street business.

What is technical assistance? It’s advice toan owner of a historic property, from amember of our staff, that helps the ownermove forward with a restoration project. In some cases, Landmarks agrees to fund astudy of a building’s condition. In any givenyear, we talk with numerous people, visitdozens of sites, and fund several studies.Here we highlight technical-assistanceactivity in 2004:

When masonry collapsed at 1401Columbus Avenue in Manchester, Tom Keffer, superintendent of propertymaintenance at Landmarks, encouragedManchester Citizens Corporation (MCC) to ask the City, who owned the property, to stabilize the rear ell. Because of thesignificance of the 1887 building, Tom recommended that MCC try to obtain funding to acquire the handsomered-brick structure.

We assessed the physical condition of the historic Lynch Mansion in Friendship (now the home of the Waldorf School) andprepared a preliminary restoration budget.

Landmarks helped the HazelwoodInitiative secure a $90,000 Keystone Grantfrom the Pennsylvania Historical and

1401 Columbus Avenue, Manchester

1027 Wood Street

449–451 West 8th Avenue

Annex Cookery, 2181/2 East 8th Avenue

Husler Building, Carnegie

Advantar, 218 West 8th Avenue

1505–07 East Carson Street

Landmarks Helps Flood-DamagedBuilding in Carnegie Secure Grant

The James D. Van Trump Library received a2004 grant of $5,000 from the PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Commission (PHMC)to convert deteriorating tape recordings byJamie Van Trump into a compact disc format,thus preserving Jamie’s voice and unique histori-cal knowledge for future generations. Landmarksprovided additional funds needed to complete theproject, and members Marirose and John Radeletcontributed as well.

Most of the recordings were ten-to-fifteen minutevignettes prepared for regular broadcast on WQEDFM between 1975 and 1983. As was typical of Jamie,

topics were wide-ranging: secular and sacred landmarks; specialplaces, both intimate and grand; prominent historical figures, etc.Although most of the pieces were about southwestern Pennsylvania,Jamie touched on other communities in the Commonwealth, andbeyond. Several programs, which were carefully scripted, werepublished in Life and Architecture in Pittsburgh (Landmarks 1983).

52 studio tape reels were baked, then transferred, using digitalremastering technology, to 53 compact discs by Digital Dynamics

Audio, Inc. Landmarks’ chief information officer RonaldYochum screened the programs for quality, organized

them by title, prepared a program list, and transferred268 programs to a single DVD.

Copies of the DVD were given to WQED FM(owner of the copyright) and to the PHMC.

A copy is available in the Van Trump libraryand may be heard by appointment. Several

recordings, in which Jamie describes thework of Benno Janssen, were played atLongue Vue Club during our member-

ship event there on July 26, 2004.

Along with many of you, I read the articlein the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (August 11,2004) detailing a two-year task, led by State archivist Jerry Ellis, to catalogue acollection of materials (covering the 1800suntil 1939) from Allegheny City, eventhough Allegheny City was not in existenceofficially after 1907. In that year Alleghenywas annexed (against its will) to Pittsburghand became the North Side.

Since I, personally, am researching aspecific area of the North Side, Fineview,once known as Nunnery Hill, I visited thePennsylvania State Archives in August2004. For my purposes, the records did notoffer any new information; however, inresearch, one must check all sources avail-able or key information might not be dis-covered. The records are mostly financialgovernment records: a resident’s taxes(property, water, and sewage) paid or notpaid; assessments; road and other publicconstruction approvals; and city billsapproved and paid. There are also policerecords, and records of complaints to theMayor. Minutes of Council meetings arethere to read, some in the most beautiful ofhandwriting. The rag content of the ledgerpaper keeps the words as fresh, bright, andclear as the day they were written.

It was thrilling when I did find namesand addresses of residents long ago at streetaddresses I know so well in Fineview. Some streets, so heavily populated and

often mentioned 100 years ago, are totallyor almost vacant today. Toboggan andHoward Streets came alive in the records,and today the opposite is true. I was able toread of dates and specifications for sewerand water lines and paving of most streetsin Fineview, along with the planning andapproval ordinances for the FineviewTrolley line.

It truly is an interesting trip back inhistory to the everyday financial records of Allegheny City. One thing was evident:the city expected the bills to be paid downto the last penny, and meticulous recordswere kept as to when each resident paid abill. As I perused the archives, I sensed that life was much the same then as it istoday, filled with work, development costs,and taxes.

Allegheny Foundation GrantFunds Library AssistantLandmarks was notified in November 2004that the Allegheny Foundation will fund a third year of staff support, throughDecember 2006, for which we are mostgrateful. Since September 13, 2004 Laureen Schulte, a Duquesne Universityhistory graduate student, has been capablyfilling the part-time position. Prior to that,Helen Donnelley (in July and August) and Kelley Stroup (January through June)worked with us. Much has been accom-plished as a result of their work: the historicsites survey, oversize book collection, andoversize journal collection have been reor-ganized; plat books and insurance mapshave been reinventoried and labeled; and an index has been prepared for an eight-volume Architectural Record scrapbook,among other tasks.

New Reference MaterialsOne range of shelving in the library isdevoted to reference works. New to thissection are African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary 1865–1945(Routledge 2004), Sculpture from Antiquityto the Present, four volumes (Taschen 1996;a gift from Walter C. Kidney), and PencilPoints Reader: A Journal for the DraftingRoom 1920–1943 (Princeton 2004;purchased by the Richard D. EdwardsNamed Fund).

Our collection of practical historicpreservation reference documents has beenenhanced by a three-binder set, “HistoricPreservation Resources Handbook,”compiled by Landmarks’ chief programs

officer CathyMcCollom, andconsisting of conciseinformation on virtu-ally all aspects ofhistoric preservation:researching househistories, communitypreservation issues,historic designation,tax credits andabatements, fundingsources, propertydevelopment, conser-vation, and more.Other recent items inthis section include“Planning BeyondBoundaries: A Multi-Municipal Planning and ImplementationManual for Pennsylvania Municipalities,”prepared by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvaniain 2002, and a file of documents pertainingto “Historic Preservation RehabilitationTax Credit Information,” both acquired by Landmarks’ former general counsel, Elisa Cavalier.

Lists and DatabasesLibrary Assistant Laureen Schulte edited aselected index to The Pittsburgh Bulletin1887 to 1920 prepared over many years byLandmarks’ co-founder Jamie Van Trump.Volunteer Judith Harvey, several membersof the secretary staff, and Laureen have alllabored to convert information typed onnotecards into a word-processed list thatallows researchers to quickly scan high-lights of articles on Pittsburgh architecture

and design that appeared in a magazinewritten for Pittsburgh’s prominent citizenry.

Certainly the most useful recently devel-oped tool is the database index prepared byJudith Harvey indexing all our copies ofPHLF News (only issue No. 16 is missingfrom our holdings). Judith’s index is com-patible with the index prepared since thelate 1980s by the National Trust library atthe University of Maryland. It is also search-able, unlike The Bulletin list; researchers cansearch 1,680 articles published in PHLFNews by author, title, or subject.

Hours of Operation/ProcedureThe library is open by appointmentMonday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Call Al Tannler, Frank Stroker, or Walter Kidney at 412-471-5808 if you wish to schedule a visit. There is a fee fornon-members.

James D.Van Trump Library: Support and New Resources

PHMC Grant Funds VanTrump Tape-RecordingConversion to Compact Disc

A First-Person Report:

A Visit to thePennsylvania State Archives inHarrisburg Judith Harvey, Library Volunteer

Landmarks Gives to OthersFrom time to time, Landmarks is able to make contributions from the Named Funds that our members haveestablished, and from our organizationgenerally. Our contributions supportpreservation/educational efforts that are being advanced by other organiza-tions. Gifts we made to others in 2004 included:

Contributions from Our Named Funds

• Barensfeld Family FundAllegheny Unitarian Church, for ADA-accessible design work

• Brashear Family FundContributions to underwrite eight student scholarships

• Carl Wood Brown FundNorthside Leadership Conference’sAllegheny Commons Restoration (see page 15)

• Mary DeWinter Named FundThe American Chestnut FoundationBeginning with BooksBidwell Cultural & Training CenterCranberry Township Historical SocietyMars History & Landmarks SocietyRailroad Station ProjectMcCook House Preservation ProjectPittsburgh Parks ConservancyRachel Carson Homestead AssociationSt. Luke’s ChurchUnion Project (see page 12)

• Audrey and Kenneth Menke NamedFund for EducationAndrew Carnegie Free LibraryRestoration Fund

• The Shadybrook FundNorthside Leadership Conference’sAllegheny Commons Restoration (see page 15)

• Patricia Thauer FundHosanna HouseThe Mattress FactoryNational Trust for HistoricPreservation’s Hurricane Relief Fundfor Historic Properties

• Walton Family FundContribution to NEED, to fund one student scholarship

• Emma Ziegler Named FundAsbury Heights FoundationDormont Historical SocietyHorticultural Society of WesternPennsylvaniaLincoln Highway Heritage CorridorRestorationLittle Beaver Creek FoundationNature ConservancySave the Redwoods LeagueSociety for the Preservation of theDuquesne InclineWDUQWQEDWestern Pennsylvania School for the Deaf

Contributions Generally• Center for Preservation Initiatives• Gettysburg National Battlefield

Museum Foundation• James W. Knox Scholarship Fund at

the Irish Room at the University ofPittsburgh International Classrooms

• National Trust for HistoricPreservation

• Preservation Pennsylvania

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OUR WORK: Recent Progress (continued)

The Grable Foundation Gives Three-Year Grant to EducationOn December 1, 2004 The Grable Foundation informed Landmarks that itwould be awarding a $60,000 grant to its education department, payableover three years, to support programs for students and teachers that develop an understanding of and appreciation for the urban environment. “This isexcellent news,” said Dr. Herman Reid, chair of Landmarks’ EducationAdvisory Committee. “Support from The Grable Foundation for the next threeyears will enable Landmarks to continue offering a full schedule of tours,architectural design challenges, in-school resources, and teacher in-services(among many other activities) to more than 10,000 people each year.”

In addition, Landmarks will be able to createseveral new programs, including a Web site tohelp build literacy skills that shows photographsof building details that resemble alphabet letters;an architectural scavenger hunt for Children’sMuseum visitors; neighborhood explorations forseveral Pittsburgh public schools; and a data-base of digital images featuring significant

Pittsburgh art and architecture that teachers will be able to access.“As a result of this grant,” said executive director Louise Sturgess, “we will

be able to continue our existing programs and create new resources thatengage students in their community and help them develop a passion fordiscovery while strengthening academic, teamwork, and problem-solvingskills.” In the process, Landmarks is able to encourage a “preservation ethic”among young people and nurture good citizenship values.

The Grable Foundation grant will help relieve the annual deficit incurredby Landmarks’ education department, and will enable Landmarks to continueits commitment to education––a commitment that so many schools andneighborhood groups count on. There is no group in Pittsburgh that uses thecommunity as a resource for learning in such a comprehensive, creative, andengaging way as Landmarks.

“We are grateful to have the support of The Grable Foundation,” saidChairman Phil Hallen, “as we involve more people in exploring the richarchitectural heritage of this region.” Photographs and artwork from recentprograms show the impact of our work.

Architectural DesignChallenge 2004 – 05

More than 150 middle and high schoolstudents from various Westmoreland CountySchools, and 28 elementary students from thePittsburgh Gifted Center are analyzing andcritiquing the Pressley Associates plan forPoint State Park and building models of aVisitors Center they envision for the Park.The Pressley Associates plan was recentlydeveloped under the leadership of theRiverlife Task Force.

