landscapes for all of our people and incarrying out that mission with soundscholarship, consistent principles, andgood manners.

On July 10, David Lewis, an architectand professor at Carnegie MellonUniversity, wrote a note to me expressinghis sadness upon hearing about Charley’sdeath. We share portions of David’s letterwith his permission:

Dear Arthur:It was with a one-ton heavy heart

that I read about Charley’s death intoday’s Post-Gazette....I know how fondyou and Charley were of each other, tosay nothing of the incredibly importantbattles you faught together, especially inthe early days, when you laid theFoundation’s foundations. And sturdyfoundations they have proven to be!Although I was an early board memberand was “in” on much of the earlywork, I was not in daily contact withCharley in the way you were: nonethe-less I loved that man, his kindness, thesparkle in his eye, his delicacy ofmanner, and the immaculateness of his mind. And I loved the fact thatWalter Arensberg was his uncle, andthat Walter had been an early championof Brancusi, whom I knew and wroteabout in his old age, and also ofMatisse...It’s sad when such “living”days, so vivid and intense, suddenly, with an obituary in the daily paper, become history.

With love and thoughts on a sad day.

David Lewis

We deeply regret the death of ourfounding president Charles CovertArensberg, in Louisville, Kentucky, onJuly 8, 2001.

Our long-time members will recallthat our organization began when Jamie Van Trump and I were walkingalong the 1300 block of Liverpool Streetin Manchester, a wonderful street ofVictorian buildings in the heart of one of the most architecturally interest-ing areas in Pittsburgh. We learned that the entire neighborhood wasscheduled for demolition by the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Jamie and I called upon StantonBelfour, president of the PittsburghFoundation and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. He advised usto set up an activist preservation organi-zation, although neither of us had anyexperience with such an endeavor.

Jamie said that he was going to call hisattorney and friend Charley Arensberg,whom he knew had a deep interest inarchitectural history and had served aspresident of the Pittsburgh Chapter ofthe Society of Architectural Historians.

Charley agreed to lead the organiza-tion through its formation and remainedas chairman, in spite of his frequentoffers to turn the reins over to othertrustees, for 30 years.

Charley was one of the most widelyliked and respected Pittsburghers. He married his wife Gertrude “Gay”Herron Hays in 1940 and they main-tained a marvelous Queen Anne-Romanesque house on a large lawn on Castleman Street in Shadyside. They were known for their genialhospitality and mutual erudition,reading copius books and touringhistoric towns and cities.

With firm beliefs and unwaveringprinciples, coupled with a pleasant andoutgoing disposition, Charley sawLandmarks through a series of difficultadvocacy efforts and helped initiatemany positive preservation programs. At one point, Charley was standing atSmithfield Street and Fourth Avenuecollecting money to save the Ladies ofStone from atop the Fourth Avenue PostOffice (several now reside at StationSquare), opposing the efforts of URAand Alcoa to demolish the OldAllegheny Post Office, and urging theformation of our neighborhood restora-tion programs and our educationalprograms.

Time and again he deflected efforts ofthose who wished to demolish architec-turally significant buildings while alwaysrefusing to compromise.

His absolute dedication to the princi-ples of our organization––never askingthe staff to give way, always setting afirm example for our membership’svalues––and his ability to communicateto the community with good humorgave spirit to our organization andestablished our standards of operation.That Landmarks has dedicated itself tofinding useful and practical plans andsolutions to difficult preservation issuesand always tries to do so on a civil andcongenial basis is due to the 30 years ofleadership of Charley Arensberg.

His leadership was united early withthat of Barbara Hoffstot, our long-timeenthusiastic vice president; James Bibro,our treasurer for more than twodecades; and Richard Scaife, whoprovided the initial funding for many ofour most experimental and highest-riskactivities, including each of our inner-city neighborhood programs, the preser-vation of the Allegheny Post Office, andthe development of Station Square.Without Charley’s leadership and thecommitment of all four of these individ-uals with their respective and uniquestrengths, our organization would nothave survived, let alone become one ofthe most pioneering preservation groupsin the country, now with one of thelongest track records of productivityand financial stability.

We all have missed Charley since hisretirement and his move to Louisville,but we know he continues to be with usday by day as long as Landmarks has itsoptimistic spirit of fulfilling its belief inthe value of our historic buildings and

Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation1 Station Square, Suite 450Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1134www.phlf.org

Address Service Requested

PHLF NewsPublished for the members of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation No. 161 September 2001

In this issue:4

INTA Conference: Urban Transit Internationally

8Spring and Summer Tours

with Landmarks

10Looking Good on

the North Side

16Dressed for the Occasion:Eclecticism in Pittsburgh

P r o t e c t i n g t h e P l a c e s t h a t M a k e P i t t s b u r g h H o m e

Nonprofit Org.

U. S. Postage

PA I D

Pittsburgh, PA

Permit No. 598

National TrustSelectsPittsburgh for 2006In June, Richard Moe, president ofthe National Trust for HistoricPreservation, announced that theTrust had accepted Pittsburgh’sinvitation to serve as the host cityfor its national conference in 2006.

Pittsburgh competed against anumber of other cities, includingBoston, Philadelphia, andIndianapolis. Landmarks isgrateful to all those organizationsthat supported its application, andto the Greater PittsburghConvention and Visitors Bureau’s“Bring it Home” campaign.

Over 2,000 people will attendthe six-day conference: Pittsburgh—and the city’s accomplishments in historic preservation—will be showcased. And, we will have the opportunity to learn from delegates from cities throughoutthe nation.

The conference will requiresubstantial work on the part ofLandmarks’ staff and members. In 2002 we will begin meeting with the Trust and with any groups inPittsburgh that would like to beinvolved in planning the 2006 national conference.

A Tributeto CharleyArensberg(1913–2001)

Arthur Ziegler

In his homily to Charley, The Reverend Dr. Harold T. Lewis, rector of CalvaryEpiscopal Church, said: “Charley was a preservationist. A great history buff (who even delighted in giving history quizzes—complete with prizes—to his youngchildren and their classmates), he loved and developed an appreciation for oldbuildings long before his fellow Pittsburghers caught on to the idea that their cityhad anything worth preserving.”

P a g e 2 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

Contributions & GiftsThere are many ways to give to Landmarks. Our members and friends makecontributions in support of specific programs or in memory of loved ones. They also give memberships as gifts or donate goods or services. We thank thefollowing people and corporations for their recent contributions:

Corporate Matching Gifts• Chevron Corporation, for matching a gift from Jack D. Burgess;

• Mayer, Brown & Platt, for matching a gift from Teresa A. Beaudet;

• Norfolk Southern, for matching a gift from A. T. Bankson; and

• PPG Industries Foundation, for matching a gift from Diana L. Reed.

Gift Memberships• Susan Faulk, for giving the gift of membership to James Weddell;

• Gerald Lee Morosco, for giving the gift of membership to the South Side CommunityCouncil, Inc.;

• Wilda Wilson, for giving the gift of membership to Arthur Wilson; and

• Alice Wilton, for giving the gift of membership to Fred Wheeler.

Hornbostel Book ContributorsOur fund raising campaign to support the publication of Hornbostel in Pittsburghby Walter C. Kidney, is under way. We thank the following people for their recentgifts:

• Thomas W. Armstrong

• Carl Wood Brown

• Dr. & Mrs. William S. Garrett

• Monna J. Kidney

Named Funds• We thank Kim and Janice Menke Abraham; Michael J. and Karen Menke Paciorek; and

Betty and Jack Zierden, for their gifts to the Audrey and Kenneth Menke Named Fund.

Program Support• We thank Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, for its contribution to support our

neighborhood preservation programs; and

• Thomas O. Hornstein, for his contribution to support our preservation and educationprograms.

Year-end Gift Contributors• We recently received donations from Mellon Financial Corporation Foundation and

Mr. & Mrs. F. C. Schroeder, Jr., bringing the grand total for 2000 Year-end Gifts to$14,137.50. This money will be used to help fund Landmarks’ Historic ReligiousProperties conference and grant program on October 8.

Welcome New Members(As of June 26, 2001)

THANK YOU FOR JOINING! Your membership strengthens ourorganization—and brings you benefits, too: discounts at several Bed &Breakfasts; free walking tours and postcards; and invitations to specialevents. For the most up-to-date news, check our Web site at www.phlf.org.

