Preservation Opportunities & Awards
PHLF: How to List Your House in the National Register of Historic Places
Location: Landmarks Preservation Resource Center, 744 Rebecca Avenue
Date: Thursday, June 6th
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Contact: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 ext. 527
Have you ever wondered about what it means—or what it would take—to get your house or a building listed in the National Register of Historic Places? Do you know the potential benefits of National Register listing? Are you interested in pursuing National Register designation for your house, but are unsure of the procedural requirements?
Join us for this lecture and learn about the history of the National Register Program; the criteria for listing a property, and learn the basic components of a National Register Form. This lecture will also touch on tips for conducting research on your property, the procedural requirements for completing a nomination, and the benefits of listing a property in the National Register.
About the Presenter: Jesse Belfast is an architectural historian at Michael Baker International, where he is involved in numerous aspects of historic preservation through National Register-designation of buildings and management of mitigation processes around real estate projects involving historic buildings.
Based in Michael Baker’s Moon Township office since 2003, his work revolves around Section 106 compliance, historic context studies, National Register of Historic Places nominations, historic architecture surveys, state inventory form preparation, criteria of effects evaluations, and other aspects of compliance regarding historic buildings and resources. Some of his prominent projects include National Register nominations for the Strip Historic District and the Lawrenceville Historic District, Historic American Engineering Record documentation for the Civic Arena, and historic architectural inventories for seven Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
A native of San Diego, Mr. Belfast holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Duke University and a Master of Arts degree in History from Carnegie Mellon University.
This lecture is FREE and open to the public. RSVPs are appreciated: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 x 527.
Historic Preservation Grants & Tax Credits Workshop
Historic tax credits and Keystone grants are vital tools in revitalizing older buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. These financial incentives encourage private investment, create jobs, and return abandoned or underutilized properties to active service. Successful projects balance the building’s and neighborhood’s historic character with the property’s new or continued use by using the National Park Service’s Standards for Rehabilitation as guidance.
May 24th from 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Rodef Shalom Synagogue
Registration is requested by Friday, May 17th
How can architects, design professionals, communities and property owners take advantage of these programs? Join Preservation Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) for this workshop to learn more about these important state and federal incentive programs.
Agenda includes:
- Understanding and applying the National Park Service’s Standards for Rehabilitation to historic properties;
- Overview of the federal and state historic tax credit programs including program eligibility, the application & review process, and a best practices case study;
- and introduction to Pennsylvania’s Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program.
[ebor_button style=”pumpkin” url=”https://www.eventbrite.com/e/design-standards-for-historic-buildings-historic-preservation-incentive-tickets-59935081442?utm_campaign=4aca4ab29d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_10_11_01_48_COPY_01&utm_term=0_7289c09aca-4aca4ab29d-54070857&utm_source=PA+SHPO&utm_medium=email&mc_eid=33a7b253e1&mc_cid=4aca4ab29d”] Learn More and Register [/ebor_button]
For more information, please contact Bill Callahan, PA SHPO’s Western Region Community Preservation Coordinator
at wcallahan@pa.gov or (412) 565-3575.
2019 Allegheny West Preservation Awards
Submitted by Carole Malakoff
The Allegheny West Civic Council along with The Allegheny West Local Review Committee announce the 11th Annual Allegheny West Preservation Awards. These awards are presented to property owners in Allegheny West who have completed projects over the past year, retaining or restoring appropriate elements of historic character and adhering to the neighborhood guidelines. The success of these projects was attained by doing research, creating well thought-out plans, following neighborhood historic guidelines and working with the neighborhood LRC and the City HRC to seek advice on the application process and guidelines.
The 2019 award recipients are:
828 West North Avenue
Owner, Q Development
This structure was built in 1902 as a warp and weavers supply business with carpet cleaning on the second floor. In 1925 it became the Katsafanas Coffee Co. It was purchased by Q Development in 2016 for their offices. The brick was cleaned. Parapets were restored. The 1925 limestone “Katsafanas Coffee Co.” sign on the main façade was restored. Limestone sills were gently cleaned. Windows were restored to match the existing. The one-story hand painted sign on the west façade was restored.
847 Western Avenue
Owner, Keane George
Keane and his architect, John Francona, worked with the LRC to select missing façade elements on this building, formerly a laundromat. After much discussion and on-site visits, the final selection of tiles was appropriate in color and material to reflect the existing.
The Visual Arts Center
Owner, Community College of Allegheny County
These three projects greatly add to the historic ambience of the neighborhood streets, contribute to the economic development of our neighborhood, and enhance the quality of life in Allegheny West. To celebrate Preservation Month, the awards will be presented at the this month’s membership meeting.
Opening Reception: Allegheny West Historic Timeline Exhibition
Celebrating Over Five Decades of Rebuilding the Smallest Neighborhood in Pittsburgh
Allegheny West Civic Council is pleased to present the Allegheny West Historic Timeline Exhibition, in collaboration with Community College of Allegheny County.
Friday, May 17, 2019 at 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
CCAC Gallery at West Hall, Allegheny Campus on the Northside
826 Ridge Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233
Free and open to the public | Light refreshments will be served
The exhibition will be on display:
May 17 – June 20 [extended]
May Hours:
Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
June Hours:
Monday – Thursday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
The Allegheny West Historic Timeline Exhibition will be a celebration of the Allegheny West Civic Council’s 5 decades, focusing on struggles and success stories of a small neighborhood that progressed through passionate residents and finding solutions for future improvements. The exhibition will also show how this neighborhood came to be. Learn about the people that have called – and do call – its tree-lined streets and historic houses home. The graphic timeline and videos will inform and entertain to help gain a stronger understanding by documenting and archiving significant events and serve as an educational tool for generations to come.