During orientation sessions withLandmarks in the fall of 2004, studentslearned how to express their ideas bydrawing “bubble diagrams,” floor plans,elevations, and sections. In the next issue of PHLF News, we will show some of thestudents’ models and describe their ideas.

Our DocentsTrained volunteers assist Landmarks’education staff. Without them, wecould not accomplish all that we do.These photographs were taken at theDrew Mathieson Center on the North Side during one of our monthlyeducational excursions.

If you are interested in becoming a docent, contact Mary Lu Denny:412-471-5808, ext. 527;marylu@phlf.org. We always welcome new recruits!

Through two scholarship programs sup-ported by our trustees, Landmarks is ableto connect with local students who have agenuine interest in historic preservation.

In a letter to us of July 12, 2004,Columbia University freshman Alison Spatz Levine (a Brashear Family Scholar)eloquently described how she touredHarlem to talk with long-time residents todetermine how Columbia University couldexpand into that neighborhood withoutnegatively impacting its economic, social,and architectural character. She alsoresearched New York’s Lower East Side fora Pittsburgh-based cartographer, and ledstudents on a tour of the neighborhood sothey would understand the importance ofpreservation. To read her full letter, visit“Scholarships” at: www.phlf.org/education/.

In a letter of July 3, 2004 to LouiseSturgess, retired teacher Margaret Burleythanked Landmarks for its Walton FamilyScholarship program: “You have madesuch a positive impact on the PittsburghHill District Community by coordinatingLandmarks’ Walton Family Scholarship….Due to your and Ellen Walton’s ongoingsupport, a total of 12 students havereceived $1,000 scholarships since Iestablished the grassroots Miller SchoolScholarship Program in 1999….”Margaret’s full letter and Miller Schoolscholar Kenya Freeman’s letter are also onour Web site.

For further information about both thesescholarship programs, contact Mary AnnEubanks: 412-471-5808, ext. 537;maryann@phlf.org.

Landmarks’ Scholarship ProgramsHave an Impact

Pittsburgh Gifted Center students in Helen Norfleet’s class draw a floorplan (top), elevation (above left), and section (above right).

Landmarks’ docentsinclude (front to back, leftto right): Linda Liechty,Marian Cook, Bob Loos,Julie Mangus, KathyTestoni, Peggy Dimperio,Eliza Nevin, Bill Garrett,and Mary Eror.

The letter “M” in the roof-line of a Mt. Lebanon house

For the seventh consecu-tive year, students fromArlington, BishopLeonard, Philip Murray,and Phillips ElementarySchools are participatingin free field trips and in-school programs createdby Landmarks, thanks tothe South Side LocalDevelopment Company’sNeighborhood AssistanceProgram/ComprehensiveService Program, spon-sored by the PennsylvaniaDepartment of Community& Economic Development and PNC Bank.

These photos show students creating collages at theSilver Eye Center for Photography after an “Eye Spy on the South Side” walking tour and art activity, andparticipating in a career awareness program with Jonathan Newell of PNC Bank and James Sheehan andGreg Newman from Renaissance 3 Architects.

Speaking ofPreservationMany municipalities are makingpoor economic decisions. Instead offixing older and more historic,attractive downtown areas they areletting these city centers decay andmoving development out into thesuburbs and building strip malls.This “spreading out” adds to theoverall burden on taxpayers byadding more infrastructure, that is,more roads, sewers, lights and areasfor police and fireman to patrol. As a result, taxpayers now have topay for the older decaying area andthe new development. Furthermore,strip malls have about a third of thelife expectancy of a traditional“downtown” area….

The correct path is to rebuild oururban centers through economicstimulus packages that encouragenew business and housing in urbanareas. The money for such initia-tives is out there, it’s just beingspent in the wrong places.

––TJ MortonExecutive Director Aliquippa AllianceAugust 4, 2004

In Pittsburgh, “hills and canyonssupport neighborhood character and identity. There are cul-de-sacslike Boston where generations offamilies live and prosper. It’s not the same in Los Angeles. People areless permanent. Urban geographyalong with climate shapes the localculture—the substance for differingurban designs….L.A. is a city of sticks and stones, and Pittsburghis a city of bricks and mortar.Pittsburgh’s presence is embodied in this. Materials and methods doreflect the city’s culture.”

––William FainJury Chair for the AIA Design Awards(as quoted by Patricia Lowry,Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,October 30, 2004)

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South Side Area Schools Benefit fromNeighborhood Assistance Program Architecture

ApprenticesGraduate

Thirty-two students from high schoolsthroughout the city and county participatedin a five-session course introducing them to career paths in architecture and historicpreservation. They were also asked todevelop a design showing a new use for the vacant bank building at the corner ofEighth and Amity Avenues in Homestead.Architects Jonathan Greene and KellyDocter helped Landmarks teach the class.

Bridges & MoreTo kick-off a classroom unit on bridge-building, agroup of Central Elementary School students visitedLandmarks’ offices on October 26, 2004 to see several bridge models, constructed out of K’nexs byLandmarks’ Scholar and CMU student Todd Wilson.Then, students went on a Bridge Tour with Landmarksand explored the North Shore park as well.

Arlington studentsparticipate in “Eye Spy”at the Silver Eye Centerfor Photography.

Plans for a day-carecenter in a former bankbuilding in Homestead

Architects James Sheehanand Greg Newman andPNC’s Jonathan Newell meet with Arlington studentsto discuss communitydevelopment careers.

How Landmarks Has Helped theChildren’s Museum1968: Landmarks and North Sidecitizens save the Allegheny Post Officefrom demolition.

Autumn 1971: Landmarks restores thebuilding at a cost of nearly $800,000;moves its offices to the Allegheny PostOffice; and formally opens the OldPost Office Museum in January 1972.

June 1983: When a group of peopleexpress interest in starting a Children’sMuseum, Landmarks invites them touse the lower galleries of the Old PostOffice to test out the idea.

1983: Landmarks begins moving itsoffices to The Landmarks Building atStation Square; the Children’s Museumexpands into the Old Post Office.

1991: Landmarks gives the entire Old Post Office building to theChildren’s Museum.

2000: When the Pittsburgh Children’sMuseum announces that it is going tobuild a new wing to the west of theOld Post Office, Landmarks commis-sions a feasibility study to see if thevacant Buhl Planetarium can beadapted for their purposes and linked,with a new building, to the Old PostOffice. The study is positive.

2001: Landmarks workswith the Children’s Museumon the design of the new“connecting” building andon the adaptation of theBuhl Planetarium.

2004: Many historic artifacts from Landmarks’collection continue to be

displayed at the Children’s Museum,including the “Ladies of Stone” and keystones from the demolished Fourth Avenue Post Office, as well as stained glass.

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The renovated and expanded Children’s Museum ofPittsburgh opened just before the holiday season, making itseem like an early present. It serves the purpose very well,with new toys inside to appeal to pleasingly diverse agegroups. Also, true to the nature of the institution, it’s highlyeducational. The exhibits have plenty to teach young minds,and so does the architecture, which offers numerous impor-tant lessons.

Really, the educational process began before ground-breaking, through an ethos of openness and responsivenessthat Director Jane Werner pursued from the outset.Community charettes allowed the museum to learn from itsneighbors and vice versa as the building program developed.Then, a National Endowment for the Arts-funded designcompetition with nationally ranked talent raised the bar forboth the process and the final product.People could expect the best possibledesigns and make real comparisons in the process. If anyone questioned thatarchitects could reconcile respect forcontext and community with artisticallyprogressive design, Koning EizenbergArchitects of Santa Monica (assistedlocally by Perkins Eastman Architectsand Mascaro Construction Company)have put doubts to rest.

Their addition is a crisply modernmulti-story box placed between theRenaissance style old Children’s Museum(the former post office and headquarters/museum of the Pittsburgh History &Landmarks Foundation) and theModerne style former Buhl Planetarium.The new construction connects to botholder buildings, both of which featuredomes. The new piece is centralized andiconic enough to form an effective ensemble with itspredecessors, but it nonetheless is clearly of its own time.The lesson here is that modern architecture can bestylistically progressive while still maintaining a healthyrelationship with its historic surroundings. It can evenimprove them.

Of course, most people will pay most attention to themesmerizing windscreens, a collaborative work between thearchitects and artist Ned Kahn, who has created this sort ofwork elsewhere. Consisting of thousands of polycarbonatesquares hinged at the top and mounted on the building’soutward-tilting façade trusses, the screens ripple in patternedwaves like water when it’s windy. The effect is absolutelyhypnotic and delightful. Significantly, this represents a majorchange from the competition-winning scheme, which fea-tured a folding, Noguchi lamp-like curtain wall. The reviseddesign, though necessarily cheaper, is better. It’s more fun,it’s a better formal analogy to (though not an imitation of)the domes and it connects to the other buildings more

clearly. The two old buildings are about the heavens, viewedeither through the telescope or the bible (post office or not,the Renaissance dome typology was originally designed as achurch). But the new building is about the wind.

Actually, at the entry level, it’s also about the sky. Theentry pavilion that seemed a bit unresolved on the model isvery effective in person largely because of its airy openness,the right quality for a lobby space. Although it’s an austereexercise in steel and glass, the lower height of the porchseems appropriately sheltering, complete with its functioningporch swing, while the high-ceiling interior space is moredynamic and exciting in scale. Throughout, details are sharp,knowing and confident, a distinct contrast to the visual slopof some surrounding modern architecture. Also, visitors realize eventually how dark and enclosed the Buhl is in itshistorical construction. This modern entry is a good foil.

One major change to the Buhl visible from the entry isthat the architects opened a very large window in the eastend of what used to be the planetarium lobby. Former

Historic Review Commissioner JohnDeSantis once expressed steadfastopposition to this proposal, but it actually improves the whole complex.The natural light is cheerful, the view ofthe adjacent Carnegie Library is grand,and the axis through the three buildingsaggrandizes, organizes, and unifies themto great effect. The architects were right,and they delivered even more than theypromised with this feature.

The old structure is now filled withhigh-tech and low-tech exhibits, stimulat-ing works of art and selected architecturalartifacts, all of which perpetuate themulti-generational appeal. The interactivevideo pieces, including works such as“Gathering,” by Camille Utterback andAdam Chapman of Creative Nerve, Inc.,are personal favorites. The general strat-egy, though, that art and architecture canappeal to adults while gently cultivating

interests in children who may or may not be ready for themis thoughtfully and pervasively executed. Adults can admireprints from the Warhol Museum or stained glass saved bythe Pittsburgh History & Landmarks, while kids play withtoy trains or watch Mister Rogers.

Many older visitors, though, will not escape a sense of melancholy over the old Buhl. Not only is the Zeissprojector gone, but some spaces in the lower levels feel oddly unfinished, even though the architects’ hip and cheerfuldecorative sense is frequently apparent. These sorts of roughedges seem more like shortages of budget than imagination,and they pale in comparison to the overall level of success of the project.

It seems exactly appropriate that a Children’s Museumthat encourages nurturing interaction among people does the same with architecture. Perhaps the biggest lesson is that such an approach should apply to the entire builtenvironment as well.

Longtime members of Landmarks willremember the annual Holiday party atthe Old Post Office Museum, shownhere in 1973.

The expanded Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh on the North Side connects 19th and 20th century landmarks with a three-story 21st-century structure whose façade of hinged, polycarbonate squares ripples in patterned waves like water when it’s windy. The rotunda space (right) has been beautifully restored and adapted as an art center and exhibit area.