Charles R. AlcornTeresa A. Beaudet and

Gerald J. GiamportoneSusan Belville Ben Avon Area Historical AssociationThomas BetzlerNorma BluestoneKathleen & Carl BruningCarmen CampbellDavid CaseFelix CasteMargot CavalierAnn Cipriani and familyJohn ClineBruce B. Colwell, IIMr. & Mrs. Stanley ConnerMichael P. ContentoJeffrey R. DiLucia, Jr.Deborah DoucetteEast Liberty Development, Inc.Kezia L. EllisonFriendship Preservation GroupMarcia FrumermanGreg FuhrmanKristina E. GardnerMary Frances GargottaDana J. GaryRebecca M. GerkenJessica V. GibbonsMary E. GibsonAnn T. GilliganDr. Marcus GottliebCaitlin GreenMr. & Mrs. Ed Grimm and familyHarmony Area School DistrictPatrick F. HassettLori and Richard HenslerSophia P. HijjawiBeatrice HirschlJoseph M. HohmanKevin T. HornerAlan R. Huffman and familyJamestown Area School DistrictMaia JavanThe Jernigan familyDeana L. JirakIrene JohnsonDoris T. JohnstonJoe KaneKarns City Area SchoolBee Jay KastorColin KelleyDonna L. KillmerAnn W. KorthageElaine and Carl KrasikMichael R. Krebs and familyFrank J. KurtikMr. & Mrs. William LambertMr. & Mrs. Jeff Lipton and familyPhillip B. LittleRae Anne LockardBrett R. LutzCurtis B. MagnusonManchester Historic SocietyNuveen MarwahDavid McAnallenBette McDevittMichelle L. McKainMcNaugher Education CenterCarol A. Metrovich and familyNatalie B. MonacoSharon MorrisRebecca J. MorrowTom MurphyJoshua MusicantePeter P. NamisnakLane NeffJean Ann NiethamerMary OppelArmand J. PansonPauline and Jim ParkerEllyse H. PearlsteinWilliam Picciotto

Pittsburgh Board of Public EducationSamantha E. PlisakShane A. PolicastroPreserve Croatian Heritage FoundationFrank S. Quinn, IVKathryn Rampy and familyRegional Educational Support CenterCharles E. Rhoads Peggy Rhodes Anne E. RichardsonRebecca M. RiegerDonna RitzMichelle A. Robinson-AustinBarbara and Dennis RossEllyn Roth and Harold PincusAnn Fay RubenJoann RyanWater SadauskasMichael P. SantmyerGeorge Schnakenberg and familyBob SchnarrenbergerRoberta ShopeKelli A. SikorskiJacob N. SkezasDoug SkowronLynn and Joseph SmithJon SmithSouth Side Community Council, Inc.Ruth Sproull and Richard Pantalone

and familyStacy and Robert StantonMatthew S. StypulaMr. & Mrs. John SzuhayAmit TiwaryTownship of ReserveW. D. VergotLuetta C. WaddellJean Ann WarrenFred WheelerConnie L. White and familyTerri L. WhiteAnthony WilsonArthur D. WilsonJ. D. Wintermantel and familySimon G. WuRita M. YeastedCharles Zinsser, Jr. and familyChristopher Zurawsky and family

Welcome Corporate Members(As of June 26, 2001)

PatronsDollar BankGreater Pittsburgh Convention and

Visitors BureauNational City Bank of Pennsylvania

Partners Allegheny Valley Bank of PittsburghBankPittsburghBognar and CompanyThe Buncher CompanyBurrell Group, Inc.Cable Design TechnologiesDuquesne Light CompanyGraham Realty CompanyFrank P. Hess & Company, Inc.Laurel Savings BankNeville Chemical CompanyNordic FisheriesOmni William Penn HotelRossin Foundation

AssociatesDay & Night PressPytlik Design Associates

Staff NewsZiegler Receives F. Otto Haas AwardPennsylvania’s highest preservation honor, the F. OttoHaas Award, was presented to Landmarks’ presidentArthur Ziegler on May 24 for his efforts to change thedirection of the Fifth/Forbes development proposalthat threatened to demolish a significant number ofhistoric buildings in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh.The award was presented by PreservationPennsylvania, in partnership with the PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Commission.

Lowe Rejoins Landmarks’ StaffOn June 1, Stanley Lowe joined Landmarks’ staff on a part-time basis as vice president of preservation programs. Once again, he will be focusing his atten-tion on historic preservation activities in Pittsburgh’sinner-city neighborhoods. He also will be spendingtime with the National Trust for Historic Preservationas Vice President of Community Revitalization; thisnewly created office will combine and refocus theTrust’s urban efforts nationwide.

Miller Named Outstanding Fundraising Executive for 2000Jack Miller, Landmarks’ director of gift planning, was recognized on April 23 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as “the quintessential fund raisingexecutive.” A noted authority on planned giving, a dedicated volunteer for manylocal organizations, and a fifth-generation Pittsburgher, Jack takes joy in makingPittsburgh a better place. During his acceptance remarks Jack said: “Philanthropy is what distinguishes the United States from other countries. It’s our moral compass.As development officers we’ve been charged with motivating others to have asignificant impact on the region we love.”

• Bernard Kent Markwell

• Pamela K. McCarter

• David J. Vater

From left: David Taylor, presidentof Preservation Pennsylvania; Arthur Ziegler, president ofLandmarks; Thomas Hylton, 2000 recipient; Janet Klein, chairof the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.The Camera Box, Camp Hill, PA

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 3

Welcome NewTrustees and Thank You AllDuring Landmarks’ Board meeting onApril 17, Mary Louise Gailliot, MarthaW. Jordan, and Joedda Sampson werewelcomed as new trustees.

Although James Knox, chairman ofthe nominating committee, was not ableto attend the Spring meeting, he wrote anote and asked that we share it with ourmembers:

At the end of our nominatingcommittee discussions, one membercommented how wonderful it is that we at History & Landmarks have beenable to obtain the active interest of somany fine people from the community. I stated that, as a personal observerfrom the beginning of Landmarks, itwas the result of excellent leadershipfrom such fine people as CharleyArensberg, Barbara Hoffstot, Dr. VanDusen, Phil Hallen, Arthur Ziegler andhis great staff of dedicated workers, thatcreated a “go-go” organization.

The response of those who are invitedto serve has always been positive. It is agreat day for our community to haveLandmarks as a top-flight volunteerorganization. It is indeed one of theserare blessings that are an importantdimension of a free society. All partici-pants should be happy and proud of thegreat work of our foundation.

James Knox

In Memoriam:Frances McLaughlin Holland(1914–2001)On June 5, Landmarks lost a devoted board member: Dr. Frances McLaughlin Holland. A long-time resident ofthe East End, Frances was an administrator at theUniversity of Pittsburgh, La Roche College, Point ParkCollege, and for the Pittsburgh Public Schools; and she wasa long-time trustee of the Community College of AlleghenyCounty (CCAC). In 1998, she was named to the CCACHall of Fame and received the first Lifetime Legend Awardfrom the College’s Educational Foundation.

She cared deeply about the work of Landmarks, and wasa strong supporter of our work in inner-city neighborhoodsand with public schools. As a result of her leadership,Landmarks was able to develop a constructive relationshipwith CCAC so the notable historic mansions that were part of the campus could berestored and adpated for new uses. Because of Frances’ insistence and involvement,the Byers-Lyon house was restored; thanks to her guidance the building administra-tors and supervisors developed a wonderful sense of historic preservation.

The wife of attorney John R. Holland, mother of four children, and grandmotherof five grandchildren, Frances was a leader in her community and in our organiza-tion. We have been informed that Frances has left a bequest to Landmarks. We will use this to strengthen our education programs and historic preservation services. We were fortunate to have Frances as a trustee and will always remember her as amost gracious, compassionate, principled woman.

CharitableUpdateJack Miller

• In April, more than 330 down-town property owners received aletter from Landmarks explaininghow real estate can be used tofund planned gifts. Two ownersare exploring mutually beneficialways to give Landmarks theirhistoric buildings.

• Charitable gift annuity ratesdropped fractionally July 1.

• Our membership survey iden-tified one person who hasincluded Landmarks in her will; seven who are consideringtaking action; and two whoplan to make planned gifts. For more details from thesurvey, please see page 19.

• To make it easier to exploreplanned gift benefits in theprivacy of your home,Landmarks has created aplanned gift calculator on itsWeb site. To locate, click onwww.phlf.org; then click onPrograms & Services; then clickon Gift Planning: Creating aLegacy; then, under “To LearnMore,” scroll down and click onPlanned Giving Gift Calculator.

• New federal legislation affect-ing estate, income, and capitalgains taxes has serious implica-tions for charitable giving.Landmarks will host its owncharitable giving and taxseminar on October 30.Contact Jack Miller if youwould like to receive an invita-tion: phone 412-471-5808, ext. 538; e-mail: jack@phlf.org.

• Members wishing to request aplanned giving speaker orwanting to receive LandmarkLegacies, our developmentnewsletter, and/or a free copyof the brochure, 21 Ways toMake a Difference, shouldcontact Jack (phone and e-maillisted above).

DID YOU KNOW... ...that in Pennsylvania ourpopulation grew by only 1.4%between 1982 and 1997, and yetour development of land rose by41.3%, with almost all of theland consumption at the expenseof Pennsylvania’s farmland?

...that Landmarks has initiated arural preservation program,acquired its first historic farmwith a fine house of 1835 fromLucille Tooke, and will ensurethat protective covenants areplaced on the farm so that it willnot be developed.

...Landmarks is now offering the64-acre Hidden Valley Farm forsale. It is located on Old StateRoad in Gibsonia. Contact Mike Kelly at 412-271-5550 for more information.

...that Landmarks also is seeking to raise substantial funds to assist with protectingthe remaining historic farms in Allegheny County. Forinformation, call Jack Miller at 412-471-5808, ext. 538.

Trusting LandmarksFor nearly a half century, Lucille Tooke and her late husband Jack

cared for their 64-acre historic farm in Gibsonia, PA as if it were a

member of their family. When it came time to retire she needed to sell

the property to generate income. The stumbling block: developers

wanted to buy the 165-year-old farm last year and replace it with

tracts of new housing.

After exploring her options, the life-long Landmarks member decided to transfer

her farm to a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT).

A CRUT allows a donor to place highly appreciated assets in a trust where they can be

sold without incurring capital gains taxes. The proceeds are then invested in a diversified

portfolio that must pay the donor an annual income stream of at least five-percent for

life, or a period of years. Because charity must be the ultimate beneficiary of a CRUT, a

donor also receives a charitable income tax deduction equal to the present value of the gift.

Lucille Tooke chose Landmarks as the irrevocable beneficiary of her CRUT. Landmarks

purchased the property and intends to place a protective

easement on the farm. Landmarks will then sell the farm,

making this gift the first property saved through its

Rural Preservation Program.

