Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Author: Karen Arnold (Page 3 of 4)

Karen Arnold manages the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC).

Preserving living history at the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop

It’s important to recognize the value of The Keystone Fund and the preservation work it supports all year round, especially during preservation month!  Without this program and its financial support, many, many important historic places in Pennsylvania would suffer.  Read on for this month Keystone Fund success story, the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop. Continue reading

The Keystone Program Helps Plan a New Fine Art Museum in Bedford County

Bedford County sorely lacked a fine art museum after its previous institution dissolved in 2013. Two years later, The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art (SAMA) decided to expand their satellite museum program into Bedford Borough and identified a historic building on Pitt Street as a prime location for the new fine art center. Continue reading

The Keystone Grant and the Mystery of the Missing Piazza

Ever wonder just how much scholarship of construction chronology is behind your visit to a historic property in Pennsylvania?  Or how that research is funded?  Woodford is one of Fairmount Park’s most carefully documented and researched buildings because of its architectural significance and as its interpretive use as a historic house museum.  Recorded in the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) in 1932 and listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1963, the building was studied and theorized by architectural historians for decades.  The Naomi Wood Trust at Woodford Mansion turned to the PA SHPO’s Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program for financial help to plan the historic restoration of Woodford’s 1772 piazza on the west elevation of the 2-story main house. In addition to sifting through all of those relevant published sources and past theories, an archaeological investigation would be the foundation to restore this missing element. Continue reading

What a Difference a Program Makes!

Each year, one of the most meaningful programs of the Commission is the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program. With this grant program, the PHMC partners with local communities to address key historic preservation issues. As we found out through our local recent preservation plan community forums, every region of the Commonwealth has its own unique challenges.  Some problems are immense, but we are proud that we are able to partner with local organizations to make inroads with these challenges and find alternatives to demolition of Pennsylvania’s historic resources.

Continue reading

#FindYourPark: Independence National Historical Park

Several months ago, my colleague Cory Kegerise wrote a blog highlighting his childhood memories visiting Hopewell Furnace as part of the National Park Service’s #FindYourPark campaign .  He inspired me to make sure my kids had the same experiences and appreciated the plethora of historic sites throughout the Commonwealth.  So one Friday in late March when my kids were off from school, we went in search of our own #FindYourPark adventure.  In case you are not familiar with the initiative, Americans are encouraged to share their thoughts, reflections, and aspects about their favorite National Park as part of the National Park Service’s Centennial Celebration.  Most of the #FindYourPark stories speak of the National Park System’s natural wonders and green bucolic open space.  Our adventure may seem in contrast, but Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia with its rich civic history really sparks my interest. So we set off to explore the colonial history and the birthplace of America.  Continue reading

5 Things To Do Now: Keystone Historic Preservation Grants

Things To Do Now is an occasional series featuring tips and tricks for some of the SHPO’s most popular programs and projects.

Allegheny_Neville_House_Windows_Complete

The windows at the Neville House in Allegheny County were restored with the help of a Keystone Construction Grant.

It is that time of year to start thinking about applications to the PHMC’s Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program, which supports planning and construction projects for historic places throughout the Commonwealth.  Unfortunately, PHMC is unable to release application materials right now due to the state budget impasse.  However, in anticipation of a forthcoming grant round, I encourage nonprofit organizations and municipal governments to start thinking about their applications.  Many of the facets of a competitive application are good stewardship practices for caring for your historic building or community and are a worthwhile investment of time now despite this delay. Continue reading

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