Historic Properties

• Preservationists Praise Rehab Plan for Old Morgue - March 11th, 2011

  By Craig Smith, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, March 11, 2011 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/lifestyles/s_726879.html [caption id="attachment_9085" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="Sam Taylor, principal architect/building manager for Allegheny County department of public works, gives a tour of the old Allegheny County Morgue before it undergoes a $4 million renovation. James Knox | Tribune-Review"]... Read More

• Fairview Park in Delmont Gains National Historic Status - February 24th, 2011

  Thursday, February 24, 2011 By Laurie Bailey Fairview Park in Delmont Gains National Historic Status It's important for retired history teacher Barbara Calloway that her children and grandchildren realize the impact of Salem Township's Fairview Park on her own family and a generation of area African-Americans. "They really can't imagine the ... Read More

• Fairview Park Gets Historical Status - February 16th, 2011

  By Richard Robbins TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Fairview Park Gets Historical Status [caption id="attachment_8838" align="alignright" width="450" caption="Once home to amusement rides and a swimming pool, Fairview Park today consists of aging swings sets and slides, a basketball court, a ball field and several picnic pavilions. Barry Reeger | Tribune-Review"]... Read More

• Water to Blame for Wall Collapse - February 15th, 2011

  Tuesday, February 15, 2011 By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Water to Blame for Wall Collapse [caption id="attachment_8822" align="alignright" width="500" caption="Pittsburgh building inspectors examine the partial collapse of a brick wall at S&S Candy and Cigar Co. at South 21st and East Carson streets on the South Side Monday morning. ... Read More

• Historic District Building’s Wall Collapses in South Side - February 15th, 2011

  By Margaret Harding PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, February 15, 2011 Historic District Building's Wall Collapses in South Side Francine Mykich was preparing S&S Candy and Cigar Co. for its busiest day of the week when she thought she heard a truck hit the South Side store. "We came in just like a ... Read More

• Grant to Help Return Saxonburg Main Street to 1850s - February 10th, 2011

  Thursday, February 10, 2011 By Karen Kane, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Grant to Help Return Saxonburg Main Street to 1850s Saxonburg's Main Street program manager says he's feeling "pretty blessed" by the news last month that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had come through with a $1.4 million grant. The money was both needed ... Read More

• Deal Reached to Save Historic Franklin County House - February 9th, 2011

  Tuesday, February 08, 2011 By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Deal Reached to Save Historic Franklin County House A history-loving physician has worked out a deal to save an 18th century home in Mercersburg. Dr. Paul Orange said today the William Smith House will be taken apart piece by piece over the next ... Read More

• Picketing Planned to Save Historic Mercersburg House - February 8th, 2011

  Saturday, February 05, 2011 By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Picketing Planned to Save Historic Mercersburg House When the British government failed to protect their homes and farms, residents of Pennsylvania's Conococheague Valley gathered in 1765 at a house in what is now Mercersburg to organize themselves into a militia. That historic house ... Read More

• The New Granada Theater is Granted National Historic Register Status! - February 7th, 2011

  By Historic Hill Institute February 5, 2011 [caption id="attachment_8767" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="New Granada Theater"][/caption] Congratulations to the Hill Community Development Corporation, the steward of the New Granada Theater historic preservation project. With the assistance of the Pittsburgh History ... Read More

• Civic Arena a ‘Symbol of Genocide’ - February 4th, 2011

  By Bill Vidonic PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Thursday, February 3, 2011 Former City Councilman Sala Udin was among the 8,000 residents and businesses in the lower Hill District who were displaced in the 1950s for construction of the Civic Arena. On Wednesday, he urged Pittsburgh's Historic Review Commission to reject a push to grant ... Read More

• Demolition of Iron City Ice House OK’d - February 4th, 2011

  Thursday, February 03, 2011 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Historic Review Commission Wednesday approved demolition of the original ice house at the Iron City Brewing Co. in Lawrenceville, one of a collection of buildings on the site that has the city's protection of historic status. The one-story building, which sits behind the original brewhouse, is ... Read More

• Iron City Allowed to Raze Building - February 3rd, 2011

  By Bill Vidonic PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Thursday, February 3, 2011 The city's Historic Review Commission will allow the president of Iron City Brewing Co. to tear down a dilapidated building at its former Lawrenceville production site. The commission on Wednesday said Tim Hickman should provide it with photographs and other documentation of the ... Read More