For more information on creative

gifts that meet your objectives and help

Landmarks preserve the places that

make Pittsburgh home, please call Jack

Miller at 412-471-5808, ext. 538; or

visit our Web site at www.phlf.org.

Your

Gift

Could Be

Your

Legacy

In Memoriam:Shirley Kemmler(1935–2001)On June 19, our loyal secretary of 18 years passed away. A resident of the NorthSide, Shirley provided essential support for many staff members so we were able topublish books, newsletters, and brochures, complete surveys, and conduct the day-to-day business of Landmarks. “She always worked hard and maintained a cheerful,kind disposition, even during the years she was battling cancer,” said Louise Sturgess,Landmarks’ executive director. We will always remember Shirley with great fondness.

Hidden Valley Farm, Gibsonia

P a g e 4 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

This May, the International New TownsAssociation’s (INTA) Conference, “TheCity Response to the New Demands forMobility,” was held in Paris. Delegatesfrom forty-two countries attended,including several staff members fromLandmarks. We found in this conferencean important opportunity to gain ideasfor improving urban transit, linkinghistoric neighborhoods with downtownand urban job opportunities, reducingsprawl and automobile dependence, and hearing how the internet may affect commuting habits and parceldelivery systems.

Patrick Hassett, assistant director ofdesign and development in the PittsburghDepartment of City Planning, alsoattended the conference as a result of ascholarship we offered.

Hearing about various modes oftransportation—established ones likethe Paris Metro, experimental ones, andsome more or less exotic—was enlight-ening. The conference was intensive, andpacked with experiences from so manycountries around the world, rangingfrom Hong Kong, where 90 percent ofurban travel is by mass transit, to theIvory Coast, where farmers still trans-port the pineapple crop that they growfor export by truck over dirt roads.

Some general conclusions that wedistilled from the conference were:

• The populations in many cities willincrease enormously in the next 20years. One prediction is that there willbe 50 megalopolises on the planet in20 to 30 years. In many cities, particu-larly in Europe and North America,there will be a great increase in theaging population.

• If people have the money, they willwant cars and they will almost alwaysuse the cars in preference to publictransit, unless there is no parking inthe city or it is so expensive that theycannot afford it.

• Improving, enlarging, and increasingpublic transit systems does not meannecessarily that people will utilizethem. The effort put forth in a numberof cities to do just that met with con-siderable disappointment.

• One widespread agreement is thatthere needs to be a way to make theprivate auto pay its full cost, includingpetroleum, road, police, accident,health, and all costs associated with it.The fact that the automobile is indi-rectly and directly subsidized in manyways makes it seem more attractivethan public transit; but cities arebeginning to strive to find ways bothpolitically and technically to introducefull-service charges for the automobile:only this strategy will force a decline inits use.

• In an amazing number of countriesthere is talk of, or actual implementa-tion of, the privatizing of many of thetransit systems. England is leading theway in this. Many problems of pricing,service, transfers, and capital invest-ment might occur, but the belief is stillwidely held that, except possibly forthe subway systems, it can be doneprofitably. The European Union is inthe progress of promulgating arequirement that transit systems beprivatized. There was debate overwhether this should include thesubway systems in the major citieswhere a problem of piecemeal owner-ship could hamper efficiency.

• In many subways there is no handi-capped access, and it is often difficultto create it.

• An additional problem in cities thatneeds to be solved is equal access at all hours. Because of bar-closing hoursin England at 11 p.m., 2 a.m., and 4 a.m., waves of young people leavebars and have no public transporta-tion and can gather in crowds and bea problem for the police and theneighborhoods.

• Peak-hour travel may drop off in thecoming years due to changing workand shopping patterns caused by theuse of the internet. In actuality, cartrips and transit trips may increase butbe spread over a longer range of theday and evening; therefore, peak-hourtransit may not be such a problem inthe future. However, the internet doescause more truck trips in cities becauseof the personal deliveries of goodsbought through the internet.

• Individualized public on-call or taxisystems are very difficult to operate,and no system emerged at the confer-ence as a model. The fact that the usermust call ahead, that pick-up timesand routes are uncertain, and that thenature of the vehicle is uncertain allhave resulted in a lack of acceptanceof such systems. We see these sameproblems with our Access system herein Pittsburgh.

• All parties agreed that large publiclyfunded garages and lots for com-muters should be eliminated and notbe subsidized. In Pittsburgh, we willsoon spend $250 million to run asubway from downtown to the newcommuter/ballpark garage on theNorth Side, and a commuter garagehas just opened on Second Avenue andone has been proposed for the LowerHill District. These should not occur;the funds should be expended onreaching people’s homes and linkinginner-city neighborhoods with down-town, not with urban parking garages.

INTA Conference:

Urban Transit InternationallyArthur Ziegler

ISN’TRESTORATIONWONDERFUL!

ISN’TRESTORATIONWONDERFUL!Preservation is the business of sav-ing special places and the quality of life they support. It has to dowith more than bricks....It has to dowith the way individuals, families,and communities come together ingood environments.

Richard Moe, PresidentNational Trust for HistoricPreservation

Help us protect the places that make Pittsburghhome. Contribute to Landmarks. A gift of appreci-ated securities or real estate can create lifetimeincome for you and provide the Pittsburgh History& Landmarks Foundation with much-neededresources to restore historic houses, churches,schools, parks, and gardens in the Pittsburgh region.

Landmarks Can Put Your Assets to Good Work While Bringing You:• Lifetime income from your gift;

• Public acknowledgment of your gift;

• Federal and estate tax savings;

• Avoidance of probate costs;

• Disposition of real estate and elimination of ownership costs and liability (minimum value required);

• The satisfaction of making a significant gift to preserve our western Pennsylvania heritage;

• Honorary life membership in Landmarks (minimum contribution required).

Contact Jack Miller to discuss these donor options 412-471-5808 ext. 538 e-mail: jack@phlf.org

Lobby, Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel107 Sixth Street, DowntownFormerly the Fulton Building (1906)

Paris provided a real-world labora-tory within which to observe many ofthe conference’s issues and ponder possible solutions. Particularly evidentin Paris are its pedestrian support infrastructure and the related balancesof transit, pedestrian, and automobileuse in an intensely active and denseurban environment. The arsenal of transit modes includes both elevated andsubway transit lines, bus and streetcarlines, and a fully automated subwayline. These systems are tied togetherphysically and operationally, creating a seamless web of transit lines andstations serving all parts of the City ofParis. The stations are complemented byfingers of pedestrian paths that integratethe stations with surrounding land uses.The 24/7 presence of transit service (and its use!) is a growing feature ofParisian life, as is the important role thepedestrian accommodations play in bothactivating and supporting urban life.

The INTA Conference was a uniqueopportunity to withdraw from the dayto day hustles of planning and meetingsin Pittsburgh and consider the biggerpicture and best practices regarding theevolution of our urban areas along withrelated changes in mobility needs andavailable solutions.Patrick HassettAssistant Director of Design and Development,Department of City Planning, and Landmarks’ INTA Scholarship Recipient

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 5

The Park was the creation of RalphGriswold, arguably the most importantlandscape architect to practice inPittsburgh. Mr. Griswold, working inclose collaboration with Charles Stotz,architect and architectural historian,gave us a great urban space that time,lowered standards of maintenance, and a concentration of use far beyondoriginal intentions all have diminishedand harmed.

Mr. Griswold saw a green open space,linked to the city by the great vista thatstarts at Commonwealth Place, movesacross the evocation of Fort Pitt, slidesbeneath the broad, sweeping arch of thehighway overpass, arrives at themeadow at the heart of the Park, andconcludes with the vigorous splendor of the fountain against its backdrop ofrivers and hills. The Park was conceived

With the passing of the May 1 deadlinefor letters of intention to enterLandmarks’ design competition, we hadan even two dozen such letters in ourfile. Readers of PHLF News will recallfrom the April issue that Landmarks issponsoring a competition for youngdesigners (35 and under) who wereasked to come up with proposals for theimprovement of any one of eight desig-nated public spaces scattered throughPittsburgh’s historic neighborhoods. Theidea of the competition stems from ourbelief that, although the past is a richand irrecoverable legacy, often it can beenhanced to make it more attractive andmore relevant to the life of the city, rightnow and into the future.

The letters of intention come fromarchitects, landscape architects, artists,and assorted designers, acting as indi-viduals or in collaboration with othersto form teams of two to six members.The response is rather greater than wehad expected, but that only strengthensour impression that the young designcommunity here is full of talent andambition. Excerpts from four of theletters of intent are reprinted here, justto give the flavor of the overall responseto Landmarks’ somewhat unexpectedinitiative.

• It is with great excitement that Iwould like to notify you of my intentto submit for the Pittsburgh History& Landmarks Foundation DesignCompetition. I look forward tocreating a unique design for one of the sites selected as well as seeing theother entries of young designers in the city. Thank you very much for the opportunity.

• I am very excited to have the oppor-tunity to explore my interests inpreservation and architecture in thecity I live in.

• We are excited by this opportunityand look forward to being a part of animportant public awareness process.

• The unique places throughout the cityare the reasons people remember, careabout, and live in this place. We arecommitted both personally andprofessionally to studying cities,buildings, and spaces within thecontext of historical significance aswell as contemporary desires forusage. In this way, we welcome thechance to learn more about our city aswell. We look forward to exploringthese issues through the competition.

Members will be able to see the plansthat are submitted during an exhibitionat the Mattress Factory on Pittsburgh’sNorth Side from September 21 toOctober 21.

