Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office
If you use Pennsylvania’s Cultural Resources GIS (CRGIS) on a regular basis, you already know that it is an invaluable resource for preservation planning and research– a one-stop shop for survey and inventory information on more than 130,000 historic properties across the state. Continue reading
In May 2018, as my daughter Josie was putting elementary school behind her, Pennsylvania’s new statewide historic preservation plan, #PreservAtionHappensHere, was released. The plan was developed with a series of guiding principles in mind, engaged thousands of Pennsylvanians, gathered and analyzed pages upon pages of data, was steered and tested by an external task force as well as dozens of planning partners, and was approved by the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board, PHMC Commissioners, the Governor’s Office and the National Park Service. Where do we go from here? What does 2019 hold for historic preservation in Pennsylvania? Continue reading
The Community Initiative Award from the State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) recognizes organizations, municipalities, agencies, individuals, and others whose work embodies the theme of Pennsylvania’s statewide historic preservation plan, #PreservationHappensHere.
Continue readingThis week I’m counting down to the 10 most popular blog post written in 2018! Its been awhile since we’ve done this kind of “year in review” for you loyal readers, so I thought it might be fun and give you the opportunity to read a post you may have missed. Continue reading
Before we talk about the newest additions to the National Register in Pennsylvania, let’s try a little National Register trivia:
Question 1:
Is something listed IN the National Register of Historic Places, or ON the National Register of Historic Places?
If you answered “in,” you are correct (at least according to the National Park Service.) I like to remember it like this: the original National Register was an actual book – so you were listed IN the register. Unfortunately google has failed to show me a photo of that original book to share with you.
The Hood Octagonal School is located in Newtown Square, Delaware County. Photo from the Newtown Square Historical Society Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hood-Octagonal-School/105623426138515.
Question 2:
How many criteria do you have to meet to be listed in the Register?
Just one!
Remember, there are 4 criteria:
BUT, a property only has to meet ONE of them to be potentially listed in the Register. Interestingly, in Pennsylvania the most common criterion is C (architecture), followed by A (significant events).
Question 3:
One more! How many properties are listed in the National Register in Pennsylvania?
An excellent question! The answer is a specifically vague “there are just over 3,200 NR listed resources.” However, that number does not account for the large number of properties that contribute to historic districts! Because so many of the district nominations are old, dating to the beginning of the NR process, there is not a complete inventory available for every district in the Commonwealth. So, the actual number of listed properties is significantly higher than 3,200!
Now on to our new listings…
Since our last Just Listed blog post in June, Pennsylvania has added 2 objects (the Mason Dixon West Line Milestone Markers 76 and 77), and eight buildings to the list.
You will notice something unusual about the Mason Dixon Markers on the list below – it says Maryland! Well, because the markers denote the boundary between our two states, the Maryland SHPO originally approved the nomination, and then shared it with the PA SHPO for approval by our Historic Preservation Board. These Markers came with some of the best letters of support we’ve ever received – hand drawn pictures of the stones by some future historic preservationists.
Mason and Dixon Marker Number 76.
This nomination even had support from some future preservationists!
We have also had a Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF) approved for Public Schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1938-ca.1980, which you may remember from a previous blog post. This will allow us to more easily list many more public school buildings in Philly, since the context has now been developed and finalized. If you’d like to read the documentation, you can find it on the City of Philadelphia’s website – here!
When we submit an MPDF to the Park Service for approval, we are required to submit a nomination along with it to test the application of the proposed registration requirements. This time we sent two! Joining the recently listed properties in PA are the Charles Carroll Public School, 2700 E Auburn Street, and the M. Hall Stanton Public School, at 2539 N. 16th Street.
The Carroll School is significant under Criterion A for education. It is an example of Philadelphia school reform and design, particularly during the “Urban Crisis Era” from c.1965 – 1980. The Charles Carroll Public School was not listed in the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s under the original “Philadelphia Public Schools Thematic Resources” due to the presence of the 1970 addition, which was seen at the time as negatively impacting the school’s integrity. The newly completed MPDF now provides a context in which to evaluate and list a school such as this, with a significant unique and local story to tell.
The 1920s Charles Carroll Public School, Philadelphia, in 2017. Photograph by Robert Powers from the Charles Carroll High School National Register Nomination.
The M. Hall Stanton Public School, also listed under Criterion A, has a period of significance from the completion of construction to 1968, when the community was lobbying for school reform and inclusion within the Model Cities program.
If you have a property you’d love to see listed in the National Register – tell us about it!! Take a photo and post it to Instagram with the #preservationhappenshere hashtag, and tell us in the caption why you think the property is eligible. We’d love to see more buildings listed in Pennsylvania and record more of stories about the Commonwealth’s built environment!