A detail of the windscreen

Charles L. Rosenblum

This is the seventh in a series of articles by Charles L. Rosenblum, a member of Landmarks, an architectural historian and critic, and adjunct assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University.

Children’s Museum Grows Up

Mark Bibro, a Landmarks’ trustee since1985, and the son of Jim Bibro, one ofLandmarks’ founding trustees, is over-

seeing the restora-tion and adaptiveuse of the PittsburghTerminal Buildings,333–400 EastCarson Street, alongthe MonongahelaRiver on the SouthSide. Mr. Bibro’sprincipal renovationpartners are Dan

and Joe Lackner, Pittsburgh TerminalProperties board members, LandmarksDesign Associates Architects (thebuilding’s newest tenant), JendocoConstruction Corporation, and FerryElectric Company.

The Terminal Properties include apower plant along the river’s edge, twosix-story buildings extending from theriver along a private street, TerminalWay, to Carson Street, and an office/storefront building that runs alongCarson Street. The latter three buildingsshare two stories below grade; theviewer sees only the upper floors ofwhat is in fact a single one-million-square-foot structure connected bytunnels and a bridge.

The Terminal Buildings were designedin 1898 by Charles Bickel, a prolificPittsburgh architect, and constructionwas completed in 1906. Walter C.Kidney wrote of the Terminal Buildingsin Pittsburgh’s Landmark Architecture:“The architect and the bricklayerworked out a scheme of ornamenta-

tion—enough to demonstratethat they cared—but it is obvious that efficiency is the real object.”

In a Business Times article(December 12–18, 2003)announcing the renovationproject, Suzanne Elliottreported: “The TerminalBuildings’ original investorsincluded George Westinghouse.Its development a century agocost $1.5 million and it tooktwo brickyards one year toprovide enough bricks to buildthe structure….At the time, theTerminal Buildings complexwas considered state-of-the-artbecause it had a sprinklersystem, which was unheard ofat the time.” The solid steel andconcrete-frame building also had 41 freight elevators––and all are inoperating condition today.

The Pittsburgh Terminal Propertiesrenovation initially involves transform-ing 250,000 square feet of the propertyinto office space at a cost of $18 million.The handsome brickwork has beencleaned, many of the 1,200 windowshave been replaced with modern facsim-iles, and historically appropriate lightingis being installed. There is adjacentparking; there are handicapped accessiblesidewalks; and a roof garden is beingdesigned. The buildings are convenientlylocated, accessible from the “T,” theMonongahela Incline, bus transporta-tion, and the riverfront trail. Space rentsfor between $3 and $14 a square foot,

and 70% of the space has been leased.For a listing of tenants and furtherinformation call Mark Bibro (412-390-4736) or visit: www.pittsburghterminalproperties.com.

The Terminal Buildings have beenrecognized as National Register-eligibleand qualify for historic preservation taxcredits; the process to full designation isunder way. Although work continues,the building received a 2004 PittsburghHistoric Review CommissionPreservation Award as a result of thecare that is being shown as this immensehistoric structure is revitalized.

Investing inLandmarksBrings Great

Value

Landmarks can put your assetsto work while bringing you:

• Lifetime income from your gift;

• Federal and estate tax savings;

• Avoidance of probate costs;

• Disposition of real estate andelimination of ownershipcosts and liability (minimumvalue required);

• Honorary life membership in Landmarks (minimum contribution required); and

• The satisfaction of making asignificant gift to preserve our Western Pennsylvaniaheritage.

For additional information,visit our Web site: www.phlf.orgor contact Jack Miller (412-471-5808, ext. 538;jack@phlf.org).

Please continue giving. The need

is great.

P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 P a g e 9

A view down Terminal Way, toward theMonongahela River. The riverfront trail is minutes away, affording tenants a refreshing break during their business day.

Landmarks Trustee Leads Terminal Buildings Renovation

Charles Bickel (1852–1921), born in Ohio and trained in Germany, established his Pittsburgh firm in 1885.

His extant building designs include:

• many of the city’s early police stations;

• the 1889–90 German National Bank, Wood Street and Sixth Avenue (with J. P. Brennan);

• the 1891 Ewart Building, 925 Liberty Avenue;

• the 1898 Kaufmann’s Department Store building;

• Spear & Company, 1906, 915 Penn Avenue, now condominiums;

• the 1906–07 Hartje Building, Wood Street at First Avenue; and

• the c. 1912 Reymer Brothers’ Candy Factory, 1421 Forbes Avenue.

All are included in Pittsburgh’s Landmark Architecture, and theReymer building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Terminal Buildings in the 1960s(left) and now (above). The restoredstorefronts along the East Carson Streetfaçade are evidence of the care PittsburghTerminal Properties is taking in thebuilding renovation process.

The Coro Center forCivic Leadership, oneof 65 tenants in theTerminal Buildings,received LEED’s “gold” status forenergy-efficient features. The officespace was designed by Renaissance 3Architects withJendocoConstruction.

Mark Bibro

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As the snow came down on December 14 and 15, 2004, thetimber frame of an 18th-century-stylebarn at the Oliver Miller Homesteadin South Park went up. The barn-raising––and other improvements tothe Homestead––are being fundedthrough a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department ofCommunity & EconomicDevelopment, and are the result of apartnership with Allegheny County,the Pittsburgh History & LandmarksFoundation, and the Oliver MillerHomestead Associates (OMHA).

The grant process began in 2001when Tim Murphy, then a StateSenator and now a Congressman,visited the Oliver Miller Homesteadand decided that more could be doneto evoke 18th-century life, around thetime when Oliver Miller settled theland in 1772.

In July 2002, at the request of TomDonatelli, director of public works forAllegheny County, and the OMHA,Landmarks underwrote the cost of apreliminary restoration plan for the

stone manse and property so theCounty could secure a state grant to fund restoration improvements and construction of a new barn. (The original barn had been demol-ished in 1927 when the Countypurchased the Homestead duringacquisition of land for South Park.)

In the October 2003 issue of PHLF News, Landmarks announcedthat Allegheny County had in factsecured the $500,000 state grant, and that the County was transferringproject responsibility and funding toLandmarks. Tom Keffer, superinten-dent of property maintenance forLandmarks, worked with LandmarksDesign Associates Architects, generalcontractor Lee Bruder, and AmishTimber Framers of Doylestown, Ohio,to design and build a barn accordingto 18th-century traditions, withoutusing any metal screws or fasteners in the timber frame. Rather, the frameof the barn is held together withmortise and tenon connectors usingwooden pegs.

On the occasion of the barn-raisingon December 14, Allegheny CountyChief Executive Dan Onorato said,“This important addition will servethe region for years to come and will improve our ability to attractvisitors and engage the public in thehistoric events that occurred at theHomestead.” Arthur Ziegler, presidentof Landmarks, thanked Tom Donatellifor helping to secure the state grant,for working closely with the OliverMiller Homestead Associates, and forasking Landmarks to implement theproject grant.

“Thanks to the grant,” saidKathleen Marsh, president of the 70-member OMHA, “CongressmanMurphy’s vision for the Homesteadhas been realized: we will have thespace we need to display many farmtools and furniture; modern intrusionsare being removed; and our neweducational materials are givingvisitors a better understanding of farm life 200 years ago.”

August 17, 2004: Excavation begins onthe barn’s foundation.

Amish Timber Framers cut and milledthe white oak trees and made the old-style mortise and tenon connectors. No metal fasteners were used to construct the timber frame.

Construction of theHomestead and ItsConnection to theWhiskey Rebellion

The Millers, of North Irish origin,were among the earliest settlers inwhat is now South Park Township.In 1772 Oliver Miller built a two-story log house with a shingle roof.

Twenty-two years later, the first shotof the “Whiskey Rebellion” was firednear the Homestead on July 15, 1794when U.S. Marshal David Lenox

and General John Neville, appointedby President George Washington asInspector of Revenue for the FourthSurvey District of Pennsylvania,went there to serve a warrant onWilliam Miller, Oliver’s son, whohad failed to register his still.

The next day, a disgruntled band ofmen, including William’s nephew,also named Oliver Miller, marchedon John Neville’s “Bower Hill”mansion. Neville hurriedly preparedto defend his home, and may havefired the first shot which mortallywounded Oliver Miller. The “Bower Hill” conflict ended on July 17, 1794 when a secondinsurgent, James McFarlane, waskilled and the angry mob burned“Bower Hill” to the ground.

In 1808 son James Miller added astone section to Oliver Miller’s origi-nal log house, and in 1830 James’son Oliver replaced the original loghouse with the large stone section,creating the house that visitors cantour. The Homestead includes theoriginal stone manse and spring-house; a reconstructed log house,beehive bake oven, and blacksmithshop; and various gardens. Forinformation call 412-835-1554 orOMHA94@hotmail.com or visit:www.15122.com/OliverMiller.

•

This information is from the OliverMiller Homestead Web site and Ronald C. Carlisle’s book, The Story of “Woodville”: The History,Architecture, and Archaeology of aWestern Pennsylvania Farm, reprinted in December 2004 by Landmarks andthe Neville House Associates.

The timber frame was set on a concreteblock foundation that will be faced in stone.

Oliver Miller Homestead

The Oliver Miller Homestead in SouthPark is on the National Register ofHistoric Places and has a HistoricLandmark plaque.

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Since 1992, Chartiers Valley HighSchool students have been partici-pating in a field study immersionunit exploring 18th-century life, thetheme of change over time, andconflict resolution techniques.Students visit four historic sites:“Woodville,” (the Neville House) inCollier Township, owned by thePittsburgh History & LandmarksFoundation and operated on a dailybasis by Neville House Associates; Old St. Luke’s in Scott Township;the Oliver Miller Homestead inSouth Park; and the DavidBradford House in Washington,Pennsylvania. Once back at school,students create individual projectscentered on 18th-century life,perform a play about the “WhiskeyRebellion,” and prepare and servean 18th-century breakfast forfellow students, school officials,community leaders, and docents.

At “Woodville” students learnabout the life of John Neville(1731–1803) and his family. In theGreat Room, Docent Nancy Bishop(above right) tells them about FanTan, a popular 18th-century cardgame. Students photograph objectsof interest as they explore thebedrooms, dining room (wherenames, dates, and messages havebeen inscribed on window panes),and kitchen. The experience comesto a dramatic conclusion whenTodd Johnson, a Native Americanre-enactor, enters the house, selectsa student as his wife, and describesthe rising tensions between hispeople’s way of life and that of the frontier settlers.

Julianna Haag (far left), president of Neville House Associates, and DorothyPlank (right) talk with students from Chartiers Valley High School about18th-century life during their November 15, 2004 visit to “Woodville,” theJohn and Pressley Neville House in Collier Township. Students shake a jar ofcream to turn it into butter, while biscuits cook in an iron pot buried underhot coals in the fire.

To schedule an educationalprogram or private group tourof “Woodville,” one of eightNational Historic Landmarksin Allegheny County, call 412-221-0348 or visit:www.WoodvillePlantation.org.

Real Places BringHistory to Life

Inappropriate aluminumgutters were removedfrom the Oliver Millerstone manse, andwooden “V-shaped”gutters were installed aspart of the grant project.

Barn Raising

The design of the barn is based on descriptive information from Oliver Miller’swill, 18th-century building traditions, and the needs of the Oliver MillerHomestead Associates, the non-profit organization that cares for the property.The barn will include a meeting room on the lower level.