Design CompetitionSteams Forward:

Much AdoAboutSomethingBarry Hannegan

Readers of our two major daily paperswill have noticed a flurry of articles onLandmarks’ proposal to paint thebridges in the downtown area withunique, distinguishing colors. The mediarecognition of this idea comes abouttwo years after we compiled a studythat suggested an identifying new colorfor each bridge, beginning with the West End Bridge and extending up theAllegheny to include the Sixteenth StreetBridge (omitting the Veterans’ Bridgewhich is nothing more than an elevatedroadway), and up the Monongahela asfar as the Birmingham Bridge.

The proposal was sparked by an invi-tation to suggest a color that might lookgood on the unbuilt new Wabash Bridgejust downstream from our offices. Theensuing discussion about bridge colorsrevealed a good deal of dissatisfaction

with the prevailing washed-out yellow,given the trade designation of “AztecGold.” If literal Aztec gold had histori-cally been as unappetizing, theSpaniards would hardly have botheredstepping on shore. Further thinkingevolved a palette of colors that wouldeasily distinguish each bridge and whichwould have some site appropriateness,either as to setting or to other neighbor-ing colors.

Bridges define Pittsburgh just as muchas do the rivers and the hills. Since theyare highly visible features and are hereto stay, and, moreover, need periodicrepainting, we felt the idea of introduc-ing color was a way of capitalizing onwhat we already had, without sucheffort requiring any additional funding.The scheme would appreciably enliventhe vistas around the confluence of the

What’s in a Color: Chapter 2

BridgesBarry Hannegan

as a place of repose and refuge—open,relaxing, and inviting to the contempla-tion of our founding history and thegreatness of our natural setting. Some170,000 plants, all indigenous to pre-European western Pennsylvania, createda veritable botanical garden of nativeflora.

This was a grand vision, indeed; and happily, at the end of the charette(which filled the entire day and involvedupwards of 70 designers and Park stakeholders), that vision was endorsed as theguiding spirit for whatever is to come onthis quintessential bit of Pittsburgh’slandscape.

On June 2, Landmarks and thePittsburgh Chapter of the AmericanSociety of Landscape Architects held adesign charette to consider the conditionof Point State Park in the light of chang-ing uses and contexts. Sponsored by theAllegheny Conference on CommunityDevelopment and the Riverlife TaskForce, the charette was conducted in thenew Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel.

Landmarks had proposed this initia-tive when discussions about the futureof the Park first began to surface. Wewere concerned that the splendid designof the Park would be lost sight of, underthe pressure of mounting numbers ofnew and very diverse user demands; and,we were looking for an opportunity thatwould allow us to share our knowledgeof the Park’s history and our greatregard for its original design intent withthis larger community of Park users.

Point State Park in the Eye of theDesign CommunityBarry Hannegan

rivers, and on a dreary February day, thepolychromy might help dispel thetedium of a Pittsburgh winter.

In reading and listening to commentsto our idea from a variety of sources, wewere struck by how much weight themarketing names for colors seemed tocarry. These appellations, dreamt up bypaint manufacturers as a means ofgiving the consuming public handles foridentifying paint colors, seemed to havean inordinate significance in the mindsof many of those who commented onour ideas. It was a pity and a disservicethat the more vocal critics didn’t pauseto ascertain what the proposed colorsreally were.

Ralph Griswold’s original plan for Point StatePark: open, relaxing, and inviting to thecontemplation of our founding history and the greatness of our natural setting.

the current Cityadministrationignored that stipula-tion, very muchagainst our wishes,and approved ForestCity’s revised masterplan that called forthe demolition ofthe Lawrence Paintbuilding.

4. When Forest Citymade the useful dealto buy out its part-ner Harrah’s so thatmore investmentcould be made inStation Square,Forest City grantedan option on thatproperty to Harrah’sin the event gamingwas approved. Theoption rendered it impossible todevelop theLawrence Paint sitefor seven years fromthe date of the option.We met with theMayor and Al Ratner of Forest Cityand offered to underwrite the cost—which was considerable—of makingthe building look occupied and hand-some during this option period. Mr.Ratner and Mayor Murphy rejectedour offer.

5. We sent a large number of developersinterested in the building to ForestCity and to the Mayor’s office overthe past half dozen years, to no avail.

6. When City Council approved TaxIncrement Financing (TIF) for thenewly planned Station Square devel-opment, the stipulation was attachedthat prior to Forest City’s receivingthe TIF funds, Lawrence Paint had tobe restored or demolished. The latterbeing faster, less expensive, and notcomplicated by the Harrah’s option,City Council essentially issued adeath sentence for the building.

7. When Preservation Pittsburghnominated the building for historicdesignation by the City, we testified in favor of the nomination but itfailed to obtain necessary support atCity Council.

The final demise of the building is reallydue to expensive physical problemsassociated with reusing it, together witha wide variety of political, economic,and timing difficulties.

We have agreed to locate within theremaining foundation walls of the build-ing a park that will contain industrialartifacts that we rescued through theyears. This will serve as the terminationof the Riverwalk of Industrial Artifactsthat we began. Forest City plans to com-plete the Riverwalk, with governmentfunds, during the next two years.

Stones and the heavy timbers fromthe building have been saved and maybe utilized in this park. Forest City istalking with us about the possibility ofcreating a sculpture from those signifi-cant, structural pieces.

In due course we hope that an ele-gant work of architecture will rise inthe area of the former Lawrence Paintbuilding that will be a symbol of thehigh quality of architectural design inPittsburgh prominently located at theconfluence of the three rivers. And, likethe Lawrence Paint building, we hope itwill attract the respect and admiration ofour community.

When it was built in 1902, the buildingwe knew as Lawrence Paint stood in athick cluster of industrial plants and atiny amount of housing, a little upriverfrom Painter’s Mills, a little downriverfrom the Point Bridge, and acrossCarson Street from the DuquesneIncline. In time, all but the inclinedisappeared, and the paint businesscame to an end, at least on this site.

Landmarks initiated the StationSquare development in 1976, and in1985 acquired control over theLawrence Paint building. With thebuilding came the tantalizing problem ofwhat to do with it. Here was a massivecube of brick and timber, heavy indus-trial construction of its time: a mementoof the heroic past, and sited aboutwhere the Pittsburgh Glass Works,arguably the city’s first industrial plant,started operations in 1797. Here was a building with views onto theRenaissance City, the Gateway to theWest, and one of the felicitously, tree-grown hillsides that surround theTriangle. The architect, we eventuallyfound, was Joseph Franklin Kuntz, ofthe W. G. Wilkins Company, who laterdesigned Frick & Lindsay, the presentAndy Warhol Museum.

Through the years we undertook avariety of architectural and economicstudies for the building for office, hotel,mixed use, entertainment, and housing.

The interior of the building presentedmajor difficulties: some of the floorswere not full floors; there were oddbalconies and great holes where largeequipment was located; the basementoccupied three levels, and there was asub-basement below grade which,together with the basement, was subjectto river flooding.

Nevertheless, we finally decided thatthe best use would be housing and thefollowing sequence of events occurred.

1. We cleaned the building using EarthScience Consultants for environmen-tal matters.

2. We sponsored a national competitionamong four leading architecturalfirms for the Lawrence Paint complexwith a new building to be erectednext to it, both buildings to be usedfor housing.

3. In our master plan for Station Squarethat the City approved in 1992 westipulated that the Lawrence Paintbuilding be retained. Unfortunately

More on AvalonDear Mr. Ziegler,

Your recent article in the Apriledition of PHLF News pertainingto the architectural variety anddiversity of life on your streetcarcommunity street was forwarded tome by my dear sister Jane wholives in Pleasant Hills, Pa. She saidthat I would find it fascinating andshe was right.

From 1939 to 1956, our fatherserved as Rector of The Church ofThe Epiphany in Avalon, as shownin your piece. Our family (father,mother, five children and twograndmothers) lived in a rambling,yellow and white, VictorianRectory next to the church until itwas razed in 1955 and the presentannex built.

It follows, therefore, that when Iwas 8 to 21 years of age, yourstreet was my street. I thought thatyou might like to know what it waslike over a half-century ago andthe extent to which it has, and,perhaps, has not changed.

Before and during World WarII, the street was distinguished byits orange/yellow bricks and tall,heavy Maples and Oaks, mostlycurbside. There were a half-dozenstately homes: our rectory, theFritsch house, the AmericanLegion mansion (destroyed by fire),the Snodgrass house, the Kerr’sand, later, the Berhorst place.

There were single familydwellings up and down the street,mostly, as you mentioned, in varie-gated brick. A diverse range ofowner names comes to mind:Wadlow, Parlett, Hunter, Iebeck,Braun, McCandless, Crowley,Bahm, Fry and McBride.

In the forties, every familyseemed to have children of school,college, or military service age.About 25 of us from South HomeAvenue walked to and from schoolalong the carline everyday.Actually, we walked it twice, for wecame home for lunch.

There were no trucks or buses tospeak of on our street. An excep-tion was the coal truck. Everyone’scoal was dumped at the curb, thenwheelbarrowed to the coal windowand shoveled inside. The last chore(sweeping, then hosing down thestreet where the coal had beendumped) traditionally fell to theresident 8 to 12 year old boy.Everyone pushed their own lawnmower and the grandmothersplanted most of the flowers.

During the War, the two blocksformed by Home, Jackman, Starrand California Avenue (bisected byHamilton), comprised thePittsburgh Press route that mybrother, and then I, served. Irecall that most customers waitedon their porches for me to arrivewith the evening paper. Theywould read the local casualty listson the front page before going backinto their houses.

Sunday presented two proces-sions of church goers: theProtestants and Roman Catholicswalking to neighborhood churchesin the morning, and the pilgrimage

Preservation Scene

(continued on page 20)

P a g e 6 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

Lawrence Paint Building:

Lost After Years of Effort

June 18: The cupola comes down during the demolitionof Lawrence Paint.

