Category: Quality of Life (Page 1 of 5)

Be a Part of Discovering and Celebrating the Humanities in Pennsylvania

November 2, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

PA Humanities and Drexel University have launched the PA Humanities Discovery Project, an effort to map, network, and celebrate Pennsylvania’s wonderfully rich humanities landscape to build a more expansive and connected statewide community for sharing, learning, and advocacy.

The first step is to collect information from Pennsylvanians like you about what important humanities-centered work you and your organization are doing with an online survey.

Don’t wait to participate! The survey closes on December 5, 2022.

Celebrating Wilkes-Barre’s Walkitecture Tour

May 25, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

We conclude our Preservation Month celebration of the 2021 Community Initiative Award winners in the Diamond City.

Celebrating Preservation Month with the 2021 Community Initiative Award Winners

May 4, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

What better time of year than National Historic Preservation Month to announce the latest round of PA SHPO’s Community Initiative Award winners. This year’s projects and recipients showcase a range of preservation success stories, demonstrating the power of perseverance, collaboration and partnership.

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).

Large brick building with tall central tower surrounded by grass and mature trees. — Sewickley Municipal Hall at 601 Thorn Street. Photograph by Kathe Barge, May 2020.

Welcome, Sewickley! One of Pennsylvania’s New CLGs

July 21, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 3 Comments

The PA SHPO is excited to announce the Borough of Sewickley in Allegheny County has become one of the newest members of Pennsylvania’s Certified Local Government program. There are now 48 CLGs in the Commonwealth; Sewickley is one of only seven in the entire PA SHPO Western Region.

Designing for Distance in Pennsylvania’s Historic Communities

April 21, 2021 / Cory Kegerise / 0 Comments

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 we have spent the last 12+ months learning how to adapt, as individuals and communities. The pandemic has also prompted a lot of pondering and forecasting about the long term effects on our society and how many of these adaptations will become part of our “normal” lives going forward. In Pennsylvania’s traditional communities, the sudden loss of foot traffic, festivals, and events hit small businesses and restaurants especially hard. Revitalization organizations and local governments have had to reimagine, with little or no time or experience, how to allow people to use streets, sidewalks, parks, and trails in a safe and responsible manner. Enter Designing for Distance.

Support Preservation in Pennsylvania by being counted in the 2020 Census

August 19, 2020 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

No doubt about it – there is a lot going on this year. I don’t need to elaborate here about the many ways each and every one of us have had our lives turned around, upside down, or inside out over the last six months. Even the idea of just one more thing to do can topple us over like losing game of Jenga.

But this one more thing matters. A lot. It’s making sure to complete your 2020 census form – and encouraging your family, friends, and neighbors to do the same.

Why? Pennsylvania’s share of federal historic preservation funding is based, in part, on how many people live in the Commonwealth. If that population count is low because all Pennsylvanians aren’t counted, then there is less federal money for the commonwealth to preserve the older and historic places that matter to you and your community.

Hollidaysburg’s Canal Era Houses

July 1, 2020 / smassey / 9 Comments

With the help of the federal and state historic tax credits, a local team gives the 1847 Canal Houses 1 & 2 in Hollidaysburg, Blair County a third lease on life as retail and commercial space in the borough’s historic downtown.

#FavoritePAPlaces: PA SHPO’s Andrea MacDonald

June 24, 2020 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

Pennsylvania’s communities are filled with special and meaningful historic places and spaces that add value to our lives and offer comfort and stability during these challenging times. Now more than ever, it is important to stay connected to our communities.