December 14, 2004: Amish Timber Framers of Doylestown, Ohio, at workamidst snow squalls. The timber frame will be covered by boards and battens,and the roof will be covered with recycled material of simulated shakes. The barn will be completed by the summer of 2005.

Federal Courthouse and Post OfficeThe first phase of the $68 million renova-tion of the Federal Courthouse and PostOffice at 700 Grant Street was completedin the fall of 2004. Six new courtroomswere added in the original light wells, andan atrium was constructed to allow naturallight to illuminate the new third-floor lobbyspace and historic fourth-floor courtrooms.The new courtrooms are elegantly detailedand include new murals of Pittsburgh byartist Brian Shure. The third-floor lobby

and entrance include re-discovered murals from 1932 by Kindred McLeary.Renovations to the Grant Street lobby willbe finished in April of 2005, and renova-tions to floors five, six, and seven will beginat that time. The exterior stonework hasbeen cleaned of years of soot. Shalom,Baranes Associates (Washington, D.C.) are the architects; Dick Corporation is thecontractor. The Federal Courthouse andPost Office was designed in 1932 byTrowbridge & Livingston (New York),with James A. Wetmore (Washington, D.C.).

History Center Expands inStrip DistrictThe Historical Society of WesternPennsylvania celebrated its 125thanniversary by opening a new, five-storySmithsonian wing on November 13, 2004.The new wing is attached to the oldChautauqua Lake Ice Company building at12th and Smallman Streets in the StripDistrict, home to the Historical Societysince 1996––and to the Senator John HeinzPittsburgh Regional History Center that the Historical Society operates. The History Center now includes theWestern Pennsylvania Sports Museum, alibrary and archives, a special collectionsgallery, an education center, and a galleryfor changing exhibits from the SmithsonianInstitution. The addition was designed byAstorino, with Jendoco Construction ascontractor. For information: 412-454-6000;www.pghhistory.org.

Good News

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DowntownBank to BecomeCondosBy the end of thisyear you could beliving downtownin the formerUnion NationalBank, designed in 1906 byMacClure &Spahr. Seven years ago the E. V. BishoffCompany of Columbus purchased the bankbuilding at the corner of Fourth Avenueand Wood Street, along with the formerCommonwealth and Keystone Banks.Bishoff plans to convert the 21-storybuilding into 61 condominiums, rangingfrom 1,200 square feet to the Penthousewith 6,500 square feet. All city permitshave been granted and designs by George Berardi have been approved. The impressive lobby with green Cipollinomarble columns and silver-dollar ceilingmotifs will be preserved for commercialspace. Construction is scheduled for thesummer of 2005 with occupancy plannedfor the end of the year. We will be visitingthe building during our membership tour of Historic Loft Apartments on April 2. See page 20 for details, and join us for the tour.

East Allegheny Homes Being RenovatedThe Pittsburgh Housing DevelopmentCorporation and East AlleghenyCommunity Council are renovating threehistoric homes, dating from the 1850s toearly 1930s, at 414 Tripoli, 416 Suismon,and 907 James Streets. Work is beingfunded by the Urban RedevelopmentAuthority and Mellon Bank CommunityDevelopment Corporation, with Tai + Leearchitects and Steve Catranel ConstructionCo., Inc. The houses will be painted inappropriate historic colors, once construc-tion work is done.

New Lofts & Office Studios in East Liberty and North OaklandNew retail space and eight office studios fill the Werner Building (above) of c. 1900,originally the headquarters of the WernerDry Cleaning Company which began oper-ations in Pittsburgh in 1864. The ClassicalRevival building at 124 South HighlandAvenue in East Liberty was renovated by no wall productions. It is an importantaddition to the streetscape because of itscorner location and enriched façade.

Renovation of the Liberty Bank Building

at 6101 Penn Avenue in East Liberty wascompleted in September 2004 at a cost of$3 million. The building contains 11 officelofts and two retail spaces on the groundfloor. The developer was no wall produc-tions, with EDGE studio and TedcoConstruction. The Liberty Bank Buildingwas originally designed by Frederick J.Osterling in 1890.

The same development team alsotransformed the former car dealership at410 North Craig Street in North Oaklandinto LUNA Lofts. Open since December2004, the building now offers 14 residentlofts of one to four bedrooms, beginning at$820 per month. Indoor parking is pro-vided on site, as well as laundry facilitiesand broadband access. For information:412-434-7080; info@wedoproperty.com.

The Union Project, Highland ParkIn 2001, members of the Mennonite UrbanCorps fell in love with their neighborhoodand decided to stay and “restore neigh-borhood space to connect, create and cele-brate.” Thus, the Union Project was born.The group purchased the abandoned UnionBaptist Church at 801 Negley Avenue andbegan renovating it as a community center.With an initial grant from the CommunityDesign Center of Pittsburgh, they began thearchitectural design phase and started torestore the stained-glass windows. Findingthe restoration costs prohibitive, theyinvited a stained glass specialist to offerclasses and to then offer the students, as

part of their learning process, the opportu-nity to restore the church windows. Since2003, over 800 volunteers, giving over10,000 hours of work, are making greatprogress on the restoration. Impressed withthe dedication of the group, Landmarksrecently gave a small grant to support theUnion Project and helped the group securea grant from the Allegheny Foundation.

Edgewood Club CelebratesOn November 13, 2004, The EdgewoodClub, Edgewood Historical Society, andLandmarks hosted a luncheon and tour incelebration of the centennial of the Club’sfounding and its 88th year in the Mission-style clubhouse at One Pennwood Avenue.Landmarks trustee and architect DavidVater spoke about the career of Edward B.Lee, the clubhouse architect. Members andfriends toured the recently renovated club-house with Susan Lami and Robert Grubbof Lami Grubb, architects for the renova-tion. A new and larger space has beencreated in the clubhouse for the EdgewoodPublic Library, and a newly remodeledsnack bar, dining area, and locker roomshave been added. Colleen Derda and otherclub members have published a handsomelyillustrated clubhouse history. To purchaseThe Edgewood Club: 100 Years ofMemories call 412-731-3443. The Clubwelcomes all East Enders as members.

Munhall Cathedral to BecomeNational Cultural CenterIn April 2004 the Carpatho-Rusyn Societypurchased St. John’s Cathedral at 427 Tenth Avenue in Munhall. The ArtNouveau landmark, vacant since 1993, will become the National Carpatho-RusynCultural Center. Architect JosephParimucha of Alexandria, Virginiaestimates that only about $300,000 will beneeded to complete all necessary repairs.The church was designed by Hungarianarchitect Titus de Bobula in 1903, whoused as his model for the church a RusynCathedral in Ukraine. Immigrants fromSlovakia, Ukraine, Poland, and Hungaryhelped build the church. Many of theSociety’s current members are descendantsof those immigrants.

PRESERVATION SCENE

A new courtroom (above), and a restoredcourtroom (below)

416 Suismon414 Tripoli

Liberty Bank Building

Art Deco Landmark Restoredin Mt. LebanonMt. Lebanon’s Municipal Building, designedin 1929 by William H. King, Jr., officially

re-opened on December 9, with the successful completion of a 14-month, $4.5 millionrenovation/restoration. RothschildDoyno Associates served asarchitects, with LandmarksDesign Associates Architects ashistoric preservation consultant.Tedco Construction managedoverall construction, and Nello Construction served as the general contractor. TheMunicipal Building, located at 710 Washington Road, includesstaff offices and public meeting

rooms. (The fire and police departmentsnow occupy a new Public Safety Center at555 Washington Road.) The original firebays were redesigned into commissionerchambers with giant windows so people

can literally see their government in action.The building exterior was cleaned andlighted, and the interior foyer space, withits aluminum chandelier and stair railings,is especially worth seeing. Join us on amembership tour to the Mt. LebanonMunicipal Building on September 21.

Historic Edgeworth ChurchRestored and RenamedThe old Shields Presbyterian Church inEdgeworth is now Grace Episcopal Churchat Shields Chapel. Built in 1869, possiblyto the designs of Joseph W. Kerr who wasthe architect for the Sewickley PresbyterianChurch, this is one of the oldest buildingsin the area, simple and handsome with atriplet of pointed lancet windows facing thestreet. For some years it was a subsidiaryof the Shields estate. The estate’s trusteescalled on Landmarks Design AssociatesArchitects to restore the masonry and roof,and make improvements called for by thebuilding code. The trustees have leased thechurch to Grace Episcopal Church, aMount Washington congregation.

WorthKnowingNew Granada Theater, Hill DistrictThe New Granada at 2009–13 CentreAvenue was designated a City HistoricStructure on October 8, 2004. Designed in1927 as the Pythian temple by African-American architect Louis Bellinger, theGranada was long a focal point of culturaland social life on the Hill. Restoration plans are pending.

St. Nicholas Croatian Church,North Side Citing excessive costs and maintenanceproblems, the Diocese of Pittsburgh perma-nently closed St. Nicholas Church at 1326East Ohio Street on December 7, 2004.However, the Diocese has formed a com-mittee to study whether the church can beturned into a national cultural center orshrine to St. Nicholas for the Croatiancommunity. The Diocese also has agreed tospend $50,000 to replace a faulty boiler.

St. Nicholas was dedicated in 1901 andis the first Croatian Roman CatholicChurch in the United States. The Churchhas been a subject of controversy over thepast few years in relation to PennDOT’splan to widen Route 28. Thanks to theefforts of Landmarks and other preserva-tionists, PennDOT revised its initial plansso St. Nicholas could be saved. The closingof the church now threatens the life of thelandmark yet again.

St. Mary’s Church,LawrencevilleSt Mary’s Church, built in 1874 to thedesigns of civil engineer James SylvesterDevlin, has closed. The Victorian Gothicbuilding has been sold to CatholicCemeteries as a site to hold burial servicesfor the nearby St. Mary’s Cemetery. The 1906 stained glass windows are byMayer of Munich, Germany. The churchincludes a small chapel dedicated to St. Anne, designed by the well-knownchurch architect John T. Comes.

Braddock, PAThe Pennsylvania Bureau of HistoricPreservation has revoked National Register-eligible status for Braddock, Pennsylvania,in response to substantial deterioration and demolition that has taken place there.Although 14 years have passed sinceRegister-eligible status was granted in 1991, borough officials failed to pursue full designation, and did little to preventmany older buildings from becoming unsafeand uninhabitable. In a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article of December 2, 2004, archi-tectural critic Patricia Lowry noted thatsince 1995, 230 buildings in Braddock havebeen demolished. Buildings listed on theNational Register would have been eligiblefor a 20% federal income tax credit fortheir rehabilitation and restoration.

Additional older building stock will be removed as part of the forthcomingMon-Fayette Expressway construction.

On a more hopeful note, this drastic loss of historic real estate has prompted anew preservation effort: Tina Doose hasbeen appointed program director of thenewly formed Economic CommunityDevelopment Group for Braddock. Thanks to public funding, a number ofprojects are being carried out, including therenovation of several historic properties,construction of new housing, andstreetscape improvements.

South Side Local DevelopmentCompany HonoredThe South Side Local DevelopmentCompany received the UrbanRedevelopment Authority’s OverallExcellence Award on October 21, 2004 at the Citywide Mainstreet Ceremony. This award recognizes the tremendoussuccess of the Main Street on East Carsonprogram in reducing vacancy rates, gener-ating millions of dollars in public andprivate investment, and promoting preser-vation. Since the 1960s, Landmarks hasbeen working with South Side residents and organizations, and is a partner in theon-going Neighborhood AssistanceProgram/Comprehensive Service Program.