For complete details and information on these properties please call:

412-321-7760

HistoricProudly Announces

The Availability Of TwoCompletely Restored

Victorian Houses

The first of their quality and size to ever be offered for sale

in The National Historic District Of Manchester.

HomesteadHistoricDistrict Makes MostEndangeredListPreservation Pennsylvaniaincluded the Homestead HistoricDistrict in its annual listing of theCommonwealth’s ten most endan-gered historic properties. TheHomestead Historic District waslisted on the National Register ofHistoric Places in 1990. It includesthe commercial corridor of Eighth Avenue and stretches across the three boroughs of West Homestead, Homestead, and Munhall.

The Homestead National RegisterDistrict is threatened by a proposalfrom CVS pharmacy and GustineHomestead Associates, Inc., a localdeveloper, to tear down almost anentire block of the commercial core to build a suburban-stylepharmacy and parking lot with adrive-thru lane. On September 9,1999 Homestead’s BoroughCouncil conditionally approved theCVS plan, but various issuesstalled the project. In July 2000,CVS filed suit in Federal Courtagainst 17 defendants, includingLandmarks, two other non-profits,and several private citizens. The National Trust for HistoricPreservation and the ACLU havefiled amicus briefs on behalf of thenon-governmental defendants. The East Eighth Avenue buildingstargeted by CVS remain standing,but are not being maintained.Homestead’s effort to promoteheritage tourism and economicdevelopment based on its historycould be severely jeopardized if theCVS project is allowed to proceed because the historic gateway to the Eighth Avenue main street would be demolished.

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 7

St. Nicholas’ ChurchDesignated a City HistoricStructureOn July 2, City Councilawarded St. NicholasChurch onRoute 28 thestatus of a City HistoricStructure, andMayor Murphysigned legisla-tion to that effect on July 13. Thechurch is said to be the first CroatianChurch in the nation.

Even with its designation as a CityHistoric Structure, the future of thechurch is undecided. The CatholicDiocese plans to close the church. It may sell the church to PennDOT,which is planning to widen Route 28, orperhaps to someone else. If the Diocesesells the church, it will remove all reli-gious symbolism, including the stainedglass. Then if PennDot buys the decon-secrated church and moves it, no oneknows quite what will happen.

Addition to the NationalRegisterThe John Frew House at 105 SterrettStreet in Oakwood, one of our mosthandsome survivors of the Georgianperiod, has been placed on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. According tothe owners, the stone section of thehouse dates to 1790 and the “newaddition” is from 1840.

Brew HouseThe former DuquesneBrewery on the SouthSide, owned by the City,has been the subject ofcontention for years.Now it appears that theBrew House Association,

a group of artists, will be allowed to buyand thus preserve one of the two mainbuildings of the group. This is the BrewHouse of 1899, the oldest elementthough somewhat remodeled. It willprovide 20 spaces for homes andstudios. A developer who had been inlitigation with the City will get the large 1950-period Stock House, with itsconspicuous clock.

Larimer SchoolThe Larimer School, closed for morethan 20 years, will become the anchorof its namesake neighborhood again. A Second Chance Inc., a non-profitorganization, has announced plans torestore the former school as a commu-nity support center. Included in theplans are a kinship foster care program,offices for human service organizations,and family recreational activities.

The group hopes to raise nearly $7 million to restore the 105-year-oldschool designed by Ulysses J. L. Peoples.Additions, in various styles, haveresulted in a building with many wingsand a multitude of space developmentopportunities.

AlleghenySoldiers’MonumentThe shaft andcrowning statue ofthe North Side’sSoldiers’ Monumenthas stood by LakeElizabeth since1931: a truncationof the original mon-ument, by the architect LouisMorgenroth and the sculptor PeterReniers, that had stood overlooking theOhio since 1871. Both the rival cities ofPittsburgh and Allegheny had a part inits erection.

Now the Allegheny City Society israising money for its restoration. It willnot return to Monument Hill above theriver (behind the Community College),and it will not reacquire its massive,ornate base. But it will last as it is,where it is, for some years more.

Schenley Park Visitor CenterIn the fall, the Pittsburgh ParksConservancy will informally open theSchenley Park Visitor Center to thepublic. Trail maps of Schenley Park andgeneral information will be available.

The open-air pavilion, designed byRutan & Russell c. 1910, was badlymodernized over the years. Restorationby Landmarks Design Associatesincluded cleaning and repairing thebuilding masonry; replacing the asphaltroof with slate shingles; installingFrench doors, casement windows, and afully accessible restroom; and restoring

a balustrade and replacing a brick pier.The original tongue-and-groove ceilingand rafters have been exposed and asnack/coffee bar and gift shop havebeen created. A new terrace and deckoverlooking Panther Hollow provides aplace to sip that cup of java or to relaxand enjoy the park setting.

Landscapes (from Charlotte, Vermont),are enhancing the natural setting of thishistoric building by reestablishing asmuch native vegetation as possible andrestoring the stonework, walls, steps,and railings leading to the bridle pathand the cobblestone access drive.Existing trees are being pruned and newtrees and grasses are being planted.

The Visitor Center is a very handsomeand welcome addition to Schenley Park.

Iris Garden Planted atWoodvilleOn July 19, youth members of theAmerican Iris Society planted a gardenof historical iris at the WoodvillePlantation (the Neville House) in CollierTownship. The students are responsiblefor measuring the growth of the iris andweeding and maintaining the garden.Mrs. Geraldine McFarland, formerly aPittsburgh Public School teacher, iscoordinating this educational program.

The Historic Iris Preservation Societyand American Iris Society donated therhizomes. Ten species of iris, rangingfrom 1500 to 1844, will bloom nextMay and June at Woodville.

Old St. Luke’s ReceivesPHMC PlaqueOn July 15, more than 100 peopleattended a dedication ceremony at Old St. Luke’s in Scott Township. TwoChartiers Valley tenth-grade studentsunveiled a Pennsylvania Historical andMuseum Commission marker commem-orating the stone church of 1852 andburial ground.

According to The Reverend RichardW. Davies, “worship began at the sitewhen it was an outpost of the BritishArmy prior to the Revolutionary War.”Several Revolutionary War veterans andmany of the first Chartiers Valley settlersare buried at Old St. Luke’s.

For the past 13 years, ReverendDavies has been involved in preservingOld St. Luke’s and maintaining it as anactive worship site. Last year the churchhosted 24 religious worship services and40 Christian weddings.

Thank You InternsThis summer, three interns volunteeredwith Landmarks’ education department.

Peter Cockrell, a senior at SewickleyAcademy, researched and wrote the textfor a Sewickley walking tour brochure.Micah Slavkin, a senior at SchenleyHigh School, updated our Shadysidesurvey. Megan Heilmann, a sophomoreat Westminster College, researched andwrote the text for a series of South Sidefact sheets. Thank you all for your help!

Preservation Scene (continued)

The 100 block of East Eighth Avenue,Homestead.

Schenley Park Visitor Center, undergoing restoration in June.

CVS pharmacy currently occupiesa fine historic building at 231–233 East Eighth Avenue.

P a g e 8 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

In June I led an Art & Crafts tour for Thornburg residents sponsored bythe Thornburg Adult EducationCommittee. The tour includedRichardson’s Emmanuel Church,Samuel Thornburg McClarren’sWoolslair School, a Craftsman-style home filled with Arts &Crafts furnishings and aFrederick Scheibler house inSquirrel Hill; a concludingwalk through Thornburgincluded visits to severalhomes and ended in theThornburg Mansion.Afterward, Thornburg resi-dent Judy Thompson wrotethat it was “exciting to see theother building by McClarren,and how have I missed theRichardson Episcopal Church onthe Northside—spectacular!”

Later that month I co-hosted aninformal tour of Pittsburgh’s LateGothic Revival architecture and stainedglass for Marilyn Justice and CatherineZusy who are planning a 2003 exhibi-tion of the art of Charles J. Connick,sponsored by the Connick Foundationin Boston, and Peter Cormack, DeputyKeeper of the William Morris Gallery inLondon, leading authority on the workof English Arts & Crafts glass artistChristopher Whall. Peter Cormackdetermined that the chapel of theChurch of the Ascension, with itsConnick windows, was designed byRalph Adams Cram, thus addingCram’s name to the distinguished list ofarchitects including William HalseyWood, who designed the building, andAlden & Harlow, who oversaw itsconstruction. After returning toEngland, Peter Cormack wrote a letterto me saying: “It was a great pleasure tomeet you in Pittsburgh and to learnabout the city’s magnificent heritage ofarchitecture and stained glass....my onlyregret is that there was not more timeavailable for each superb building.”

While it was a pleasure to lead ourvisitors through much-anticipated desti-nations such as the Cram and Goodhuechurches with their Connick windows, I took particular satisfaction from theirresponse to St. James, Wilkinsburg withits 80 windows designed by HarryWright Goodhue prior to his death atage 26—“He was a genius,” MarilynJustice declared—and to CarltonStrong’s Sacred Heart Church, whichgreatly impressed Peter Cormack.Cathie Zusy said their Pittsburgh visitwas “wonderful and informative andinspiring.”

Courthouse tours were given in Junefor LouAnne Greenwahl, curator, MAKCenter for Art and Architecture in LosAngeles, located in the home and studioof Viennese-American architect R. M.Schindler, and for José Cervantes andJohn Helgeson of the MinneapolisBuilding Commission, whoseRichardsonian Romanesque City Halland Hennepin County Courthouse(1888–1905, Long and Kees, architects)

is modeled after the Allegheny CountyCourthouse. Messrs Cervantes andHelgeson presented Landmarks withPaul Clifford Larson’s book, MunicipalMonument: A Centennial History of theMunicipal Building Serving Minneapolisand Hennepin County, Minnesota(Minneapolis: Municipal BuildingCommission, 1991).