Here are all the properties listed in the last 6 months:
MARYLAND, FREDERICK COUNTY,
Mason and Dixon West Line Milestone Markers 76 and 77,
716 Mason Dixon Rd.,
Harney vicinity, SG100002789,
LISTED, 8/21/2018
PENNSYLVANIA, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY,
Martin, C.F. & Company.,
10 W North & 201 N Main Sts.,
Nazareth, SG100002837,
LISTED, 9/4/2018
PENNSYLVANIA, YORK COUNTY,
Whiteford, Hugh and Elizabeth Ross, House,
306 Broad St.,
Delta, SG100002988,
LISTED, 9/21/2018
Public Schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1938-ca.1980 MPS,
MC100002985,
COVER DOCUMENTATION APPROVED, 9/25/2018
PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY,
Carroll, Charles, Public School,
2700 E Auburn St.,
Philadelphia, MP100002986,
LISTED, 9/25/2018
(Public Schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1938-ca.1980 MPS)
PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY,
Stanton, M. Hall, Public School,
2539 N 16th St.,
Philadelphia, MP100002987,
LISTED, 9/25/2018
(Public Schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1938-ca.1980 MPS)
PENNSYLVANIA, CHESTER COUNTY,
Ivy Cottage,
225 W. Lincoln Hwy.,
Exton vicinity, 84003961,
LISTED, 11/9/2018
(West Whiteland Township MRA)
PENNSYLVANIA, ALLEGHENY COUNTY,
Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant,
5000 Baum Blvd.,
Pittsburgh, SG100003134,
LISTED, 11/20/2018
PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY,
Crown Can Company Building,
956 E Erie Ave.,
Philadelphia, SG100003136,
LISTED, 11/20/2018
PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY,
Strawbridge and Clothier Department Store Warehouse,
901 Poplar St.,
Philadelphia, SG100003137,
LISTED, 11/20/2018
Preservation PA and the Statewide Conference Planning Team are seeking proposals for insightful and educational conference sessions, of interest to an audience composed of professionals and volunteers in the fields of historic preservation, architecture, cultural resource management, planning, real estate development, government, nonprofit, and for-profit communities. We want you to share your preservation knowledge and success stories! Continue reading
This week’s post brings you “5 Things” to know for November and December 2018. Take a breather from your Thanksgiving holidays and read about new staff, important deadlines, and a fun way to show what you’re thankful for. Continue reading
The Keystone Theatre’s history has been long and illustrious, highs and lows aside. The Keystone has the distinction of being the longest continuously operating theatre in NE Pennsylvania at 131 years of age. Her champions have been all of those who worked to fill her houses and keep her doors open.
The Theatre…
The Keystone Theatre in Towanda, Bradford County, Pennsylvania was built in 1886 and opened in 1887 as the Hale’s Opera House, located on the second floor of the building on Main Street.
Hale’s Opera House & Teacher’s Institute opened in downtown Towanda in 1887. Image courtesy of BCRAC.
The grand opening on September 21, 1887 featured Mrs. D. P. Bowers in the lead role of “Elizabeth, Queen of England.” It was the great era of early American Theatre and Mrs. D.P. Bowers, it was thought at the time, “would go down in posterity in the history of American stage.”
Famous stage actress Mrs. D.P. Bowers opens Hale’s Opera House in “Elizabeth, Queen of England”. Mrs. D.P. Bowers was the stage name of Elizabeth Crocker Bowers. Image courtesy of BCRAC.
Hale’s Opera House offered a palate of minstrel shows as well as local productions, fashion shows and high school graduations. The early days also included productions of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which played once, and up to four times a year. A boxing match with John Sullivan was attended by over 1,400 people in the 900-seat theatre. News articles of the event described efforts to use 2 by 4’s brought in from the local hardware to support the extra weight of the balconies.
In 1913, the theatre was moved to the first floor. John Philip Sousa’s band came to town, arriving on the Black Diamond Express in the heyday of trains and people using them to come to Towanda from the surrounding small communities. In addition to live performances and community events, silent movies were added. William Woodin, the opera house’s first manager, changed the name of Hale’s Opera House to the Keystone Theatre.
Eventually, movies became the exclusive form of entertainment at the Keystone Theatre. The talkies were the gig in town. By 1950, the theatre had become part of the Comerford Theatre chain which owned theatres in and around the Wyoming and North Branch of the Susquehanna Valleys. Eventually the Comerford chain went under, and the Keystone Theatre was once again an independent venue.