Landmarksthanks

Parker/Hunter, Inc.

for its generous support as a Corporate Member

Benefactor.

Thank you for helping us protect the places

that make Pittsburgh home.

Kill theBuildings?

In the United Kingdom a new

“reality” show asks viewers to

name their most hated piece of

architecture. According to

ICOMOS, the international

preservation organization, at the

end of the season the most hated

building will be demolished.

Opinionjournal.com reported

on October 29 that “The show’s

announcement has triggered

a paroxysm of designating.

All over Britain architects and civic

associations have singled out for

elimination buildings—generally

works dating from the 1950s and

1960s—deemed “unworthy” of

keeping company with the icons of

modern architecture (such as Lord

Foster’s recent “Gherkin building”).

P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 P a g e 1 3

Demolished

H. Samson Funeral Home,ShadysideSamson Funeral Home at 537 NorthNeville Street was demolished in October2004. The Samson name had been associ-ated with the Pittsburgh funeral businesssince 1859. The 1.7 acre site was purchasedby Walnut Capital Partners which plans tobuild a nine-story high-rise containingabout 40 condominiums. Astorino has beenretained as the architect. Walnut Capitalcontinues to work closely with neighbor-hood groups and the nearby churches asplans develop for the site. Completion isexpected late in 2006.

Penn Manor, East LibertyA vacant and vandalized building at Penn Avenue and North St. Clair Street was demolished in the fall of 2004.Community Builders, owners of theproperty, plan to re-build residentialtownhouses on the site. Construction isscheduled to begin in the spring of 2005.

Braddock Carnegie Library (1888), thefirst of the American Carnegie libraries to be dedicated.

P a g e 1 4 P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

Those who engage in planning,managing, restoring, and protectingsignificant parks of our major cities here and abroad are debating how touse those parks. Many were designed by landscape designers who haveachieved significant distinction as timehas passed, such as Frederick LawOlmsted and Jens Jensen in the US.

Too many of these parks have suffered from a severe lack of mainte-nance through the years, losing theirhistoric features including structures,landscapes, and plants.

As attention now becomes focused on these losses and the lack of mainte-nance, fresh planning for restorationbegins and major fund raising must beundertaken. However, new constituen-cies, new ideas, and new designers enterthe scene, and their ideas, plus lessonslearned from our inability to maintainthe great parks that we have, whetherhere or in other countries, become ingre-dients that must be taken into accountalong with the original park designs.

Restore or Change?For historic parks the question can bedefined as whether to restore fully orpartially the parks, depending on fund-ing and practicality of future mainte-

nance, and, whether to introduce newuses for new constituencies.

During the July 2004 “Great Parks,Great Cities” international conference in London, which we attended, onespeaker strongly argued that parksshould be adapted in any and all waysthat people want to use them. In fact, hesuggested that such adaptation furthersthe democratization of democraticnations and helps make people moreequal, and is therefore important to dofor social and ethical reasons.

We in the historic preservation move-ment who have been trying to save andreuse buildings have long subscribed to permitting adaptive uses rather thaninsisting on pure restoration, except inthe case of great monuments such asDrayton Hall in South Carolina orNotre Dame in Paris. Even in Pittsburgh,our own internationally importantbuilding—H. H. Richardson’s AlleghenyCounty Courthouse and Jail—has beenadapted to changed uses, usually with-out objection (although Landmarks hasstrongly objected to some of the adapta-tions). We ourselves have changedthings there: one of the most salientbeing the installation of the courtyardpark in 1976, in place of the originalhorse courtyard and eventual parking

lot. Walk the streets of any old city and you find endless adaptations thatenliven historic buildings and extendtheir useful lives.

Given this history of adapting archi-tecture to new uses, we have manyprecedents that can be applied to adapt-ing our parks to new uses: change fromoriginal designs, no matter how good,cannot in and of itself be looked uponas the wrong thing to do. In fact someof the former ways of using our parkshave disappeared, and no amount ofpark restoration will restore peopledressing in elaborate finery to prome-nade through the park at a certain timeof day enjoying splendid gardens andfountains. In fact, we are glad to attendconcerts in New York’s Central Park orin London’s Hyde Park in our blue jeansor shorts, while listening to contempo-rary popular music or enjoying aShakespearean play.

It would also be pointless to install an elaborately picturesque lake such as we might have once had at LakeElizabeth in the Allegheny Commons on Pittsburgh’s North Side; much as we might like to see that, it mightsimply cost too much, not meet today’sstandards of safety, or be assured offuture maintenance shortfall.

SafetyAnother issue in park restoration is thatof safety. We learned at the conferencethat the budget item that had becomethe most ascendant in the London RoyalParks was not planting or plant mainte-nance; it was “health and safety,” whichmeans meeting the disparate demands ofpeople for a park world that is perfectfor them, in which no branch will fallupon them, no walk will be too slippery,and no animals will spread infection ifcoaxed up for prohibited feedings.

Safety has long scored its results insome of our parks, most notably theAllegheny Commons, where all theshrubbery was removed some years agobecause of the potential of someone’slurking behind a bush and leaping outand accosting someone for robbery orassault. There is little evidence in theLondon Parks or in our own parks thatshrubbery has ever been so used, butagain fear of crime and fear of lawsuitshave resulted in preemptive action whichhas disfigured the original fine designs.

I recall a historic feature at the OliverMiller Homestead in South Park (seepage 10) that might today be lookedupon as a potential for lawsuits foranyone who risked walking out on theoutcrop of slippery stones that a streamonce passed over.

Our Historic Parks: Restore and AdaptArthur P. Ziegler, Jr.

Lake Elizabeth in Allegheny Commonson Pittsburgh’s North Side was given amodern design in 1966 by Simonds & Simonds, a nationally prominentPittsburgh firm. Recently, much debatehas occurred as to whether the 1960sdesign should be maintained or whetherMitchell & Grant’s original design of1868 for Lake Elizabeth should berestored. Pressley Associates ofCambridge, MA, who completed a master plan for the Commons in 2002,recommends the practical course ofaction: retain the 1960s lake, save money, and honor mid-20th-century design.

In historic St. James’ Park,London, a cottage and cottagegarden have been fully andmeticulously restored.

An elegant restoration of a gazebo in St. James’ Park.

In historic Battersea Park in London, a new fountain and pool have beencreated in a fully modern design.

The problem of designing modernbathroom facilities in a historic park is addressed head-on at Battersea Parkwith this fully contemporary design ofconcrete, glass block, and steel set off bynew terraces of roses.

P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 P a g e 1 5

We also now have the requirementsof our Americans with Disabilities Act,and many of the historic fixtures of our parks might not meet the standardsof this law.

The question of maintaining orrestoring major areas should simply beassigned to practicality. While we mightbe able to raise money to reestablish aherbaceous border, is there any possibil-ity of continuing the fundraising eachyear to maintain such a beautiful gardenthat requires so much special attention?

Therefore, a number of questions ofrestoration resolve themselves based onpractical modern situations and budgets.Just as the need to adapt buildings tonew and different uses and constituen-cies has become a practical principle ofthe preservation movement, so should itbecome a guiding principle for parks.

Everything for Everyone?But there is a danger, I believe, in thepoint of view expressed by the youngspeaker at the Conference that parksshould be adapted to any and all needsthat anyone expresses. I think that wemust add to that sentence the words“provided those people are sensitive tothe needs of others, and to the parkfabric itself.” I thought about that as Iheard the supervisor for St. James’ Parkin London, a beautifully designed his-toric park which has been treated withgreat sensitivity, talk about small butvocal groups who would like to estab-lish various kinds of playing fields in the park. The Royal Parks conducted asurvey and found that the top priorityout of all possible uses of all the parks is “for peace, quiet, and tranquility.”But one might well expect that thosepeople seeking peace would not be asvocal about advocating their desire asthe group might be that wants to takeover a large greensward, cut down bigtrees, and establish a playing field to useevery so often for its few members orplayers. Their desires should not over-ride the basic design of that park or ofany historic park.

The superintendent said that thesecond priority of people was exercise as opposed to game playing. However,those who like to run in St. James’ Parkdo not want to run on the asphalt paths;rather they want to run through an allée of great London plane trees on agreensward that would compact theroots and kill the grass. That falls intothe category of not respecting the parkand its major plantings.

After the conference, Greg Yochum,our horticulturist, and I went walking inEdinburgh along a trail along the riverWater of Leith from Dean’s Village to

where the river meets the Firth of Forth.Many people were using the trail. Somewere walking as we were, some were sit-ting, but many were running their dogsthat were fouling the park. Some peopleseemed to be using the park for drugsand alcoholic intake (perhaps a growingconstituency for our parks?), and peoplewho lived above the wall that definedone edge of the park or who walkedalong the street above this wall werethrowing their trash down into the parkas if it were a dumping ground.

These seem to me to be illegitimateconstituencies, but we cannot solve that kind of problem by simply decree-ing that it is immoral or unethical orillegal. In the effort to “democratize,” as the speaker hoped to do by allowingany and all uses, we need to educate. We cannot simply open these landscapetreasures to any and all uses by any andall persons without educating peopleabout the design aesthetics of parks,their history, their plantings, theirhistoric structures, the desires of majorconstituencies of people, and the costsof maintenance and future use.

These GoalsTherefore, as I thought about the ParksRestoration Program here at home andin many other countries, I had to add athird goal to the two that we alreadyshare with our excellent PittsburghParks Conservancy. Two guidingprinciples have been:

• Restore our parks through thePittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and other organizations that areaddressing smaller parks like theAllegheny Commons (see ChristinaSchmidlapp’s article).

• At the same time that capital funds arebeing raised, raise endowment fundsto assure future private maintenance.

And to those goals I would add athird, to be carried out in conjunctionwith the first two:

• Educate people to understand andrespect the significance of the designsof these landscapes, their plants, theirwildlife, their structures, and theircurrent users.

Adaptive use and restoration shouldbe combined in good new plans thatderive from an informed constituency of people who love and use our parkswith respect for the history of, and the life within the parks, and the needsof people today.

What Do We Have In Common(s)?Christina Schmidlapp, Project Director, Allegheny Commons Restoration

When a group of Allegheny City residents agreed to create a park out of asqualid dumpsite nearly 150 years ago, they envisioned “breathing places…forthe elevation of the masses.” It would be difficult, today, to say to what heightsthose 19th-century masses were elevated, but we do know that the breathingplaces Allegheny Commons provided them were durable as well as popular.Allegheny Commons remains a prominent, heavily used park that is one of thefirst public parks west of the Allegheny Mountains and the oldest in the City ofPittsburgh. It was recently declaredeligible to the National Register ofHistoric Places and has been a CityHistoric District since 1988.

In addition to being surrounded bythe historic East Allegheny, CentralNorth Side, and Allegheny West neigh-borhoods, the park is a mere quartermile from the developing North Shore,making it a doubly strategic location forurban improvement. Plans for its exten-sive rehabilitation should breathe newlife into both a historic landscape andPittsburgh’s North Side.

As a result of a comprehensivecommunity master planning effortcompleted by Pressley Associates of Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2002, fundraising to implement the park plan began in 2004.

Total revenue for the restoration for 2004 (including such donations ofservices) exceeded $250,000. The Northside Leadership Conference organizedtwo major volunteer projects in the fall of 2004 that resulted in a new play-ground along Cedar Avenue and landscaping improvements in West Common.Goals for 2005 include:

• Completion of funding for the East Common Pilot Project (see the illustration below) and project management;

• Tree planting in West Common and along North Avenue;

• Initiation of a membership program;

• A kick-off fundraising event; and

• Development of a graphic design and signage program for the park.

