by Abigail Watson-Popescu As a child growing up in Titusville the first thing you are taught about your hometown is that Edwin Drake struck oil here on August 27, 1859. The thing you notice, though, is that your town feels … Continue reading
Category Archives: Economic Development
2016’s First SHPO Shout-Out
The internet tells me that 45% of all Americans make News Year’s resolutions. The top ones – which I think we’ve all made at one time or another – are to be happier, healthier, and more organized. A psychologist friend … Continue reading
Spotlight Series: Preservation At Work in Bradford
45 communities in Pennsylvania have a formal working relationship with the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) on a variety of preservation-related programs and projects. Known as Certified Local Governments (CLGs), these communities represent a broad geographic, demographic and economic … Continue reading
December’s SHPO Shout-Out
It’s hard to believe that a month has gone by since our first ever SHPO Shout-Out! I’ll give my own Shout-Out to everyone who liked, posted, shared, tweeted, and emailed our November post to spread the word not only about the … Continue reading
Good Things Take Time: The First Pennsylvania Tax Credit Project Comes Online
During my tenure with Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Office, I reviewed numerous legislative drafts for the long-awaited Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. Early drafts included a historic homeowner component. Later versions proposed grants instead of tax credits. All dozen or … Continue reading
Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program: Year 2 Recap
Since the opening date of the application period on December 1, 2014, I have received many calls and inquiries about the status of Year 2 of Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit program. By the closure of the application period on … Continue reading
Preservation in a Changing Economic Climate
Many of Pennsylvania’s communities face the challenging task of adapting to a vastly different economic climate than the one that led to their historic growth and development. This new economic reality of dramatically reduced population, deindustrialization and loss of tax … Continue reading
Not Your Momma’s Historic Preservation
As an architectural historian and preservationist I have been trained to think about historic buildings and neighborhoods in a fairly focused way. Changes to old buildings should be sympathetic to the structure’s original design and be appropriate in terms in … Continue reading
Historic Preservation and Outdoor Recreation: The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of its Parts
There is great societal and cultural value in the preservation of our built heritage; of our historic communities and buildings. Most people understand the cultural value of preserving our history as it is illustrated by historic places. The need to … Continue reading
Resolving to Endorse: Getting Municipalities On-Board With Historic Preservation
The Bureau for Historic Preservation (BHP) unveiled Pennsylvania’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan last year. In an effort to assist County Planning Directors and Certified Local Governments to become familiar with the Plan, BHP recently sent a request for our local … Continue reading