• Row of Vacant Lawrenceville Houses Being Restored with Historic Exteriors, Custom Interiors - February 2nd, 2011

  Wednesday, February 02, 2011 Pop City Media [caption id="attachment_8684" align="alignright" width="300" caption="19th Century Row Houses in Lawrenceville"][/caption] Since they were left vacant in 1995, the row of five historic brick houses on 48th Street, between Hatfield and Butler Streets, in ... Read More

• Landmarks Foundation Waits for Word on $4 Million State Grant - February 2nd, 2011

  By Craig Smith PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, February 2, 2011 [caption id="attachment_8663" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Arthur Ziegler, president of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, surveys Fifth Avenue, Downtown, part of an area his group has earmarked for more redevelopment like its Market at Fifth project. The foundation is awaiting word on whether ... Read More

• Historic Swissvale Church Receives Second Life as Condominium Development - January 26th, 2011

  John Farley, Pop City Media Wednesday, January 26, 2011 [caption id="attachment_8545" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Madonna del Castello Church, 7416 Duquesne Avenue, Swissvale."][/caption] The Madonna del Castello Church at 7416 Duquesne Avenue in Swissvale has sat vacant for ... Read More

• Buying Here: Thornburg - January 24th, 2011

  Saturday, January 22, 2011 By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [caption id="attachment_8530" align="alignright" width="300" caption="This home in Thornburg is on the market. Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette"][/caption] Bidding wars are not common in Pittsburgh. Every once in a while, though, multiple buyers will ... Read More

• Children’s Museum Has Bulk of Funds to Build Park - January 21st, 2011

  Friday, January 21, 2011 By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Children's Museum is $2.2 million away from raising the funds it needs to transform the sunken concrete square outside its doors into the Allegheny Public Square Park and make upgrades inside the museum. Officials Thursday announced they had raised $6.3 million of ... Read More

• The Making of a Mural: Series of Coincidences Led to Collaboration Between Artist and North Side Homeowner - January 18th, 2011

  Saturday, January 15, 2011 By Kevin Kirkland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [caption id="attachment_8453" align="alignright" width="330" caption="Artist Ken Heusey in front of the mural he created for David McAnallen's renovated kitchen on the North Side. Pam Panchak / Post-Gazette "][/caption] Life is sometimes like a ... Read More

• Denis Theatre Foundation Names Executive Director - January 13th, 2011

  Thursday, January 13, 2011 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Denis Theatre Foundation on Wednesday named Valerie Golik, the former executive director of The Pittsburgh Philharmonic, as its new executive director. She replaces board member Jennifer Smokelin, who has served as interim director since the fall. "We are delighted that Valerie is joining the Denis Theatre Foundation," ... Read More

• Friendship May Get Aldi Grocery - January 11th, 2011

  Tuesday, January 11, 2011 By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Discount grocer Aldi appears to be headed to the East End as part of the redevelopment of a former car dealership. Michigan-based Warner Pacific Properties is expected to brief the city planning commission today about its plans to convert the Day Automotive dealership into ... Read More

• Buying Here: Oakmont - January 10th, 2011

  A fine arts-and-craft home for a young family Sunday, January 09, 2011 By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [caption id="attachment_8415" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="This home on California Avenue in Oakmont is on the market for $249,900. Bob Donaldson / Post-Gazette"][/caption] Oakmont is probably best ... Read More

• Owner Wants to Raze Iron City Building - January 10th, 2011

  Commission worries demolition will hamper future development at the historic Lawrenceville landmark Monday, January 10, 2011 By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [caption id="attachment_8410" align="alignleft" width="330" caption="The pipe shop portion of the closed Iron City Brewery is falling apart at the Lawrenceville landmark, on which the city has bestowed historic status. Bill ... Read More

• Saxonburg Gets $1.4 Million for Main Street - January 7th, 2011

  By Tom Fontaine PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, January 7, 2011 Saxonburg has received a $1.4 million state grant to make long-awaited improvements along historic Main Street without robbing any of its 19th century charm. "We're going to take new materials and create an atmosphere like it was in the 1850s and '60s," said ... Read More