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Pat Rooney Brings Back The Fountain Of Her Youth On The Northside
And so into 1997 — she joined with others in forming the Allegheny Commons Initiative which with the help of foundations and private donors is now $4 million into a $20 million dollar restoration plan. But Mrs. Rooney’s own dream has already been realized — the restoration of this gem – the original fountain at the corner of North and Cedar — the fountain of her youth.
“I feel so joyful. I came up the other day because someone said the water was on. I said ‘what?’ I felt like I was 10 again.”
Letter from the President – April 2019
Historic Preservation is always a topic of discussion in Allegheny West and for good reason.
The Allegheny West Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Allegheny West is one of twelve city historic districts in Pittsburgh. Each historic district has published guidelines that are designed to “help individual property owners formulate plans for the rehabilitation, preservation, and continued use of old buildings consistent with the intent of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standard for Rehabilitation.” These Guidelines for Historic Districts are available on the City of Pittsburgh website at pittsburghpa.gov/dcp/historic. Historic District maps are also available at this website, showing detailed boundaries of each district.
Because Allegheny West is a city historic district, all exterior work that is visible from a right of way, a street or an alley, needs a Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA), and, depending on the type of project, possibly a building permit. The Local Historic Review Commission (LHRC) and the Historic Review Commission (HRC) use the guidelines when reviewing appropriateness of proposed exterior alterations in designated historic districts.
Recent agendas for both the AWCC Membership and Housing and Planning meetings have included topics related to LHRC and HRC. Two notable items are a proposed expansion of the current Allegheny West historic district boundary and the Stables Building project on W North Avenue.
Because of these topics, because we have quite a few new neighbors and because we could all use a refresher on the special rules that come with living in a designated historic district, we have invited Sarah Quinn, Planner with the City of Pittsburgh, to join us at the April Membership meeting and review the Historic Review Commission objectives and process.
Topics to be covered include:
- HRC applications for proposed work – how to submit them and fees involved
- HRC versus LHRC
- Allegheny West neighborhood guidelines and where to access them
- Historic district affect on property values
- Differences between property use and historic value – i.e. a structure can be any “use” (residential, commercial, industrial, mixed, etc.) and can be deemed historic
Sarah’s presentation will be an hour in length and will be the first item on the agenda. Please plan to attend!
Ann Gilligan
President, AWCC
PHLF: Repairing Double Hung Windows
Location: Landmarks Preservation Resource Center, 744 Rebecca Avenue
Date: Thursday, January 31st
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Contact: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 ext. 527
Learn about all the parts of your double hung windows; how to disassemble and more importantly re-assemble them properly. This workshop will also include tips on how to fix the most common problems related to operation of the windows. The hands-on-demonstration workshop will be presented using an actual window.
About the Presenter: Regis Will is a woodworker, craftsman, and owner of Vesta Home Services, a consulting firm on house restoration and Do-it-Yourself projects. He blogs about his work at The New Yinzer Workshop.
All events are free to PHLF members. This is event is free and open to the public, too! Contact for more details: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 ext. 527
Check out http://phlf.org/events/ for more PHLF tours and events.
Lecture: Restoring the Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail
Join us at the Landmarks Preservation Resource Center for our ongoing programs on house restoration, architecture, history and other aspects of historic preservation, community development and urban planning.
Location: Landmarks Preservation Resource Center, 744 Rebecca Avenue
Date: Tuesday, January 29th
Time: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Contact: marylu@phlf.org or (412) 471-5808 ext. 527
The Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail by H.H. Richardson (1884-88), is one of the most significant of Pittsburgh’s great buildings. In 2014, Allegheny County commissioned the architecture firm of Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel to develop a multi-year plan to comprehensively renovate and restore this National Historic Landmark.
In this lecture, you will learn about the fact-gathering phase of the restoration process so far, which includes a detailed physical investigation of the building and facts about the original materials used on the building, its structure, assembly, and forward-thinking mechanical and electrical systems. We will also look at some of the changes that the building has undergone over the years. It is through understanding the building’s existing conditions in light of the original intent of its architect that we can help plan the process to ensure that the Courthouse remains a functioning and iconic landmark for generations to come.
About the Presenter
Jessica Stuck, AIA, began her professional career in upstate New York working on historic preservation projects including rehabilitation of the iconic Rotunda at the University of Virginia, the Vanderbilt Mansion, and restoration of historic churches in eastern New York and western Massachusetts. She joined Perfido Weiskopf Wagstaff + Goettel in 2014, where she has maintained a focus in preservation, restoration, and the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. Jessica was the project manager for developing the Allegheny County Courthouse facilities plan.
All lectures are free to PHLF members. This lecture is free and open to the public, too!
Check out http://phlf.org/events/ for more PHLF tours and events.
Draft for Comment: Allegheny West Design Guidelines
Ahead of the next general Membership Meeting, please review this draft of a set of Design Guidelines for new construction outside of the historic district. The council would appreciate your commentary going into our upcoming gathering.
Thanks in advance.
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Support Manchester Historic Society During GiveBig Pittsburgh
Manchester Historic Society needs your help! Please join us during GiveBig Pittsburgh on Novemeber 27th and help us get closer to our goal of restoring the Colonel James Anderson House in Manchester.
Starting at 12:00 am on November 27th, visit givebigpittsburgh.com and make a donation to us and/or to any of the great participating nonprofit organizations in Pittsburgh. You will have 24 hours to make your donation, and all giving will end at 11:59 pm on November 27th/sup>.
Questions? If you have any questions or would like more information, let us know. You can contact MHS at info@manchesterhistoricsocietypa.com or (412) 447-8692. Thank you in advance for your generosity to our organization!