Pennsylvania Historic Preservation

Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Author: Shelby Weaver Splain (Page 20 of 20)

Shelby Weaver Splain is the Education and Special Initiatives Coordinator for the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office. Shelby is a native of Bucks County and holds a Masters degree in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Historic Preservation from Goucher College.

The uniformed toll collectors at each interchange were seen as the Turnpike's "ambassadors".

Happy Birthday, Pennsylvania Turnpike!

September 30, 2015 / / 4 Comments

PTC_75-years_logo-272x300The Pennsylvania Turnpike turned 75 on October 1, and groups throughout the state have already started their tributes to this engineering marvel and cultural icon. On October 2, the State Museum opened a new permanent exhibit about the Turnpike in its Industry and Transportation gallery, and the recent issue of the Pennsylvania Heritage magazine featured a great piece on the Turnpike written by the exhibit’s curator, Curt Miner. Earlier this year, staff from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and PHMC and Gerry Kuncio, senior historian for Skelly and Loy, Inc., gave a presentation about “America’s First Superhighway” at the Statewide Conference on Heritage. We wanted to send out our own birthday greeting and share with our readers some amazing historical facts about our beloved Turnpike.

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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commision Logo

Special Announcement: Job Opportunity at the PA SHPO!

September 21, 2015 / / 0 Comments

There is an immediate opening for the following position with the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC):

Historic Preservation Specialist

THE POSITION:

This position supports and maintains the Commonwealth’s historic building survey, including maintaining the integrity of the historic property information in the Cultural Resources Geographic Information System (CRGIS) and facilitating new surveys in order to assist the PHMC, other agencies, and the public in evaluating the historic resources within the state and the effects of various programs on those resources. The incumbent digitizes data from the bureau’s legacy paper records and all newly recorded cultural resources into a computerized Geographic Information System (GIS) program. These duties include computerized mapping of cultural resources including historic property and district locations from both paper and outside electronic sources; entering and updating resource information; and facilitating the scanning, processing, and storage of resource images for linkage into CRGIS. Continue reading

Conference goers gathered on the Plaza for this great photo. Image courtesy of Preservation Pennsylvania.

In Case You Missed It… the 2015 Statewide Conference on Heritage

July 22, 2015 / / 0 Comments
Conference goers gathered on the Plaza for this great photo. Image courtesy of Preservation Pennsylvania.

Conference goers gathered on the Plaza for this great photo. Image courtesy of Preservation Pennsylvania.

We all know that summer is a great time to kick back and relax, and it’s even better when you can do so while hanging out at the State Museum of Pennsylvania with your friends and learning some interesting stuff at the 2015 Statewide Conference on Heritage.  There was so much going on, and so much to see and do, that I thought perhaps our readers would like a recap of the conference highlights.  Continue reading

The National Park Service @ 100: #FindYourPark

April 22, 2015 / / 0 Comments

2016 is shaping up to be a great year for celebrating historic preservation.  The National Historic Preservation Act turns 50, and the National Park Service turns 100!  Throughout the next year, the National Park Service and its partners will announce a number of initiatives for this centennial celebration.  A few days ago, President Obama declared this week (April 18-26, 2015) as National Park Week, which the National Park Service (NPS) and its partner, the National Park Foundation, call “America’s largest celebration of national heritage.”  All week long people can explore the country’s National Parks and connect with others who love and support these treasures and ensure their longevity over the next 100 years.

But, you ask, what do the National Park Service’s centennial celebrations have to do with Pennsylvania’s State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO)? Hint: It’s not only because Pennsylvania boasts 5 National Parks (in addition to several National Historic Sites, Trails, Monuments, Heritage Areas, Recreational Areas… and the list goes on!) or because NPS funds a large number of the federal programs administered by our office…. Continue reading

Sloan’s used his ‘Philadelphia Plan’ for the Fayette School, built in 1855. This picture shows the school in the late 19th century before the large 1915 addition by the school district. Source: http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/08/its-been-a-bad-year-for-you-samuel-sloan/

Making the Grade: The Architecture of Philadelphia’s Public Schools, Part 1

February 18, 2015 / / 4 Comments

The architectural historian in me is fascinated by the threads of science, theory, and symbolism that go into designing and building schools.  Like most preservationists, I am a strong believer that the power of place plays a central role in shaping our experiences, attitudes, and values.  The tangible aspects of a school’s ‘power of place’ include its architectural style, materials, dimensions, and floor plan.  Taken together, these character-defining features often reflect a community’s wealth, prominence, and aspirations for their children.  In Philadelphia, schools from the mid-19th century to pre-World War II period fit into this category, regardless of their location in large or small, rich or poor neighborhoods.  After World War II, the character of many of Philadelphia’s public schools shifted, and the school buildings communicate a rigid, institutional personality that is markedly different from the schools only a few decades older. Continue reading

Eliza Kirkbride School, Philadelphia
The Kirkbride school in the 1500 block of S. 7th Street at the south edge of Center City was listed in the National Register in 1988 as a good example of a Late Gothic Revival school by the school district’s architect, Irwin T. Catharine. This school is one of 114 listed in the National Register through the first historic context prepared for Philadelphia public schools in the 1980s.

School Daze

December 3, 2014 / / 2 Comments

No, this isn’t a review of Spike Lee’s 1988 movie.  I’m referring to my state of mind when I think about all of the work I’ve done with public schools in Philadelphia over the past few months.

As you may remember from this post, I joined BHP in July and my first assignment was to complete the survey component of a larger project to document Philadelphia elementary and secondary public schools of all types, styles, and dates.  I had a good start on the survey work thanks to the headway my predecessor made in 2013 by assembling lists and survey maps, which are organized by zip code.  My school daze started when I realized that there were about 300 public schools that qualified for this reconnaissance-level survey.  And, even more intimidating, that 205 still needed to be surveyed before school started on September 8th!  Continue reading

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