The Pressley plan describes a park with a distinguished design legacy, bothfrom the 1860s and from the 1960s, that deserves protection and rehabilitation.Neighbors know it as an oasis of shade in summer, lacy branches in winter, newgreenery in spring, and warm color in fall. It offers natural beauty year-round,as well as (relative) peace and quiet. It has proved to be the breathing place itsfounders envisioned.

The Allegheny Commons Steering Committee welcomes comments or ques-tions about the park master plan and future activities. Phone 412-231-4714,ext. 21, or e-mail Christina@pittsburghnorthside.com. Contributions aregratefully accepted and may be made to the Northside Leadership Conference,earmarked for the “Allegheny Commons Fund.”

In Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, a building much changed overthe years (that originally wasconstructed in 1910 as a naturecenter), was restored as a newVisitors Center and restaurant by the Pittsburgh ParksConservancy (Landmarks Design Associates Architects).Although the use has changed,the building restoration helpsevoke the feeling of the timewhen Schenley Park was new. The East Common Pilot Project, to begin this year, will likely include a

reconstruction of the central path along Cedar Avenue, the introduction of historic-style light fixtures, and the planting of shade trees. Additional fundsare being sought to complete the project with appropriate benches, park signage,perimeter fencing, and additional tree and turf improvements.

How Landmarks Helped the AlleghenyCommons Restoration Project in 2004:

• Contributed $7,000 to the restorationeffort, including Christina Schmidlapp’sregistration fee for the “Great Cities, GreatParks” conference in London in July;

• Led school tours of the Commons andMexican War Streets on October 6 and 8;

• Hosted a membership tour of the park on October 17.

Worth Reading

Fallingwater RisingFranklin Toker

Here, in a 482-page hardcover book, Franklin Toker, University of Pittsburgh history of art and architectureprofessor and a member of Landmarks’ Historic PlaqueDesignation Committee, tells the full story of the “most famous house of the 20th century.” Based on 18-years of research and personalinsight, Toker documents theunlikely collaboration betweenJewish merchant Edgar J.Kaufmann and architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who wasnearing 70 when he receivedthe commission in 1937 todesign “Fallingwater” inFayette County. 16 pages of color photographs; plus 97 illustrations; $35.00

Routes to RootsRivers of Steel National Heritage Area

This is a very rich little book, a guide to the Rivers of Steel NationalHeritage Area: Armstrong, Beaver,Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland,Greene, and Fayette Counties.Naturally, it looks at them partlyfrom the viewpoint of industrialhistory but also examines subjectsin labor, ethnic, and culturalhistory, and calls attention tomuseums, commercial estab-lishments, and restaurantswhere the tourist may wantto stop. Five tour routesare given, each with symbolsto indicate why it is of interest.There is hardly a square inch without infor-mation of some sort. Alas, architectural history as suchhas no place, but this is a specialist’s quibble. The 228page, handsomely illustrated book will lead to multiplediscoveries, even for native Pittsburghers. $20.00

The American PorchMichael Dolan

A rather wordy book, but a goodhistory of its subject, tracing itsorigins in ancient Europe, Asia,Africa, and the Americantropics, but dwelling mainlyon its popularity andvicissitudes in theUnited States, withmuch to say, amongother things, on suchporch-friendly features of ourarchitectural and social history asthe bungalow and, at the end of thestory, the New Urbanism; and such porch-hostile features as Wollmanized lumber (allowing rot-proof backyard decks), the ranch house, television,and air conditioning. This is a social, rather more thanan architectural history, but it is some of each. $24.95

Pittsburgh: Views in the 21st CenturyJ. B. Jeffers Ltd.

This is a successor to two other books, Pittsburgh:Views Between the Rivers (1991) and Pittsburgh: Views into the 21st Century (1996). You will not want it for the prose, but the pictures—all color exceptfor a few archival shots—do give a nice introduction to the city for those who have never been here. 104 pages; about250 photographs;softcover; $19.95

P a g e 1 6 P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

Richard Liberto

Landscape Designer

Landscape Design

Planning

Consulting

412.321.4427ngardens@telerama.com

www.telerama/~ngardens

■ ■ ■

■ ■ ■

N o w A v a i l a b l e

Keep TrystThe Walkers of Pittsburgh & The Sewickley ValleyA Business History of Hay Walker (1815–1884) and his sons William Walker (1851–1939) and Hay Walker, Jr. (1857–1954)

By Stephen Neal Dennis

An Intimate Portrait of a Prominent Pittsburgh Family

Available from Landmarks$39.95: Hardcover; 373-pages; 107 color & b/w illustrations

Contact Frank Stroker412-471-5808, ext. 525frank@phlf.org

Jerome Street (Lyle Boulevard) Bridge, McKeesport

Historic Landmark Plaques (continued from page 2)

Fortieth Street (Washington Crossing) Bridge, wasconstructed across the Allegheny River in 1923 byarchitect Benno Janssen and an engineering team led byCharles S. Davis. The bridge consists of three deck spanswith three-hinged closed-web arches and massive concretepiers and abutments. Decoration is limited to escutcheonswith the County arms covering the middle hinges of thearches, like keystones, and metal railing panels cast withthe arms of the 13 original states.

“Robin Hill,” 949 Thorn Run Road, Moon Township,is a Neo-Georgian house designed by Henry Gilchrist and erected in 1926 by Francis and Mary Nimick. The 24-room house is set on 52 acres; together theycomprise Robin Hill Park, a gift from the Nimick familyto the township.

The graceful silhouette of the two-hinged crescent-arched Jerome Street Bridge in McKeesport, 1937, is thework of engineer George S. Richardson. Known now asthe Lyle Boulevard Bridge, the 315-foot structure crossesthe Youghiogheny River close to its entry from theMonongahela.

Alcoa Building, 1950–51 [now Pittsburgh RegionalEnterprise Tower], Sixth Avenue and William Penn Way,Harrison & Abramovitz, New York, was the firstmultistory building to employ curtain walls of aluminum.“The building shows off aluminum in every possibleapplication,” writes Landmarks’ architectural historianWalter C. Kidney, “from electrical work to cladding.”

Historic Landmark Plaques do not protect a buildingfrom demolition or alteration; they simply identify thesite as a significant part of our local heritage. Landmarks orders the plaquebut the owner must pay for itscost and installation. More than450 sites in Allegheny Countyare identified with a HistoricLandmark Plaque.

If you would like to nominatea remarkable piece of architec-ture, engineering, construction,landscape design, or urban planning that is 50 years oldor more and within Allegheny County, contact CathyMcCollom (412-471-5808, ext. 516; cathy@phlf.org) torequest an application form or download a copy fromour Web site: www.phlf.org.

“Robin Hill,” Moon Township

P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 P a g e 1 7

On October 19, 2004, I revisited the Longfellow Historic Site, otherwiseknown as the Vassall-Craigie-LongfellowHouse, at 105 Brattle Street, Cambridge,Massachusetts, built in 1759 andpurchased for Henry WadsworthLongfellow in 1837 as a wedding gift.(Longfellow lived there when it wasMrs. Craigie’s boarding house, and hisfather-in-law bought his room—and allthe others!) I briefly visited the house in2002; now I had an appointment witharchivist Anita Israel to examine lettersfrom architect Alexander WadsworthLongfellow, Jr., to his mother inCambridge while Longfellow wasworking in Pittsburgh, in partnershipwith Alfred B. Harlow and Frank E.Alden (1886–1896).

Leake & GreeneMy earlier research on Theodore H.Leake and George Greene, published in“A Visit to Boston,” PHLF News 163(February 2003): pages 14–15, estab-lished that Leake and Greene formedtheir decorating firm in Boston c. 1889;they were joined by English glass artistHenry Hunt and moved to Pittsburgh inSeptember 1889. In 1891 the firmreturned to Boston where it remainedthrough 1892; it relocated to Pittsburghagain in 1893 and the partners built ahouse in Edgeworth, Pennsylvania. In 1906 Henry Hunt established Henry Hunt Studios and the firm ofLeake & Greene disappears. Leake livedin Edgeworth for another five years;Greene became a stained glass artist and he and his wife Leonora remainedin Edgeworth for at least 10 years.

However, Margaret Henderson Floydhad written in Architecture afterRichardson: Regionalism beforeModernism—Longfellow, Alden, andHarlow in Boston and Pittsburgh(University of Chicago Press/PittsburghHistory & Landmarks Foundation,1994): “Leake & Greene was alreadyworking with Longfellow and Alden on the richly decorated interior of thefourth East Liberty Presbyterian Churchin 1886 according to Longfellow’s letter[of March 14, 1887].” I had come to the Longfellow Archives to read thisletter for myself.

The March 14, 1887 letter does not mention East Liberty Church orLeake or Greene by name. We read that drawings for “the church” werebeing prepared by an “Englishman.” I looked through other letters but foundnothing relevant.

The March 14, 1887 citation appearsto be an error; if not, it is certainlyobscure. Perhaps Leake, who was adraftsman in Boston 1886–88, didprepare drawings for Longfellow prior to establishing his decorating firm in 1889, but he was not English.According to census records Leake (b. 1859) and Greene (b. 1864) wereboth born in New York State.

Margaret’s students had read many of the A. W. Longfellow letters andprovided summaries. I was reminded of the years of research that underlayher book and that her death in 1997deprived Boston of a gifted teacher and Pittsburgh of a friend.

Charley’s RoomI then took a guided tour of the house,walking up the celebrated staircase I hadbriefly seen in 2002, whose interest forarchitectural historians lies not in themany famous people who trod upon it,such as George Washington in the1770s, but because its balusters werereplicated by H. H. Richardson atGlessner House in Chicago (1885–87)and by A. W. Longfellow at“Sunnyledge” (1886) in Pittsburgh.

Throughout the Longfellow houseone sees Japanese furnishings and art-work. These, we were told, had beenacquired by Henry’s eldest son, Charles(1844–93), who lived in Japan in 1871and 1872. I saw a special exhibition inthe house of decorative art, books,textiles, furniture, and some of thehundreds of photographs “Charley”sent home; the exhibit celebrated thepublication of Christine M. E. Guth’sLongfellow’s Tattoos: Tourism,Collecting, and Japan (University ofWashington Press, 2004).

Margaret Floyd had written inArchitecture after Richardson that A. W. Longfellow helped his cousinCharley—whose “interest in Japan wasavant-garde in the 1870s”—decorateJapanese rooms at the Longfellow housein 1874. Charley’s journals and lettersfrom Japan were first transcribed in the 1990s and published as CharlesAppleton Longfellow: Twenty Monthsin Japan, 1871–1872, edited byChristine W. Laidlaw (Friends of theLongfellow House, 1998).

The influence of Japanese art andarchitecture in the West is usually datedfrom the International Exposition inLondon, 1862; the display of Japanesegoods influenced architects anddesigners such as E. W. Goodwin,Thomas Jeckyll, and ChristopherDresser. Americans saw Japanese design

at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition inPhiladelphia. Dresser attended thisExhibition on his way to Japan for athree-month visit; in 1882 his Japan: ItsArchitecture, Art, and Art Manufactureswas published in England.

In 1885 Edwin S. Morse, director of the Peabody Museum in Salem,Massachusetts, published JapaneseHomes and Their Surroundings, based on his 1877 visit to Japan. Upon his return and prior to publicationof his book, Morse gave public “magiclantern” lectures on Japanese architectureand design throughout the Boston area.

