Happy Preservation Month!
In May, we celebrate historic preservation because of its ability to improve the quality of the lives of people through saving buildings and places that are not only an important part of our cultural heritage, but can be the basis of helping renew communities for the future.
But even as we celebrate this National Preservation Month, our organization is concerned about the ongoing dismantling of federal historic preservation programs, and other support services that are vital to our socio-cultural life.
We have seen this in the decimation of funding for community development incentives, institutions of higher learning, libraries, museums, national parks, and public broadcasting. The loss of funding for these programs collectively affects all of us, including the preservation community.
Here in Pittsburgh, we have seen partner organizations including the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the Carnegie Library of Homestead, and the Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka at St. Nicholas Church in Millvale— to name but a few— targeted for loss of critical funding that was dedicated to substantive historic preservation work.
Over the years, our organization has been intimately involved not only with these three organizations but many others caught up in this hollowing out of the capacity of non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of people.
Our organization opposes these measures and we will continue to seek partnerships with other organizations, donors, members and friends, who, like us, believe that renewing communities and building pride is an important part of saving our city and region’s distinctive built environment— both because of its history and adaptation for use in the future.
