Preservation Pennsylvania recently announced the Pennsylvania At Risk 2014 list — seven properties nominated by the public last year that will become the nonprofit group’s work priorities in 2015. The list illustrates a range of threats to historic resources, including 1) demolition; 2) potential loss due to deferred maintenance; 3) loss of vitality due to closure of a downtown anchor; 4) impacts resulting from inappropriately sited intensive development; and 5) physical and economic challenges faced by municipalities as a result of substantial flood insurance premium increases. Preservation Pennsylvania is ready to engage with people interested in working to protect these significant historic places and work to overcome these threats in the coming year.
Author: Guest Contributor (Page 15 of 17)
The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Office occassionally asks our partners to share their news, successes, challenges, and perspectives on historic preservation matters in Pennsylvania.
Paul Heberling, center, accepts the F. Otto Haas Award from John A. Martine, right, and Peter Benton. Top right, Mayor Salvatore Panto, Bottom right, The Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka
Each year, Preservation Pennsylvania presents the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards as a way to honor individuals and organizations that exhibit excellence in the field of historic preservation. The 2014 award recipients exemplify some of the core values of historic preservation, such as a community pulling together to save a building from demolition or the revitalization of an urban neighborhood thanks to rehabilitation – not razing — of an aging school.
“Partnerships, cooperation, and taking the long-term view are themes that run through many of this year’s projects,” said Mindy Crawford, Executive Director of Preservation Pennsylvania, the statewide historic preservation nonprofit. “Whether at the local, state or federal level, this year’s award recipients demonstrate how people working together can create positive change.” Continue reading
The Spotlight Series is an occasional series that highlights interesting people, places, programs, and partner organizations working on historic preservation issues.
At the turn of the last century, the 2200 block of West Tioga Street was a fashionable address for business owners and professionals. Homes were up to 5,800 square feet, housing large families and live-in servants.
Architect Edgar Viguers Seeler designed the gem of the block — an 1898 chateau-style twin at 2224-26 West Tioga – for two families that owned the Conkling-Armstrong Terra Cotta Co. In fact, it was an ornate showpiece for their business: making architectural ornamentation. It featured columns encrusted with floral detail, ornate stringcourses and porch balustrades, all made of terra cotta. Combining his training from the Philadelphia Museum and School of Industrial Art, MIT, and the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris, Seeler was able to design ornate structures that spanned multiple aesthetics. Continue reading
Hi y’all, I’m Meghan Rooney and I had the amazing opportunity to intern with PHMC-BHP all summer. I am a senior at Shippensburg University, studying Public Administration with dual minors in History and International Studies. I had a blast working with the BHP staff and on my project, The Irvine Estate/Buckaloons. Continue reading
Ever since I discovered archaeology in high school I knew that it was going to be my career, even if I have not figured out the specifics of what I wanted to do. By recommendation, I ended up at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). It was an excellent choice for me, and gave me the chance to learn about the different areas of archaeology that I could choose from. While there are many work-related fields to choose, the two main divisions I saw were cultural resource management (CRM) jobs, and jobs in academia. Either way, I knew that both required at least a Master’s degree and that’s how I found my way to the State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton. Continue reading
Each year the PHMC hosts students interested in working in the field of Public History. Each Keystone Intern works directly with a PHMC staff member on a specific project. This year in collaboration with the other Bureaus of the PHMC we have established a blog series that highlights different aspects of the internship. This week’s blog is the introduction to that series. Continue reading
For PHMC, Preservation Begins at Home
Not everyone appreciates the beauty, simplicity and architectural honesty of mid-century modern architecture. As in every age and style there are good examples, bad examples, and occasionally, a truly exemplary work of architecture. Fortunately for PHMC, The State Museum and Archives building in Harrisburg is an exemplary work of mid-century modern design. Continue reading
Spotlight Series: The Allegheny Observatory
The Spotlight Series is an occasional series that highlights interesting people, places, programs, and partner organizations working on historic preservation issues.
This spring I had the pleasure of working with a group of six students from the University of Pittsburgh’s History of Art and Architecture Department as they participated in a unique opportunity to intensively study the historic Allegheny Observatory and to interact directly with a project funded by a PHMC Keystone Historic Preservation Grant.
A Museum for the 21st Century: The Online Presence of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Editor’s Note: Each year PHMC hosts students from Pennsylvania state colleges and universities through The Harrisburg Internship Semester (T.H.I.S.) program. The interns come from a wide variety of backgrounds and majors and are encouraged to gain writing experience by authoring a blog post on a topic that interests them.
by Kara Adams, T.H.I.S. intern
A lot can be said about where I grew up and where I went to college, but their one feature in common is their rural natures. While rural communities are excellent places to grow up and live, it’s hard to ignore the disconnectedness they experience from cultural centers, such as museums in big cities. Many museums, however, are taking a new approach to providing access to their collections, with a rise in the usage of social media and the creation of collections databases hosted on the museums’ websites. One Pennsylvania museum taking full advantage of the interconnectivity the internet provides is the Philadelphia Museum of Art, whose online collections database and social media pages give a museum experience to anyone with an interest in history and an internet connection. Continue reading
Hosanna Church: The Last building in Hinsonville
In the shadow of Lincoln University – one of Pennsylvania’s four “state affiliated” universities (its fellows being Pitt, Temple, and Penn State) – can be found the small and stoic Hosanna AUMP Church. One pragmatic story tall, with a grand total of eight windows on four sides, the modest footprint of Hosanna belies its cultural significance, yet remains unevaluated for inclusion in the National Register. Continue reading
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