Approximately 110 visitors fromBoston, Chicago, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis,Paris, Salem, as well as from suburbanBethel Park and Thornburg, participatedin tours, both formal and informal,during April, May, and June of 2001.

When a group of visitors from Francetoured the Allegheny County Courthousein April the tour became delightfullybilingual. The tour leader, ProfessorMonjou, had prepared for this firstPittsburgh visit by writing ahead forseveral of Landmarks’ publications. He was particularly glad, he told meafterward, that they had visited theCourthouse.

Only one language was necessaryduring the Courthouse and Downtownwalking tour for members of thePeabody Essex Museum in Salem laterthat month, after we agreed upon thecorrect pronunciation of “Peabody”(PEA-ba-dee) and “Carnegie” (Car-NEG-e). The group presentedLandmarks with a copy of Salem:Cornerstones of a Historic City(Commonwealth Editions, 1999) byJoseph Flibbert, et al.

At the end of April, members of theRice Institute of Design in Houstonvisited Pittsburgh. Landmarks’ presidentArthur Ziegler gave them an architec-tural overview; I took them through theCourthouse; and they toured downtownwith our docents.

In May a group of residents fromFriendship Village in Upper St. Clairtoured the Courthouse and—since thiswas a weekday—the Rotunda and openspaces at the Old Jail (now FamilyDivision of the Court of CommonPleas). For several residents, includingone County employee and others whohad worked downtown for decades, thevisit to the Allegheny County Buildingswas a return to familiar ground.

Later that month Karen Bergenthal of East Town Travel Ltd. brought agroup from the midwest for a four-hour “highlights” visit: a visit to H. H. Richardson’s Emmanuel Church,a Courthouse tour, and visits to the1914 Riesmeyer house by Kiehnel &Elliott and Peter Berndtson’s 1954Lipkind house (graciously opened bytheir owners) was followed by a walkthrough downtown.

Frank E. Alden (later a principal of Longfellow, Alden & Harlow) supervisedconstruction of Richardson’s Jail, now adapted as the Family Division of the Courtof Common Pleas.

Minnette Boesel (left), who grew up inPittsburgh and now lives in Houston,and Bonnie Scardino of the RiceInstitute, with Arthur Ziegler.

Spring and Summer Tours with LandmarksAlbert M. Tannler

Kiehnel & Elliott’s 1914 Riesmeyerhouse places window designs inspiredby Frank Lloyd Wright in an Arts &Crafts setting.

Edith Lipkind (a 29-year-member ofLandmarks) and owner of this magicalUsonian house-in-the-round, sharedstories with visitors about architectPeter Berndtson who designed thehouse for her and her late husband.

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 9

Dollar Bank to Sponsor Old House FairLandmarks is pleased to announce that Dollar Bank will sponsor its Sixth AnnualOld House Fair scheduled for Saturday, February 23, 2002 at Victoria Hall inBloomfield.

Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the fourth Saturday in February, this event hasgrown over the years to attract more than 900 visitors from across the tri-state area.For a nominal fee, visitors will be able to learn the latest restoration techniques fromcraftsmen and other experts in the field of preservation. Many attendees actuallybring photos of their own projects to get on-the-spot advice and guidance.

“This was a natural fit for Dollar Bank,” explained Gary Prestigiacomo, theBank’s VP for Marketing. “As the oldest continuously operating bank in Pittsburgh,we share Landmarks’ dedication to preserving the architectural heritage of ourhistoric neighborhoods.”

Dollar Bank is no stranger to Landmarks. In 1995, the Bank underwrote A Legacyin Bricks and Mortar: African-American Landmarks in Allegheny County. This 84-page paperback chronicles the history of African-Americans in the county fromthe mid-1700s to present day and includes historical pictures of buildings and placeswhere black citizens lived, studied, played, worked and worshiped.

Dollar Bank joined with Landmarks again when it helped to publish a companionpiece to “Bricks” entitled A Timeline of Key Events. This uniquefoldout poster is still used by school students and historians as a reference to mark events important to African-Americans datingback to 1758.

Probably the most recognizable connection between Dollar Bankand Landmarks is visible on the tee-shirt given to thousands of students and teachers each year who participate in Landmarks’walking tours. The familiar Fourth Avenue DollarBank lion (c. 1870) works beautifully withLandmarks’ motto: “Protecting the Places that Make Pittsburgh Home.”

Dollar Bank’s preservation efforts extend beyondbuildings and homes to individuals and families. Eachyear, the Bank sponsors a free, half-day workshop entitled “Mortgages for Mothers.” Attracting severalhundred female heads-of-households each year, this workshophelps women (and some men, too) learn about various mortgageproducts and understand the power of credit. They also are ableto discuss their individual credit reports with a credit professional.A highlight of the workshop is a series of inspirational presenta-tions by new homeowners, who overcame their own problems with the help of Dollar Bank’s Credit Enhancement Program.

Cathy McCollom, director of operations and marketing at Landmarks, said: “It makes sense for Dollar Bank to sponsor Landmarks’ Old House Fair. Both our

organizations are interested in assisting home-owners and in strengthening neighborhoods.The Bank’s connections with Pittsburgh neighborhoods and expertise in working withfamilies and in providing financial assistance will help us spread the news about the Fair tothousands more Pittsburghers. After attendingthe Sixth Annual Old House Fair, many more people will be inspired to make homeimprovements. That effort, in turn, will createhealthier neighborhoods.”

“Adoring Angels” is the name of thePre-Raphaelite glass mosaic reredosLeake & Greene provided forEmmanuel Church in 1889. It isthought to be the work of British-bornand trained Henry Hunt, whose studiostill operates in Pittsburgh.

Margaret Henderson Floyd noted the similarity between SamuelMcClarren’s 1896 Woolslair School and the design vocabulary ofLongfellow, Alden & Harlow. The Golden Pompeian brickwork andRomanesque forms, decorated with Classical ornament, recall buildings by the older firm.

Adam and Eve, as realized by HarryWright Goodhue, watch over parish-ioners at St. James, Wilkinsburg.

Walking Tours FIFTH/FORBES WALKING TOURSWednesdays in September, 12 Noon to 1:00 p.m.Meet under the clock in Market SquareFree to members of Landmarks; $3.00 for non-membersDocents from Landmarks lead the tours.

SOUTH SIDE STROLLSSaturdays through September 29, 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.Meet at 12th and East Carson Streets, in front of the Birmingham muralFree for everyoneDocents from Landmarks and the South Side Local Development Company lead the tours.

ALLEGHENY WESTSaturday mornings, year-round, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.Meet at Calvary United Methodist Church,Allegheny and Western Avenues, North Side$3.00 per personProceeds benefit the restoration of monuments in Allegheny CommonsDocents from the Allegheny City Society lead the tours.

For further information contact Mary Lu at:

phone: 412-471-5808, ext. 527e-mail: marylu@phlf.org

Carlton Strong’s Sacred Heart Church combines historical elements with sophisticated 20th-century sculptural massing. The extraordinary stained glasswindows are by George and Alice Sotter.

Dollar Bank: downtown on Fourth Avenue, in thislandmark building, since 1870.

P a g e 1 0 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

Landmarks Commits$400,000 to LiverpoolStreet RestorationElisa Cavalier

What a difference soap and water can make! I scowled at my mother when she said this tome as a child; now I am a believer. All oneneeds to do is drive past the 1300 block ofLiverpool Street and the wonders of soap andwater become abundantly clear.

Pittsburgh’s industrial legacy had turned sixrow houses on Liverpool Street into somber,soot-covered manses. But soap and water hashelped reveal the impressive, warm-coloredbrownstone structures masked for so manyyears. Intricate stone carvings on the upperstories of each house are now easily seen: anine-sectioned diamond graces 1301 LiverpoolStreet; eleven encircled flowers are carvedacross 1305 Liverpool; and stone voussoirssurround the arched second-story windows of1307 Liverpool Street.

The six row houses are part of a jointrestoration project being undertaken by theManchester Citizens Corporation and thePittsburgh Housing Development Corporationwith funding from the Urban RedevelopmentAuthority and from Landmarks, in the form of grants and loans. The project has been in the planning stages for three years, and construction began this spring. Much has been accomplished since our last report in the April issue of PHLF News.

The masonry of the six houses has beencleaned and repointed. New roofs have beenbuilt, with slate for the mansard sections soon to be installed. The decorative metalfleurs-de-lis that graced the top of severalgables were removed, repaired, and will be

installed upon completion of the roof work.The last house in the series is a red brickVictorian structure with stone window lintelsand a mansard roof. The house was over-whelmed by a red and white metal awning onthe first floor that has been removed; a greatweight has been lifted and the airy, verticalnature of the building has been restored.

The dominant feature of the row houses wasthe massive, continuous porch. Unfortunately,it had deteriorated over the years. In someplaces, the wooden pedestals and columns thathad supported the porch roof had beenreplaced with brick pillars. In other areas, two-by-four posts simply propped up the saggingporch. Now, most of the porch has beenremoved. The balustrades and spindles arebeing re-milled in cypress wood to match theoriginal detailing, and a tongue-and-grooveporch is being installed across the façade. Fulllight double doors with semi-circular glasstransoms mark each entrance.