The advent of television and the 1970s oil embargo strained the financial stability of the Keystone Theatre. A drop ceiling was installed covering the balcony, the orchestra pit was covered and the stage was enclosed and covered with a new screen. Times were tough. By 1987, the theatre was worn out, in need of major repairs, and set to close.
BCRAC to the rescue…
In 1988, the theatre was purchased by the Bradford County Regional Arts Council (BCRAC) with the intention of converting it into multi-use cultural center with film, live theatre, music and educational programs. Over the next four years, close to one million dollars were spent on returning the Keystone Theatre to its original appearance, while at the same time, updating and adding basic needs, such as heat, electricity, projection equipment, new roofs, fire escapes, and handicap accessibility. The theatre remained in operation during all of the renovations.
In 1992, a portion of Towanda borough was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Towanda Historic District (Key #096414). The theater is a contributing resource to the historic district because it is part of the character, history, and significance of Towanda.
Keystone Theatre in 1992.
The Keystone’s 550 seats were repaired, the plasterwork in the auditorium restored, and the lobby enlarged. The drop ceiling of the 1970’s was removed, the balcony returned to use, and the stage was restored with the false wall in front of it removed. In 2001, a second theatre with stadium-style seating was added to the Keystone Theatre replacing an adjoining building that had burned in the 1970s.
Keystone Grant for the Keystone…
In 2016, BCRAC received a PHMC grant. This grant was used to replace a piece of the Keystone that was laid in 1886 and, until this summer, had not seen the light of day in 130 years.
Behind the building’s decorative cornice and below layers of roofing, the integrated roof gutters, constructed of wood and brick, perhaps state of the art in 1886, had failed. Water designed to flow along the gutter troughs at the top edge had begun spilling over the edge of the building causing dangerous ice buildup and safety issues on the walks below.
View along west side of the roof (front of building) looking south, showing rotted and damaged wood and membrane – August 31, 2018.
View of condition of decorative cornice along front (west side) of building – August 31, 2018.
The work was completed by MacBuilders & Design of New Albany, Pennsylvania. The project got underway in late August with a leering deadline of September 30th, but this was a determined and dedicated crew. After removing the cornice, the owner came to us and offered to do some work outside of the project scope. He wanted to repair, strip and paint the decorative cornice that was removed to do the work.
View from ground of front (west side) of building during repair – September 7, 2018.
With a heart for historic buildings and their preservation and in respect to the care the BCRAC has given this building over the past 30 years, he wanted to restore the cornices. We agreed to trade advertising with him for the work, his advertising may well outlive all of us. But his work and the work of his crew was phenomenal.
Cornice after repair – September 21, 2018.
So now, seventy feet above Main Street, the newly rebuilt gutter system sits silently once again hidden behind the beautifully restored historic cornice. If you look really closely, you will also see a piece of the Keystone Theatre uncovered by the BCRAC in 1988, a permanently installed brick at the top of the building that reads, HALES OPERA HOUSE.
The brick in the plaza at the entrance of the theatre reads: The Keystone Theatre built in 1886 as the Hales Opera House. It is the oldest operating theatre in northeast Pennsylvania. Dedicated to all people – past, present and future for whom the Arts and this community theatre give meaning.
Keystone Theatre stone marking renovation.
This week’s guest contributor is Elaine Poost. Elaine is the Executive Director of the Bradford County Regional Arts Council in Towanda, PA.
Residents of Whitemarsh Township in Montgomery County were alarmed to hear that a developer planned to build 65 townhomes in their local historic district. Continue reading
During the week of August 13th, The Pennsylvania Silver Jackets hosted floodproofing workshops in York, Lewisburg, and Wellsboro, and the State Historic Preservation Office had a representative (me) there to answer questions from public officials and members of the public.
Now I’m sure you have a lot of questions. What are Silver Jackets? Why was PA SHPO there? What are Flood Proofing Workshops? These are all excellent questions; let’s address them one at a time and look at some example of real-life flood proofing projects and their effects on historic resources.
Pennsylvania Silver Jackets
To quote the Silver Jackets website, the “Pennsylvania Silver Jackets is an interagency team dedicated to working collaboratively with the commonwealth and appropriate stakeholders in developing and implementing solutions to flood hazards by combining available agency resources, which include funding, programs, and technical expertise.”
Silver Jackets – multiple agencies, one solution!
Why the name? Different agencies have specific colors they use for their jackets during emergency response (think blue FEMA jackets after Hurricane Katrina), but nobody had yet claimed silver, so it serves as a unifying color for all agencies. Every state except for Hawaii has a Silver Jackets team, and Pennsylvania’s meets quarterly in Harrisburg to plan outreach and discuss project opportunities.
