National Historic Preservation Month was started in 1973 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to draw attention to older and historic places across the country and to highlight the benefits of historic preservation in the nation’s communities. This year, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Community Character
Section 106: Not Always the Preferred Preservation Outcome
The Section 106 process was created to ensure that federal agencies consider historic properties in the planning process for projects they sponsor.
Designing for Distance in Pennsylvania’s Historic Communities
To say that COVID-19 changed things about away we live our lives would be the understatement of the century. Virtually everything about the ways in which we live, work, learn, recreate, shop – everything – changed in an instant and … Continue reading
Preserving Pennsylvania’s Stick Style Architecture: Old Lutheran Church in Franklin
The mid-nineteenth century oil boom is synonymous with northern Venango County, which brought population and construction growth to the city of Franklin.
Virgil Cantini: A Purpose in Public Art
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 … Continue reading
The 2020 PA SHPO Community Initiative Award Winners
For the past several years, the PA SHPO has used their Community Initiative Award to recognize the hard work and dedication of organizations, municipalities, individuals, and others whose work embodies the spirit of #PreservAtionHappensHere. The three recipients of the 2020 … Continue reading
Kicking Off PA SHPO’s Baseline Survey Effort
PA SHPO is kicking off a three-year effort to collect baseline survey information about thousands of older and historic places across a huge part of Pennsylvania.
2020 Blog in Review
In this crazy year, the PA SHPO’s blog is the one thing you could count on every week to bring you all sorts of current, relevant, fun and interesting information. I have actually won a trivia contest or two because … Continue reading
Window Shopping at 5 of Pennsylvania’s Historic Department Stores
With the widespread availability of plate glass at the end of the nineteenth century, department stores and window-shopping culture flourished in cities and towns throughout Pennsylvania – especially during the holiday shopping season near the end of the calendar year.
Surveying Western Pennsylvania Communities
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.