Liverpool Street is in one of the oldesthistoric districts in the City of Pittsburgh. It iswhere Landmarks began its preservation effortsthirty-seven years ago. Therefore this project isof particular importance to us. The members ofthe team designing and executing the work arewell-known for their restoration expertise:Landmarks Design Associates is the architectand Sota Construction is the contractor. Oncethe exteriors of the homes are restored, fourhouses will be sold. Although the interiors ofeach house must be refurbished, the newowners will be able to do so to their particularspecifications.

You will be able to see the Liverpool Streethouses on our membership tour on October 14.If you are interested in buying one of thehouses, please call Manchester CitizensCorporation at 412-323-1743.

Looking Good on tTheEloquence of JamieIn 1964, the historic houses on LiverpoolStreet were scheduled for demolition. Thatsad fate inspired Arthur Ziegler and JamieVan Trump (1908–1995) to create a non-profit historic preservation group and toundertake a study of Liverpool Street,assessing the condition of its structures and recommending strategies for theirpreservation.

The following excerpts from 1300–1335Liverpool Street, Manchester, OldAllegheny, Pittsburgh (1965) remind us ofJamie’s brilliance in conveying the timeless,emotional effect of Liverpool Street.

Brownstonebuildings are rare inPittsburgh: no more than280 are left inthe City.Fortunately,these in the1300 block ofLiverpool Streetare beingrestored.

A nine-sectioned diamondgraces 1301 Liverpool Street.

Encircled flowers at 1305Liverpool Street.

The arched second-storywindows of 1307 LiverpoolStreet.

These houses...are ghosts....Year by year,more of them sink and vanish in dust or inthe bright air of the planner’s dream. Manyof them seem to possess, however, somenameless, secret vitality that informs theirvagrant clusters of timber, brick, and stonethat lie along the asphalt veins of thismunicipal bone yard. Waiting, these build-ings gather their worn dignity about them,raise their battered heads; they seem to askfor a new turn of fortune or the advent of akindly fashion to revive them.

...Between Manhattan and Fulton Streets, as the eye journeys eastward, it is caught,arrested by the desiccated, but still upstand-ing, middle-class grandeurs of the 1300block facades. This particular section, mostof whose houses were constructed in thedecade 1880–1890, constitutes in its ownsolid bourgeois way the finest survivingVictorian street in Pittsburgh...

...The houses of the 1300block on Liverpool Streetbelong among this group ofarchitectural citizens whosecontinued existence shouldbe valued; they are not, onthe one hand, worker’scottages, nor are they greatmansions like those still tobe seen on the North Side’sRidge Avenue. Theseseemly rows of solidly-builtstructures were constructedto house moderately pros-perous townsmen, theirwives and children, and as

such they are definitely documents of thehistory of the great American middle class;here the walls and porches seem to say thatyou can see clearly, if you care to look, howthe urban middle class man or woman livedin the 1880s and 1890s...

...Architecturally, the chief interest inLiverpool Street lies in the homogeneity ofeffect produced by the general form andstyle of its buildings and also in its varia-tions on the urban themes of the row house.Only in the North Side and the South Sidedistricts of Pittsburgh do we find any exten-sive use of the closely built-up block of 19thcentury party-wall row houses so commonin the cities of the eastern seaboard, andpossibly the flatness of the topography,unusual in this area, was a factor in itsestablishment.

—JVT

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 1 1

Tour Liverpool Street, Buena Vista, and More!On Sunday, October 14, join Landmarks’ staff

and neighborhood leaders for a tour of Liverpool,

Buena Vista, and Jacksonia Streets. See the progress

that is being made in these historic neighborhoods.

Participants also will have the chance to visit the

Mattress Factory to see the models submitted by

young landscape designers showing new designs for

six historic areas in Pittsburgh (see “Much Ado

About Something” on page 5).

Members will be mailed an invitation to the October 14 tour. Or, you may

contact Mary Lu Denny for further details: 412-471-5808, ext. 527; e-mail:

marylu@phlf.org. Reservations will be required for this membership tour.

the North SidePreservation FundLoan of $255,000 HelpsRestore Six MexicanWar Streets HousesThe Central Northside NeighborhoodCouncil targeted six buildings in theMexican War Streets for restoration: 1721,1701, and 1221 Buena Vista; and three row

houses on JacksoniaStreet, adjacent to theMattress Factorymuseum. The UrbanRedevelopmentAuthority of Pittsburghand Landmarks pro-vided funding assis-tance, and PHASE, anonprofit community-based real estate devel-opment corporation,took on the “shellrehab” project. Thebuildings were stabi-lized; new windows,roofs, gutters, anddownspouts wereinstalled; the facadeswere painted; andporches were restored,when necessary.

While in the process of completing theexterior work, PHASE found buyers for fiveof the six houses. The buyers paid for theinterior construction work, and were able todetermine the floor plans and create imagi-native interior designs.

1721 Buena Vista is still available. Call PHASE at 412-321-5565 for details!

1701 Buena VistaStreet. This historichouse had deterioratedto a mere shell. Youcould literally stand inthe basement and lookup through the roof!

Landmarks HelpsCommunityInvolvementAs a member of the Fifth/ForbesPlanning Committee for “Plan C,”Cathy McCollom, Landmarks’director of operations and market-ing, has helped ensure that historicpreservation is a priority in the redevelopment effort. On July 27,the Plan C Task Force announcedthat eight developers (three local andfive out-of-town) had responded toits “request for qualification” andexpressed interest in developingplans for housing, retail, and entertainment in the Fifth-Forbescorrider. Task Force members are

reviewing the work of each firm andplan to select a development team bythe end of September.

Cathy participated in two paneldiscussions this spring, speaking onthe topic of revitalizing historiccommercial districts. The confer-ences were the Governor’s SmartGrowth Conference on March 20 inHershey, and the annual meeting ofthe National Association for Housingand Revitalization Organization onApril 9 in Pittsburgh.

Landmarks helped support the 2001 Neighborhoods USAConference in Pittsburgh, from May 23 to 26, and the SouthwesternPennsylvania Smart GrowthConference on June 9.

Elisa Cavalier, general counsel for Landmarks, participated in acharette on Homestead revitalizationon April 6 sponsored by the AIA,and presented a lecture on historicpreservation on May 9 at thePennsylvania Historical andMuseum Commission conference in Greensburg.

Historic ReligiousProperty AssistanceThomas Keffer, superintendent ofproperty maintenance at Landmarks,has been meeting with GreenstoneUnited Methodist Church in Avalon,offering advice in regard to a newwalkway and automatic handicap-accessible entrance doors.

Pennsylvania Rehab CodeLandmarks’ president ArthurZiegler and Thomas Keffer, super-intendent of property maintenance at Landmarks, joined architectsMaureen Guttman and RobPfaffmann to testify at a meeting in Pittsburgh on April 9 of thePennsylvania House Urban AffairsCommittee. The topic: to discuss the

development of a rehabilitation codefor Pennsylvania similar to thatadopted by both New Jersey andMaryland.

The participants described theunique problems associated witholder buildings, including housingand commercial buildings, andpointed out that the PennsylvaniaBuilding Code is designed for newbuildings and often cannot apply to older buildings. Chapter 34, which addresses rehabilitation in Pennsylvania, is extremely complicated and building officials throughout the Commonwealth are unfamiliar with it.

A new national building code iscurrently being developed for restora-tion and rehabilitation, and mightbecome available in the early part ofthis decade; it could suffice if adoptedby Pennsylvania. But the schedule forit is unknown at this time, and theparticipants recommended that a codesimilar to that of New Jersey beadopted. Then, when the nationalcode is available (which is expected to be quite similar to the New Jerseycode), it could be adopted as the final one.

To adopt more flexible standardsthat befit older buildings wouldgreatly assist in the financing of thereuse of buildings throughout theCommonwealth. All participantspraised the City of Pittsburgh for itsflexibility in applying the code, result-ing in considerable adaptive use ofhistoric buildings.

Regional HumanitiesCouncilThe National Endowment for theHumanities (NEH) is offering $5 million on a one-to-three match to an organization that will establish aregional humanities council, and theUniversity of Pennsylvania is consid-ering responding to the offer. Forreasons clear only to the NEH, this Regional Council will servePennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware,New York, and New Jersey, a highlydifferentiated group. Representativesfrom the University of Pennsylvaniainvited Pittsburgh representativesinterested in the humanities to discusswhat the council would do, and thedozen attendees offered constructiverecommendations.

Arthur Ziegler suggested that sucha council could be useful if it couldcommunicate the values of thehumanities to those who are notalready convinced of them, ratherthan serving the constituent commu-nity of organizations and universitydepartments. “Ample educationalmaterial is available to everyoneworking in the humanities,” saidArthur, “and we do not need anymore conferences or seminars to shareideas; we have more than any one hastime for. However, the humanities areunfortunately not a priority withmany people, and that needs to bechanged.” To make such a council a$20-million-funding priority wouldrequire a well articulated programsupported by a broad constituency; a great deal more work needs to bedone to achieve that position.

Richardson Romanesque at1221 Buena Vista. Landmarksunderwrote the cost of paintingthe porch.

Italianate at 1721 BuenaVista.

411 Jacksonia Street.

500 and 502 Jacksonia Street.

Liverpool Street

Forbes Avenue, downtown

P a g e 1 2 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

Discovering PittsburghOver 120 teachers participated in seven summer education classes offered byLandmarks through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, Gateway to the Arts,Pennsylvania Resources Council, Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, andRingold School District. The teachers learned how to strengthen their classroom curricula—and extend classroom learning into the community —through the themes of local history and architecture.

The following excerpts, from two teachers in our “Pittsburgh Heritage”class, convey the sense of discovery experienced by many of our teachers asa result of our summer classes:

Visiting the North Side with our“Pittsburgh Heritage” class lastweek was like opening a gift I didn’tknow I had, a truly unexpectedsurprise....