Community outreach is one of the Silver Jackets’ priorities.
Flood Proofing Workshops
Each day included two workshops – one in the afternoon for public officials and one in the evening for members of the public.
Floodproofing workshop in Lewisburg, Union County, on August 15, 2018.
In the world of emergency management, floodproofing measures are a subset of hazard mitigation and are divided into two general categories: structural and non-structural. These workshops focused on non-structural floodproofing methods. Somewhat confusingly, “non-structural” floodproofing measures include lots of projects that directly affect, alter, move, or even demolish existing structures.
Structural floodproofing includes projects that involve building something new, such as a dam or levee, while non-structural floodproofing includes projects that include no construction or alterations to existing buildings. Basically, non-structural floodproofing includes everything than an individual property owner can do to her property.
This can include planning, relocating utilities above projected flood levels, filling in a basement, elevating, or even relocating a building to remove it from flood risk.
Hufnagle Park in Lewisburg, PA
While in Lewisburg, I had some time between meetings to explore the borough (and look for something to eat.) Walking down Market Street, I passed Hufnagle Park and saw families strolling along a stream. As it turns out, this park is an example of a large hazard mitigation project to reduce flood risks by increasing open space along the stream.
Looking southeast along Bull Run in Lewisburg, PA in August 2018.
The Borough of Lewisburg collaborated with Bucknell University in 2004 to produce The Lewisburg Neighborhood Project, a plan to address a range of concerns including student housing availability and flood hazards. One of the central projects in the plan was the Bull Run Greenway, a system of parks, trails, and green spaces along a stream that runs through the borough.
In 2012 the Borough used federal funds to purchase and demolish ten private properties on 6th Street southwest of Bull Run that were at heightened risk of repeated flooding. These buildings were within the Lewisburg Historic District, so mitigation of this project was required in the form of recordation of the to-be-demolished buildings and their immediate context. In the photo above, the demolished structures would have been visible on the right-hand side. Below are some example photos provided in the recordation package.
Lewisburg’s 102 South 6th Street in 2012, now demolished.
Lewisburg’s 112 & 114 South 6th Street in 2012, now demolished.
This type of project is often referred to as “demolition-acquisition”, and it is perhaps the most permanent form of hazard mitigation that FEMA funds. No funds will ever have to be spent on these properties again, and, by converting the land to permanent open space, surrounding properties could benefit as well. When a property is acquired using FEMA funds, it is required to remain open or park space in perpetuity. The next time it floods, water from Bull Run will have a little more space to flow and might not have as much of an impact on the houses across the street. Of course, ten buildings are now gone forever.
Peer State Example
There are hazard mitigation measures that can have less of a negative impact on historic buildings, but sometimes they require an extra level of creativity to balance hazard mitigation requirements with historic integrity.
As an example from outside of the commonwealth, new owners of the old Spaghetti Warehouse building in Houston, Texas are embarking on major rehabilitation project. The building is a contributing resource in the Main Street Market Square Historic District, but it backs up to Buffalo Bayou and was damaged by Hurricane Harvey.
As shown in the rendering below, the project would actually open the building up to water; in future floods, the bayou will be able to flow right through the back and side wall. The only fully enclosed and condition space will be on the second floor, and even that will be set back from the two newly opened walls.
Rendering of proposed changes to 901 Commerce; Houston Planning and Development.
Despite these changes, the owner intends to make full use of 901 Commerce with a bar on the second floor and market space on the first floor and basement. Food trucks will even be able to pull directly into the basement. This is, of course, a pretty extensive alteration to this building, but it might provide a thoughtful alternative for how to live with water without losing our built heritage.
And that brings us back to three days of workshops in central Pennsylvania. Bull Run flooded in 2011 in Lewisburg, and Houston is still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, so flooding remains front of mind.
Flooding is not a constant problem in most of our communities, but it is a continuous one. In times between disasters (what emergency managers refer to as “blue sky”), it’s easy to fall into familiar practices and forget to prepare for future flooding.
These three workshops happened to coincide with weeks of record rainfall in central PA, but even if they hadn’t, they were intended to remind people who the risk of flooding is not going away. Whether you own a home that might be damaged, or work for an agency or local community, there are things you can do to help safeguard against the next flood, and there are people and agencies available to answer questions and provide assistance.
John Gardosik is the Hurricane Sandy Recover Project Manager at the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office. Though new to Pennsylvania, he is married to a Lancaster native and is enjoying getting to know the Commonwealth.
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