Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Category: Allegheny (Page 4 of 10)

Virgil Cantini: Saving Cantini’s Mosaics

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.

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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 and outdoors, created by the late Virgil Cantini (1919-2009). 

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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 awards have demonstrated the power of digital engagement and the importance of 21st-century tools and technology to advocate, promote and preserve Pennsylvania’s older and historic places, which has been especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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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.

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A New Life for Homestead’s Masonic Hall

Homestead’s Masonic Hall is an imposing – and impressive – stone building at the corner of E. 9th Avenue and McClure Street in Homestead, Allegheny County. This early 20th century property anchors the National Register-listed Homestead Historic District and is a local landmark.

With the help of state and federal historic tax credits, the formerly vacant and deteriorating Masonic Hall now provides unique housing and is once again contributes to the vibrant Homestead community.

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Preservation Planning through Mitigation in Western PA

In spring of 2015, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO), Shell Chemical Appalachia, LLC (applicant) and the Seneca Nation of Indians (SNI) concluded consultation after 18 months of discussions under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act about the construction of a petrochemical complex in Beaver County along the Ohio River.

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