In 1872 Charley Longfellow built aJapanese house in an area of Tokyowhere few foreigners lived and at a timewhen most visitors preferred Western-style accommodations. (He also hadhimself tattooed with traditionalJapanese designs; hence the title of Ms. Guth’s book.) A. W. Longfellowdisplayed photographs of Charley’shouse and decorative items sent fromJapan in his Harvard College room.After Charley’s return to Cambridge in1874, the cousins decorated his roomsat 105 Brattle Street. Charley’s Japanesephotographs and his “souvenirs” wereoften shown to visitors to his distin-guished father’s home, and a descriptionof the Japanese “suite” was published in1877 by Richard Henry Stoddard in

Poets’ Homes. (After his death in 1893,the contents of Charley’s rooms wereplaced elsewhere in the house or givento relatives, who subsequently donatedsome items to museums.)

By 1881 Japanese forms appear in H. H. Richardson’s work. Did Richardson see Morse’s magiclantern slides? Did he visit theLongfellow house? (A. W. Longfellowworked in Richardson’s office1881–86.) A tantalizing clue to thelatter query appears in John J. Glessner’sThe Story of a House:

Mr. Richardson insisted on one or two small extravagances….He wasparticular about the stair rail andbalusters. Of the latter there are fourdifferent patterns, one of each on eachstep, all slender, graceful, fine, reproduc-tions from some distinguished oldColonial house—the Longfellow houseat Cambridge, if my memory is not atfault—but I distinctly remember thatthey cost one dollar each.

Seeking Pittsburgh at the Longfellow Houseand Finding Japan Albert M. Tannler

The [Charles Appleton]Longfellow suite [is] the earliest

known example of a “Japan Room” in the

United States, but whether or not it exerted any

influence on later domestic interiors is unclear.

—Christine M. E. Guth

The Longfellow house (1759). For visitinghours and online access to the bookshoplog on to www.nps.gov/long. Courtesy

National Park Service, Longfellow National Historic Site.

The Longfellow house staircase balusters will reappear in GlessnerHouse in Chicago and in “Sunnyledge” in Pittsburgh. Courtesy National Park Service,

Longfellow National Historic Site.

Charley Longfellow’s house in Tokyo, 1872. Courtesy National Park Service, Longfellow National Historic Site.

Section of the “Sunnyledge” staircase.Photograph by William Rydberg.

P a g e 1 8 P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

Letters from Our Members

September 7, 2004Dear Mr. Ziegler,

I’ve been a Pittsburgh History & LandmarksFoundation member for a few years now and anadmirer of its work for many years. What a blessing to our area it is to have such people who are dedicatedto saving and honoring the marvelous heritage of thePittsburgh region….

A few weeks ago I attended a family reunion at Round Hill Park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I was heading home towards Rt. 51 around 7 pm….Itwas that brilliantly-lit time of day that photographerscall the “golden hour.” I stopped on Round Hill Roadat Rt. 48, just below the old Round Hill Church. As I looked straight ahead I noticed a wonderful oldanti-bellum farmhouse with multiple chimneys. The fields across from it were lit with a golden glow as a young womanslowly rode a horseacross them. I wastransfixed by the sceneand for a wonderfulmoment I felt like I wascarried back to the19th century. Like allsuch moments, it wasquickly past but made a lasting impression. I drovehomeward with a melancholy feeling that on anothertrip in the future I would find a subdivision at that spot.

As you can imagine I was thrilled to open the recentissue of PHLF News [September 2004] to see that veryfarm (the Van Kirk farm) pictured as part of theHistoric Farm Preservation Program. I feel so pleasedto know that another gem will be saved for the future!Thank you all for the marvelous work that you do….

October 1, 2004Dear Mr. Ziegler:

Thank you for the recent mailing for membership inyour Foundation. I am enclosing a check in the amountof $150.00.

As a point of information for you, when I opened up the brochure I recognized the street on which I livedas a young child! Our family lived at 1304 Liverpool

Street in the 1940s. What a pleasure to learn that it was saved from demoli-tion in the 1960s due to the efforts ofyour Foundation.

My sister and I returned to the area in September 2003 and visited the site.We took pictures of the house where welived. We have a similar picture fromwhen we lived there as children. (We left the area and came to Californiain 1950)….We were happy to see the area in good condition after all these years. If it were not for your

Foundation’s efforts and restoration of that area, it would have long since been gone….

Kevin and Alida AshleyJeffrey and Michele BeesDr. James BorchoertWilliam Boyd, Jr.Barbara BurstinCarlisle Area School DistrictHattie ChatfieldBarbara Clark and Richard ShannonKen and Tammy CliftonRachel ColkerDr. Maria CrespoSylvia Dallas and John OliverEmily Davis and familySandra L. DemasCotty and Joe DiMennoAnne and Steven DocimoHelen DonnellyMary Jane EdwardsSteven and Beverlynn ElliottThe Ellis SchoolEmanuel United Methodist Church Renee ExlerJulie FarrFirst United Presbyterian Church of Crafton HeightsAmy FiskJoann M. Fullen, ASIDCindy GiovannittiGlenshaw Valley Presbyterian ChurchCynthia K. GrayGregory and Rebecca GreenleafPlaceda D. HallMr. & Mrs. David W. HamsteadShirley C. HanlonJohn Haretos, M. D.Terri HastingsHawthorne Presbyterian ChurchCaroljo and David HendersonPaul M. HickoxJohn HoerrJim and Susan Hollingsworth and familyHoly Cross Episcopal ChurchDr. & Mrs. Elmer J. HolzingerRussell F. HooperStephen and Shirley HoopsMr. & Mrs. David J. HooverMark E. HouserMary Ann Hugo and Patrick HastingsPeter R. IoleLewis M. IrvinRuth T. IrvinSolomon and Ethel JarmellJuanita R. JohnstonMr. & Mrs. Craig W. Jones and familyMr. & Mrs. Nicholas JordanoffBetty L. KerkhanCarolyn E. KerrKeystone Oaks High SchoolMarvin KitmanNorman and Alison Kresh and familyThomas M. Kuruc and familyKathy LeahyAnn LeeScott Leib and familyRobert A. LevinMr. & Mrs. William K. Lieberman and familyD. & T. LieberumRosslyn LitmanDorothy K. LynchDonna M. McClintockAnna McDonough and familyDavid R. McMunnErnie and Janice MeadeDon and Nancy MiddletonRaymond and Elizabeth MiklosGranger and Betty MorganDr. M. J. MoskowitzElsie M. MurrayPamela Murray and familyLee and Barbara MyersMark MyersAlice Nadin and familyNew Hope ChurchRussell E. OrmeRalph and Betsy PerlmanCharles PetersMary PetersThe Pittsburgh New ChurchCurtiss E. Porter, Ph.D.Janet PotterMr. & Mrs. Richard PrattThe Presbyterian Church of Mt. WashingtonFred Rapone and familySheila Rathke and family

Linda RayElizabeth ReissJohn N. Rettger and familyBarry RudelSally Stevenson Ruffin and familySt. Andrew’s Episcopal ChurchSt. Raphael After-school Enrichment ProgramJackie and John SammarcoJim ScottCharles and Loretta ShaneSylvia ShanerSusanne M. SilverLouisa SmythMr. & Mrs. Sidney Stark, Jr.Marsha SternTed Stevenson and familyDick and Thea StoverEugene SucovTom Sukitsch and familyEdmund L. TaylorLucie Van der Veer and familyMr. & Mrs. Richard J. VollerJohn WarrenThomas J. Wells and familyDr. Alison WilsonBarry and Mary Ann WoodJanet WoodWoodland Hills School DistrictJerry and Peggy WrableyZsolt Zavodszky

Corporate MembersBenefactorParker/Hunter, Inc.

PartnersBeckwith Machinery CompanyBruce Plastics, Inc.Chatham Village Homes, Inc.Ferry Electric CompanyForest City EnterprisesForest City ManagementJMS InvestmentsKennywood ParkKentuck KnobKirkpatrick & LockhartLandmarks Design Associates ArchitectsMDL Capital Management, Inc.Pytlik Design AssociatesTRACOA. J. Vater & Company, Inc.Verizon

AssociatesDay & Night PressReal Estate Enterprises

Welcome New Members (July 1 through December 1, 2004)

Members are vital to the work and growth of Landmarks. Many members volunteer their time to help with education programs, office work, and preservation projects. By joining,each person demonstrates his/her belief in our mission—and contributes to a strong, collectivevoice for historic preservation in the Pittsburgh region.

THE SOCIETY FOR

THE PRESERVATION OF

Dedicated to the preservation of

that which cannot be replaced

For a membership please phone 412-381-1665

MembershipHas Its

Privileges• Free subscription to PHLF News

and a 10% discount on all ofLandmarks’ publications

• Invitations to preservationseminars, lectures, and specialeducational events and tours

• Free walking tours

• Free materials upon request,including Pittsburgh postcards,colorful posters of variousarchitectural landmarks, and a timeline of key events inPittsburgh and/or African-American history

• Free access to the James D. VanTrump Library of architecturaland historical books, magazines,photographs, and slides

• Free use of more than a dozen slide shows from our slide-lending collection aboutPittsburgh’s history, architecture,and parks and sculpture

• Savings on school tours andtraveling exhibits

• Regular e-mail updates aboutpreservation issues and events

• A 10% discount at certainPittsburgh-area historic hotels,bed & breakfasts, and city inns

• Acknowledgement of yoursupport in PHLF News

• Many rewarding volunteeropportunities

• The satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting one ofthe nation’s leading historicpreservation groups as it worksto protect the places that makePittsburgh home

To become a member contact:Mary Lu Denny412-471-5808, ext. 527marylu@phlf.orgOr visit our Web site atwww.phlf.org

Annual membership fees areaffordable, beginning at $25 for

an individual and $30 for a family.A senior membership is $15.

JO I NPITTSBURGH HISTORY &

LANDMARKS FOUNDATION

P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 P a g e 1 9

Named Fund Donations• Jamini Davies, for a contribution to the

Jamini and Greg Davies Named Fund;• Marion V. Green, for a contribution to

the DeWinter Named Fund;• Janice M. and Kim T. Abraham, for

contributions to the Audrey and KennethMenke Named Fund for Education. The following people also contributed to the Audrey and Kenneth MenkeNamed Fund for Education: Audrey andKen Menke gave a gift in memory ofElizabeth Zierden; Michael J. and KarenMenke Paciorek gave a gift in honor ofAudrey and Ken’s anniversary; and Jack Zierden made a contribution inhonor of Ken’s birthday.

• Jack and Donna Miller, for creating aNamed Fund to support North Sidepreservation efforts; and

• The Estate of Delores M. Smith, for acontribution to the fund of that name.

