Category: Local Preservation (Page 3 of 8)

Meet the New PA SHPO Staff!

April 20, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 4 Comments

Since the last time I officially welcomed our new SHPO staffers, three new colleagues have joined our team. We are very excited to have Megan McNish and Frank Grumbine as the new Eastern and Central Region Community Preservation Coordinators and Alli Davis as the new Historical Marker Program Coordinator. I’m also happy to announce Casey Hanson’s promotion!

Large stone bank building with five large windows at an intersection. — The First National Bank building on Brighton Avenue in Rochester, a key historic resource analyzed in this study. Built in 1907, the Romanesque Revival style building has a unique shape to conform to its angled corner lot. Photo date:18 March 2022. Source: evolve environment::architecture.

Deindustrialized Communities Market Study: What We Learned

March 30, 2022 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

As we wrote about in a recent blog post, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) has been working on a huge project in our western region, aimed at identifying the challenges and opportunities for historic preservation and economic revitalization in smaller deindustrialized communities, focusing on twelve riverfront municipalities located within two regions of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Row of commercial buildings along a street. — Buildings on Merchant Street in Ambridge, PA. Many of the study area main streets have continuous street frontages where the character of the main street isn’t broken up by vacant parcels. Continuous street frontages allow for a greater density of small businesses that can make main streets more vibrant. Photo date: 15 February 2022. Source: evolve environment::architecture.

Deindustrialized Communities Market Study

March 9, 2022 / Guest Contributor / 3 Comments

The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) has undertaken a project to investigate the economic development and community revitalization prospects in specific southwestern Pennsylvania communities that have experienced significant de-industrialization.

Tredyffrin Township and its Neighbors go to CAMP

February 23, 2022 / Guest Contributor / 0 Comments

Although there were no campfires or smores, the Tredyffrin Township Historical Commission (TTHC) and friends had a lot of fun in summer CAMP.

Homes along River Road, Beaver Borough. Photo by Clio Consulting, 2016.

Preservation Planning in Beaver Borough

January 12, 2022 / Bill Callahan / 2 Comments

Beaver is a lovely community located on the Ohio River bluffs nearly directly across the river from the Shell petrochemical plant. Beaver boasts a large National Register of Historic Places historic district (PA-SHARE Resource #1994RE00048) that consists of large, stately homes, vernacular residences, a thriving central business district bursting with historic character and a series of open spaces and parks that date to the community’s late 18^th century plan. Beaver is home to the National Historic Landmark Matthew S. Quay House (PA-SHARE Resource #1975RE00155) and the site of Ft. McIntosh, a late 18^th century American frontier fort, which is individually listed in the National Register (PA-SHARE Resource #1975RE00024).

The Flagship City is now a CLG!

September 29, 2021 / Bill Callahan / 1 Comment

The PA SHPO extends hearty congratulations to Pennsylvania’s fourth largest city, the City of Erie, which on May 17^th, became one of Pennsylvania’s newest Certified Local Governments (CLG).

The certification of Erie City as a CLG is the latest success in a long string of preservation projects and initiatives undertaken by public, private and non-profit entities in Erie County that illustrate the well-trod aphorism If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Map — Preplanned drone flight. Photo: Harrisburg University, April 2021.

Drone Imagery and Geographic Information Systems for Historic Preservation

September 15, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 0 Comments

The intersection of technology and historic preservation is nothing new as the field has embraced new and different ways to engage with people, diagnose issues in buildings, and find long-buried archaeological sites. This week’s post by Christine Musser of the West Short Historical Society and Harrisburg University tells the story of how drones were used to document a historic property.

Success in All Shapes and Sizes

June 9, 2021 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

Last month, we asked Pennsylvanians to send us their #PreservationHappensHere Preservation Success Stories using PA-SHARE to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month. We enticed them with prizes! And we received many great submissions, making our campaign its own success story!

Preservation Success Story: Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka

May 26, 2021 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

Continuing our theme of Preservation Success Stories this Preservation Month, we’ll feature short interviews with our 2020 Community Initiative Award winners for the next few weeks.

Last but certainly not least is the Society to Preserve the Millvale Muarls of Maxo Vanka (or SPMMMV for short).

Preservation Success Story: Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc.

May 19, 2021 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Continuing our theme of Preservation Success Stories this Preservation Month, we’ll feature short interviews with our 2020 Community Initiative Award winners for the next few weeks.

Next in line is Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc., which leads economic development and revitalization activites for Waynesboro, Franklin County’s downtown commercial district.