Author: Guest Contributor (Page 4 of 15)

The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Office occassionally asks our partners to share their news, successes, challenges, and perspectives on historic preservation matters in Pennsylvania.

Map — Preplanned drone flight. Photo: Harrisburg University, April 2021.

Drone Imagery and Geographic Information Systems for Historic Preservation

September 15, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 0 Comments

The intersection of technology and historic preservation is nothing new as the field has embraced new and different ways to engage with people, diagnose issues in buildings, and find long-buried archaeological sites. This week’s post by Christine Musser of the West Short Historical Society and Harrisburg University tells the story of how drones were used to document a historic property.

Stacked packages wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. — Hand-written labels on bound packages of sermon booklets. Image courtesy of Congregation Rodef Shalom, 2021.

The Mystery at Rodef Shalom

August 4, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

Last year in what was entirely a stroke of good fortune, Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh was awarded a Keystone Construction grant from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission to replace the sewer system that runs under our Henry Hornbostel-designed sanctuary.

Large brick building with tall central tower surrounded by grass and mature trees. — Sewickley Municipal Hall at 601 Thorn Street. Photograph by Kathe Barge, May 2020.

Welcome, Sewickley! One of Pennsylvania’s New CLGs

July 21, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 3 Comments

The PA SHPO is excited to announce the Borough of Sewickley in Allegheny County has become one of the newest members of Pennsylvania’s Certified Local Government program. There are now 48 CLGs in the Commonwealth; Sewickley is one of only seven in the entire PA SHPO Western Region.

Mott Street Bridge after rehabilitation was complete, taken from the Milford side looking toward the National Park Service land to the southwest. Source: Kris Thompson, PennDOT.

Rehabilitated Mott Street Bridge Reconnects Milford and the Delaware River National Recreation Area

June 2, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

Driving along East Harford Street in Milford, a compact borough in Pike County nestled between National Historic Landmark Grey Towers and National Park Service’s Delaware River National Recreational Area, it is easy to miss Mott Street.

Mosaic panel detail with signature plaque (Ricketts 2018).

Virgil Cantini: Saving Cantini’s Mosaics

March 3, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

Last week’s blog post introduced the life and work of artist Virgil Cantini and highlighted the vulnerable position of postwar public art objects and installations, which often require special expertise to understand and articulate their significance for preservation.

This week’s post recounts part of the struggle to save one of Cantini’s largest works of public art, which came dangerously close to disappearing forever.

A technician works on-site at Cantini’s Mosaic Tunnel, 1964. Courtesy: Virgil Cantini Papers and Photographs, c1935-2009, MSS 0722, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center.

Virgil Cantini: A Purpose in Public Art

February 24, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

On a sunny August morning in 2017, a group of Pittsburgh-based architects, historians, artists, students, preservationists and art enthusiasts convened before venturing out with a shared goal; to experience first-hand nearly all public artworks accessible in the vicinity, both indoors and outdoors, created by the late Virgil Cantini (1919-2009).

36BV0051 projectile points. From right to left: Jacks Reef Corner Notched, Lamoka, Untyped Corner Notched, and Steubenville Stemmed. Photograph by Jennifer Rankin, AECOM, October 20, 2020. Used by Permission.

Recent Archaeology on the Upper Ohio River Floodplain

February 17, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 0 Comments

In 2014 and 2015, professional archaeologists conducted archaeological excavations along the Upper Ohio River in Beaver County.

Large black wood sign with gold letters. — Historic Eden Cemetery entrance sign, 1434 Springfield Rd. Collingdale PA.

Historic Eden Cemetery: Preserving Memory and Protecting Legacy

February 10, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 3 Comments

The creation of Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Delaware County was a collaborative effort by African Americans to provide a sanctuary in the Philadelphia area where African Americans could be buried with dignity and respect.

Row of brick buildings along a street with cars. — Buildings on the north side of West Main Street west of 2nd Street. These buildings are located in a district that has been previously determined eligible (Key No. 087062). Photo by Benjamin Harvey, ASC Group, Inc.

Surveying Western Pennsylvania Communities

December 16, 2020 / Guest Contributor / 2 Comments

With support from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation office, this summer, a team from ASC Group, Inc. and Aurora Research Associates, LLC undertook a community survey project in the Beaver and Monongahela river valleys in western Pennsylvania.