Program Support• Allegheny Foundation, for a grant to

support the James D. Van Trump Library(see page 5);

• An anonymous donor, for a contributionto support preservation services;

• Carol Ann Britt, for a contribution tosupport tours;

• The Anne L. and George H. ClappCharitable and Educational Trust, for a grant in support of our HistoricReligious Properties Initiative, educationalprograms, and a new neighborhoodrestoration initiative;

• Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote LawOffice, for a contribution to underwrite a bench at the Allegheny CountyCourthouse (see below);

• The Estate of Virginia Elliott, for a gift inmemory of her parents, Margaret MartinElliott and Byron K. Elliott;

• Frank B. Fairbanks, for a gift to maintain the Frank B. Fairbanks RailTransportation Archives;

• Carolyn M. Flinn, for a gift to supportfarm preservation;

• The Forbes Funds, for a grant to theHistoric Religious Properties Initiative;

• Forest City Management, for a gift tosupport education programs;

• The Grable Foundation, for a three-yeargrant (from December 2004 throughDecember 2007) to support educationalprogramming for students and teachers to develop an understanding of andappreciation for the urban environment(see page 6);

• Walter C. Kidney, for a gift to ourendowment;

• Ruth Kunst and Charles P. Lavallee, for a contribution to our preservationprograms;

• Grant McCargo, for an endowment giftin support of preservation programs;

• Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation,for a grant in support of our HistoricReligious Properties Initiative;

• William A. Meyer, Jr., for a contributionto underwrite preparation of the LongueVue National Register nomination;

• Eliza Nevin, for a gift to support ourscholarship program;

• Pennsylvania Department of Community& Economic Development, for a grant via Allegheny County in support of theOliver Miller Homestead barn recon-struction (see page 10), and for a grantfor our bridge-lighting program;

• Stella R. Reed, for an endowment gift tosupport preservation programs;

• F. C. Schroeder, Jr., for a gift to ourendowment;

• Steel Industry Heritage Park Program, fora grant to the Homestead BoroughBuilding Restoration Fund;

• Dr. & Mrs. Albert C. Van Dusen, for agift in honor of Louise Sturgess and Greg Yochum, who assisted them withtheir plans for designing a garden inmemory of a friend;

• Donna Lee and Stephen H. Walker, for a contribution to underwrite preparationof the Longue Vue National Registernomination;

• Members of the Walker Family, fordonating 264 copies of Keep Tryst: TheWalkers of Pittsburgh & The SewickleyValley, by Stephen Neal Dennis;

• Frederick M. Winkler, for a contributionto our education department; and

• Michael J. Zito, for a contribution to aLandmarks Heritage Society event.

Corporate Matching Gift• ChevronTexaco, for matching a gift from

Jack D. Burgess;• Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP, for

matching a gift from Teresa A. Beaudet;• Norfolk Southern, for matching a gift

from Allen T. Bankson; and• PPG Industries Foundation, for matching

gifts from Bruce C. Brennan and fromDonna L. Walker.

Gift Memberships• Joe DiMenno, for a gift membership to

Joe and Cotty DiMenno;• Doris Ju, for a gift membership to

Barbara Berger; and • Shirley and Tom Phillis, for a gift

membership to Mark Phillis.

Contributions & Gifts—Thank You (July 1 through December 1, 2004)

Visit the Allegheny County Courthouse—Pittsburgh’s mostsignificant architectural landmark—and you’ll see that hand-somely carved benches, each inscribed with a donor’s name,are replacing the motley collection of inappropriate chairs that

once cheapened the historic corridors. Each oak bench isconstructed by Jerry Wilson of Wilson & McCracken,

to the design of County Architect Sam Taylor. Cathy McCollom, chief programs officer atLandmarks, accepts orders for the benches.

If you would like to sponsor a bench for $2,700, please contact Cathy

(412-471-5808, ext. 516;cathy@phlf.org). Our goal is to install 20 benches in theCourthouse. Your gift will add tothe beauty of H. H. Richardson’smasterpiece.

To date, we thank the following people and organiza-tions for sponsoring a total of ten Courthouse benches:

1. Carl Wood Brown

2. Robert G. DelGreco, of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote

3. The Hillman Family, who donated a bench “to the citizensof Allegheny County in appreciation of the Court ofCommon Pleas”

4. Henry Hoffstot, for sponsoring a bench “in memory ofChief Justice James B. Drew”

5. Raymond Novak

6. Patton Family Partnership

7. Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, “in gratitude to Richard M. Scaife, who has donatedto the restoration of the Courthouse for three decades,beginning with the transformation of the courtyard from a parking lot to a public park”

8. Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation

9. Reed Smith LLP

10. James C. Roddey

Courthouse bench, in memory of Chief Justice James B. Drew

Ten Courthouse BenchesSponsored: 10 More Needed

P a g e 2 0 P H L F N e w s • J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5

PHLF News usually is published three times each year for the members of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. © 2005 Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Designed by Pytlik Design Associates

Philip B. Hallen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ChairmanArthur P. Ziegler, Jr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PresidentLouise Sturgess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor/Executive DirectorBenjamin Boss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education AssistantTom Croyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ComptrollerMary Lu Denny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Membership ServicesMary Ann Eubanks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education CoordinatorPhipps Hoffstot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chief Financial OfficerThomas Keffer . . . . . . . . . . . Superintendent of Property MaintenanceWalter C. Kidney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Architectural HistorianEugene Matta . . . Director of Real Estate &Special Development ProgramsCathy McCollom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chief Programs Officer

Jack Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Gift PlanningLinda Mitry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Staff AccountantLaura Ricketts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Library AssistantLaureen Schulte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Library AssistantFrank Stroker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Archivist/Sales ManagerAlbert M. Tannler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Historical Collections DirectorMarie Tulle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AssistantSarah Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryMarilyn Whitelock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryGregory C. Yochum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HorticulturistRonald C. Yochum, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chief Information Officer

Our mission is to preserve historic crafts and properties through the service of exceptional craftsmen.

The Guild maintains an online gathering place where clients can find qualified craftsmen, benefiting historic properties, clients, and craftsmen alike.

This “referral service” is free; the Guild accepts no fees or commissions.

• Residential & Liturgical• Architectural woodwork• Art glass• Gilding• Architectural plastering• Custom tile work• Decorative painting• Slate roofing• Refinishing and carpentry

For a complete listing of trades, please visit us atwww.westpenncraftguild.comand meet the Craftsmen who can make

your project a success.

Or, if you prefer, you can leave a message at412-784-8015 and a member will return your call.

Sunday afternoon, February 27Open House Church Tours and Lecture onArchitect Ralph Adams CramCelebrate the 150th anniversary of Calvary Episcopal Church by attending a free special event that the Church is hosting incooperation with Landmarks. • On your own, between 1:00 and 3:45 p.m., visit three churches

designed by Ralph Adams Cram: Calvary Episcopal Church inShadyside, East Liberty Presbyterian Church, and Holy RosaryChurch in Homewood. Docents at each church will give you aself-guided tour booklet.

• 4:00 p.m. lecture on Ralph Adams Cram, by author andarchitect Ethan Anthony: The lecture will be held at Calvary Episcopal Church, followed by a reception. For reservations: 412-471-5808, ext. 527; marylu@phlf.org

March 12 & 13 Saturday: 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Tenth Annual Old House FairMeet with historic preservation specialists and discuss your homeimprovement plans. Get advice from a professional designer. Sign up to meet with an architect, landscape architect, or interiordesigner for a brief consultation on your home renovation plans.

Location: David L. Lawrence Convention CenterFee: $9 general admission; $4 children (6–12). Purchase ticketsin advance online, beginning in February: www.pghhome.comand receive a free one-year subscription to This Old House.For details: www.oldhousefair.org

Wednesday, March 16 6:00 p.m.Architecture & Historic Preservation Abroad:Valparaiso, ChileTodd Temkin, a North American poet who has lived in Chilesince 1994, has created the Valparaiso Foundation to promote therebirth of the historic Pacific port as a UNESCO world heritagesite and bastion of cultural tourism. During an illustrated lecturehe will discuss some of the architectural landmarks, historicmonuments, and engineering marvels (including 15 still-operatinginclines) that the Foundation is working to restore. This lectureseries is co-sponsored by Landmarks and The Heinz ArchitecturalCenter, Carnegie Museum of Art.

Location: Carnegie Museum of Art TheaterFee: $5.00 members; $10.00 non-membersFor reservations: 412-471-5808, ext. 527; marylu@phlf.org

Saturday, April 2 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.Bus Tour of Historic Loft ApartmentsWhat would it be like to live in a loft? Join us for a tour of theHeinz Lofts on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, the Liberty BankBuilding in East Liberty, and the former Union National Bank,downtown.

Fee (including refreshments): $35 members; $45 non-members

Saturday, April 16 9:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.Bus Tour of Historic “Green” BuildingsTour the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, downtown; theChildren’s Museum of Pittsburgh on the North Side; and theTerminal Buildings and E-House on the South Side. Plus, we’llgive you a list of other historic “green” buildings in the Pittsburgharea that you can visit on your own. This tour will be offered incooperation with the Green Building Alliance.

Meeting location: CCI Building, 64 South 14th StreetFee (including lunch): $45 members; $55 non-members

Wednesdays, May 4, 11, 18, 25 12 Noon–1:00 p.m.Saturday, May 21 10:00–11:30 a.m.; or 1:30–3:00 p.m.Bridges & More Walking ToursIn honor of National Preservation Month and in cooperationwith the “Working Hearts” special events program, Landmarkswill lead free bridge walks across the “Three Sisters” AlleghenyRiver Bridges, and along the North Shore and Ft. DuquesneBoulevard, past “CAPA” and the Convention Center.

Meeting location: Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, 107 Sixth Street, downtown

For reservations: 412-471-5808, ext. 527; marylu@phlf.org

Summer Architecture Camp for KidsJune 20 through August 19 (one and two-week sessionsavailable; full or half days)For kids (ages 6–High School)Hosted by the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie MellonSchool of Architecture, in cooperation with Landmarks and theRiverlife Task Force.

For details: 412-622-3288

For complete details AND to confirm this information,check our Web site at www.phlf.org, or contact Mary Lu (412-471-5808, ext. 527; marylu@phlf.org).

Let Sydney’s SuccessInspire PittsburghAustralian architect Tasman Storeyspoke to 200 members and friends atthe Carnegie Museum of Art Theateron September 23, 2004. The HeinzArchitectural Center and CarnegieMellon’s Center for BuildingPerformance and Diagnostics joined Landmarks in sponsoring the lecture, the second in its popular “Architecture & HistoricPreservation Abroad ”series.

Tasman describedthe award-winning,multi-use Walsh BaySydney HarborRedevelopmentProject being devel-oped by the MirvacGroup. The WalshBay project was the fifth attempt totransform a brownfields (a formerdockland of wharfs and warehouses)in a way that attracted the wealthyback to the city and created manypublic amenities. Forty stakeholderswere involved, and, according toTasman, “they were vocal people who had to approve everything.”Walsh Bay’s success, however, “is anexample of what can be done whendevelopers, city officials, profession-als, and citizens all work together.” A few other comments from Tasmanworth remembering are:

“New construction should be iden-tifiable of its time and compatiblewith its surroundings. We designed awharf-like residential building that isabsolutely modern. It’s 600-feet-long,with private moorings for yachts.There’s an on-the-water lifestyle thatpeople love. Walsh Bay also mixesmodern buildings with Georgianproportions with some quite dramaticbuildings that roll around the corner.There are curves in every direction.

“Everything in Walsh Bay is grand.There are cafes, shops, and a dramatheater with perfect acoustics.

“The industrial heritage of theplace is of great value. The history isas interesting as the present. Hoists,jacks, and cranes have been restoredand preserved. Two houses from longago were discovered during excava-tion, and the archaeological site isnow revealed for people to see.Mirvac has done all sorts of things toget people to stop and ask: What’sthat? Where did that come from?

“There is only one Walsh Bay.People have been working for a longtime; solving many problems. It glimmers in the sunlight…butdoesn’t glimmer any more than it’sallowed to glimmer. It sits veryhappily with its neighbors.”

To learn more, come see the bookand CD that Tasman donated to our library.

EVENT PREVIEW: February – June