Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office
May is National Historic Preservation Month and a great time to announce two new exciting preservation initiatives at the PA SHPO. We’re celebrating this year by kicking off our “Community Connections” campaign, the outreach and planning efforts for Pennsylvania’s next statewide historic preservation plan, and our Preservation50 Community Recognition campaign. Continue reading
As the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) turns fifty this year, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO), a bureau of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), has begun outreach and strategic planning for Pennsylvania’s next statewide comprehensive historic preservation plan. We believe that this important anniversary is the right opportunity to engage with Pennsylvanians and find out how we can collectively guide preservation in Pennsylvania for the next fifty years. Continue reading
It’s been a happy convergence of events. As planning started for the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, the PA State Historic Preservation Office announced its new name and is currently rehabilitating its office space, adapting and reusing the staff’s original office cubicles from Y2K. All that reorganizing has uncovered some long forgotten records that had been packed up and moved to the Commonwealth Keystone Building when the staff relocated here from their original home on the fifth floor of the State Museum Building. These files are an interesting look back at the early years of the federal/state partnership in historic preservation and the Historic Preservation Board. Continue reading
Things To Do Now is an occasional series featuring tips and tricks for some of the SHPO’s most popular programs and projects.
The windows at the Neville House in Allegheny County were restored with the help of a Keystone Construction Grant.
It is that time of year to start thinking about applications to the PHMC’s Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program, which supports planning and construction projects for historic places throughout the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, PHMC is unable to release application materials right now due to the state budget impasse. However, in anticipation of a forthcoming grant round, I encourage nonprofit organizations and municipal governments to start thinking about their applications. Many of the facets of a competitive application are good stewardship practices for caring for your historic building or community and are a worthwhile investment of time now despite this delay. Continue reading
Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Plan more than you can do, then do it.
– Anonymous
It’s that time of the year for excess chewing, and it’s also timely for the Bureau to take a mid-plan stretch (after a turkey-induced slumber) and to regain focus on evaluating the accomplishments of Pennsylvania’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, Building Better Communities: The Preservation of Place, 2012-2017. The Plan includes an ambitious Action Agenda that was developed with the direct intent of being highly responsive to public needs and desires. While the Plan was created for all Pennsylvanians and depends on assistance and full participation for it to be successful, Goal 5’s objectives and strategies resulted from some internal soul-searching. Continue reading
When I got the call offering me the position of Director of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office I didn’t hesitate to say YES! Returning to a SHPO had always been my long-term plan, having started my preservation career with seven years at the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, before moving to work on the Federal agency side of Section 106. Continue reading
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 government partners to endorse the plan. Continue reading
The April 2013 edition of The Burg featured an article about a coalition of dedicated volunteers with a mission to preserve Harrisburg’s historic black churches. The author attended a local training program led by Partners for Sacred Places where he learned how these historically significant buildings can serve a larger role in neighborhood revitalization.
The Conservation Landscape Initiatives (CLI) were established by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) as an integrated approach to strategically investing the agency’s time and funding to protect, conserve, and enhance some of the state’s most important landscapes. Instead of working exclusively within the state park and forest boundaries or supporting a municipal park or trail, DCNR has developed partnerships with a variety of counties, communities, and nonprofit organizations as a way to effectively foster local conservation efforts in the seven multi-county CLI regions. Continue reading
As we ring in a new year, the PA Historic Preservation Office (PA HPO) is also fine tuning a new approach to the review of state and federal projects that have the potential to affect historic structures. The review process, mandated by federal law (Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended) and state law (the PA History Code), is a core responsibility of all state historic preservation offices. Here in Pennsylvania we have made some changes in order to expedite and streamline our review process. Continue reading
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