• Historic Panel Gives a Reprieve to Igloo - January 6th, 2011

  Thursday, January 06, 2011 By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Civic Arena has won a bit of a lifeline. A bid to protect the 49-year-old landmark from demolition got a boost Wednesday when the city's historic review commission gave preliminary approval to its nomination as a city historic structure. The 5-1 vote clears the ... Read More

• Steelpan City - January 6th, 2011

  Pittsburgh City Paper For the Week of 01.05.2011 / 01.12.2011 BY ANDREW MOORE [caption id="attachment_8390" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Jonnet Solomon-Nowlin - Steelpan Drum Instructor, owner of The National Opera House in Lincoln-Lemington - Brian Kaldorf"]... Read More

• Some in Carrick Strive to Save Victorian House - January 5th, 2011

  Friday, December 24, 2010 By Diana Nelson Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [caption id="attachment_8386" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Julia Tomasic of the Carrick-Overbrook Historical Society is trying to save the last great Victorian home in Carrick, at 1425 Brownsville Road, by nominating it for historic status. Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette"]... Read More

• This Beautiful Structure Must Be Saved - January 5th, 2011

  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Wednesday, January 05, 2011 05:00 AM *Open Letters is a place where the letters to the editor published by the Post-Gazette are offered up for broader comment and discussion. The late 19th-century Queen Anne Victorian house on Brownsville Road in Carrick ("Some in Carrick Strive to Save Victorian House," Dec. ... Read More

• Downtown Honus Wagner Store has Finally Struck Out - January 5th, 2011

  A sporting goods fixture for 93 years Wednesday, January 05, 2011 By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [caption id="attachment_8365" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="The Honus Wagner Sporting Goods store on Forbes Avenue is closing after 93 years in business Downtown. Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette"][/caption] First it was ... Read More

• Honus Wagner Sporting Goods, Downtown, to Close After 93 Years - January 5th, 2011

  By Sam Spatter, FOR THE PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, January 5, 2011 [caption id="attachment_8360" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="The Honus Wagner Sporting Goods store will be closing its doors after 93 years of business. The store was started in 1919 by former Pittsburgh Pirates players Honus Wagner and Pie Traynor, and relocated to Forbes ... Read More

• South Side Site Gets Development Go-Ahead - January 5th, 2011

  Retail, apartments slated for former Goodwill headquarters Friday, December 24, 2010 By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A $28 million project to convert the former Goodwill headquarters on the South Side into apartments and retail space is good to go, thanks in part to a $5 million state redevelopment assistance grant. The grant, awarded by ... Read More

• Report Cites Downtown Dynamics - January 4th, 2011

  Tuesday, January 04, 2011 By Sally Kalson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Downtown Pittsburgh is a more diverse and dynamic place than it was just seven years ago -- more residents, more students and workers, more people riding bikes and running. That's the conclusion of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President Michael Edwards, based on the group's new ... Read More

• Golden Triangle Buildings Could Get Face-Lifts - December 27th, 2010

  Sunday, December 26, 2010 By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The city is looking to brighten up some "dark corners" Downtown. Aided by a $4 million state redevelopment assistance grant, the Urban Redevelopment Authority hopes to target rundown buildings Downtown and work with property owners to upgrade them. The project is designed to supplement a ... Read More

• Collier to Preserve Historic Photographs - December 23rd, 2010

  Thursday, December 23, 2010 By Carole Gilbert Brown The decision by Collier commissioners to spend $1,134.20 to scan and frame historical township photographs is an award winner for Gene Czambel, 67, of Steen Hollow Road. Mr. Czambel, a lifelong resident who traces his family's roots in Collier back to 1882, has been on ... Read More

• Blast From the Past: Old Steel Mill Forges New Life as a Park - December 21st, 2010

  Ben Muessig AOL News (Dec. 2) -- Preservationists outside Pittsburgh are fighting to put an abandoned steel mill back to work -- not so it can produce metal, but so it can protect history. Since the blast furnaces fired up for the last time at the Carrie Furnace in 1978, the decaying steel ... Read More

• Washington County Farm on Statewide Danger List - December 20th, 2010

  Monday, December 20, 2010 By Len Barcousky, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A Washington County farm that has been operated by the same family for more than 200 years has been included on a list of 10 historic sites most at risk across Pennsylvania. Longwall coal mining could harm several historic buildings at Plantation Plenty in ... Read More