Like most Pittsburghers, myexperiences with this part of the city,were limited to childhood field-tripsto Buhl and Three Rivers Stadium.

Casually, I would drive around,and pass right by the North Side on279, 28, 65...on my way to someother place. I had no idea what waslocked inside this area.

First of all, arriving on the NorthSide for my “Pittsburgh Heritage”class was an exercise of my indepen-dence. After taking the bus fromAspinwall to downtown, I crossedthe Allegheny by foot on theRoberto Clemente Bridge, withhopes of not getting lost! The riversparkled in the morning sunlight;business men and women scurried towork, yet I had time to meander andenjoy....

I happened upon one of theMexican War Streets by accident.The noise from the adjacent streetsand the kids playing in the park van-ished as if there was a new worldhere. Now, sounds included birdschirping from the trees lining thenarrow brick street, and a faintradio from someone who maybedidn’t have to go into work thisWednesday. I forgot to walk on thesidewalks, but that didn’t seem tomatter. I peered into small gardens,

admired doorstep flower pots, andran my hand over the brick facadesof these side-by-side Victorians. Ifound a spot to sit on the street andsketch the details (or tried to any-way) of the old Victorian, andforgot about time. Walking out, Isaw a small “For Rent” sign—andconsidered it.

—Kelly Nicholson

The North Side day also included avisit to Allegheny Commons:

...all the little park has to offer is aquiet, still, relaxed, atmospherewhere time almost stops. Thesurroundings...force you to slowdown—so serene, so private, sotucked away. I can imagine andalmost feel “the promenade.”

—Norma Rennich

Architecture inSouth Side’s Neighborhood AssistanceProgramJust over 1,500 teachers, students, parents, and friendsparticipated in our education programs featuring SouthSide history and architecture. Students from ArlingtonElementary, Bishop Leonard, Philip Murray, PhillipsElementary, and Prince of Peace traveled along theMon to view the South Side from the river, exploredthe old LTV site (and met several Pittsburgh Steelers),searched for architectural details along Sidney andSouth Twenty-second Streets, and participated in mapping and bridge-building activities.

Standing on her handmade bridge amidst a sketch of Allegheny Commons, a“Pittsburgh Heritage” teacher holds up her pop-up street scene.

Touring the former LTV site and meeting several Pittsburgh Steelers.

PittsburghElementaryGifted CenterStudents from the PittsburghElementary Gifted Center on the North Side built models of aChildren’s Park they envisionedfor Allegheny Center. They alsocreated a Web site featuring the designs, models, and project descriptions:info.pps.pgh.pa.us.

The Pittsburgh Children’sMuseum sponsored this year-long project in cooperation withLandmarks.

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 1 3

McNaugher Education CenterThanks to the initiative of their teachers (and with some guidance fromLandmarks), students from McNaugher Education Center in PerrySouth toured downtown Pittsburgh, West End, and the Hill, amongother places, and built models showing similarities and differencesbetween those places. This model of the Hill includes the Civic Arenaand St. Benedict the Moor.

How should the Children’s Museum be linked to the old Buhl Planetarium? Whatshould happen in the old planetarium? How can the Allegheny Center area be mademore inviting? Patricia Pirt’s eighth-grade students from Allegheny TraditionalAcademy addressed these questions in the grandest model of them all! They proposedthat a clear-glass, three-story building be constructed to link the Children’s Museum tothe old Buhl building. The new museum would have activities for middle school

students. The old Buhl Building would become a day care and homework help center,complete with computers and a snack shop. The students especially liked the planetar-ium itself: “We want to keep this as a theater that just does plays and things in thedark. You could have scary plays or pajama parties; or tell campfire stories or runawayslave stories; or just watch a play under the stars.”

Dear Mrs. Louise,

I would like to thank you for the wonderful things we did.Even though this is my last year I will remember the things we didat Mercy Miller. Do you remember when we went walking acrossthe bridge to look at different symbols and statues on the build-ings? Do you remember the story teller when he told us the greatstories, or even the paper-bag building activity? The tunnel pro-ject was fun too. Thank you truly for coming to share with methings that I didn’t know.

Your dear friend,

Delvin Turner

Miller ElementaryStudents from Miller Elementary School in theHill District created books about their neighbor-hood during a year-long after-school enrichmentprogram with Landmarks and mentors fromMercy Hospital.

This is the third year that Landmarks hastaught the Mercy Miller after-school enrichmentprogram. One student recalls some of his memories in the following letter:

n Education

Allegheny Traditional Academy

P a g e 1 4 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

In May, about 380 second-grade students from seven elementary schoolstoured Washington Road, a main street in Mt. Lebanon, searching for 101architectural details that matched photographic details printed on a series ofworksheets. Nearly 80 parents volunteered to help lead the tours, along withmembers of Landmarks, The Historical Society of Mount Lebanon, and theAd Hoc Historic Preservation Committee of Mt. Lebanon. After the walk,students pasted all the photographic details on a main street map (completewith a community timeline) that they then displayed in their schools.

The walking tour was part of a social studies unit on community. Studentsalso sketched their house and school, completed a community workbook,and toured the municipal building and fire station. Their drawings and storieswere showcased in a summer exhibit at Mt. Lebanon Public Library.Landmarks, the Society, and Ad Hoc Committee were delighted to have theopportunity to work with Foster School principal Dr. Karen Kanell and thesecond-grade teachers to strengthen the curriculum on community.

Building Magic“Building Magic,” a live-production offered through Gateway to theArts and produced in cooperation with Landmarks, was performed inMarket Square in May, and to a total of 2,270 students in nine schoolsbetween January and June.

CarnegieStudents from St. ElizabethAnn Seton School in Carnegiealso explored the main streetof their community, searchingfor matches to architecturaldetails.

Landmarks created thisprogram at the request of Marcella McGrogan of the Carnegie HistoricalSociety and teacher DebbyMcGrogan. About 20 parentsvolunteered to serve as tourguides, and everyone met atthe Andrew Carnegie FreeLibrary at the end of the tour.

Public schools in Carnegiemight participate in this pro-gram in the 2001-02 schoolyear.

Architecture in Education(continued from page 13)

Mt. Lebanon Elementary Schools

Four TrusteesFund 10CollegeScholarshipsLandmarks ScholarshipsIn 1998, trustee David Brashear estab-lished the Landmarks Scholarshipprogram. Now nine students arereceiving four-year college scholarships,thanks to the Brashear Family NamedFund and contributions fromLandmarks’ chairman Phil Hallen and former trustee Grant McCargo.

Recipients this year are KeziaEllison, a graduate of The Ellis School,and Terri White, a graduate of DavidB. OliverHighSchool.This fall,Kezia willbe attend-ing BrownUniversityand Terriwill beattendingHowardUniversity.

Threescholarship recipients just completedtheir freshman year at college: LaraMalakoff at George WashingtonUniversity; Lauren Merski at KentState University; and Jennifer Schulz at the University of Virginia.

And four scholarship recipients justcompleted their sophomore year: SteveAlbert at the University of Cincinnati;Renee Davis and GregBykowski, both at theUniversity of Pittsburgh;and Emily Sullivan atCornell University.

Three of our scholarshipwinners are working witharchitectural firms thissummer; one is workingwith a local contractor; andone is enjoying a summerstudy-abroad in Europe.

“The LandmarksScholarship program is giving us theopportunity to develop relationshipswith young people who care about theirhometown, and who are developingtheir skills by pursuing a college educa-tion,” said Landmarks’ executivedirector Louise Sturgess.

Walton Family ScholarshipTrustee Ellen Walton is sponsoring ascholarship for a high school graduatewho attended Miller Elementary Schoolin the Hill District. “I am veryimpressed with Miller School and withMargaret Burley, one of the teachersthere,” said Ellen. “I wanted to estab-lish a scholarship thatwould match one beingoffered as a result of Mrs. Burley’s efforts,so assistance could beawarded to two formerMiller School studentsinstead of just one.”

On April 12, the firstWalton FamilyScholarship winner—Angel Kendall—and theMiller School scholarshipwinner—Eric Howze—were recognizedat the annual NEED dinner. Both aregraduates of Schenley High School.Angel will be attending Garrett Collegein the fall, and Eric will be attendingSlippery Rock.

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 1 5

Westmoreland County Schools:Fifth Annual Architectural Design ChallengeWhat should be done with the vacant downtown lot on LibertyAvenue adjacent to the Bruno Building? Close to 200 middleand high school students from Westmoreland County proposedmany ingenious solutions in sophisticated and intricately craftedmodels. They presented their ideas to a jury of architects, afteran orientation tour with Landmarks and months of work.

Ideas included a golf pro shop, apartments, internet cafes,and sports bars. Several models were displayed at theAssociated Artists Gallery on Liberty Avenue.

Steel Valley Middle School and High School Design ChallengeWhat should be done with the former Rainbow Kitchen building at the corner of East Eighth Avenue and Amity Street inHomestead? Landmarks posed this question to twenty-six students from Steel Valley Middle and High Schools. After months of work, students described their models and ideas to Betty Esper, Homestead’s mayor, and leading business people and architects.

Above: Several scholarship recipi-ents met in June: from left to right,Lauren Merski, Lara Malakoff,Greg Bykowski, and Terri White.

Kezia Ellison

Eric Howze andAngel Kendall

The Leona Building:including PrimantiBrothers, a night-club, and rooftopperformance stage.

Steel City’sShining Star: a giftshop, news-stand, ice creamparlor and more!

The Riverplex Complex:complete with a sportsstore; mini-ice hockeyrink; and rooftop miniature golf course.

The Amity Street Coffee Shop and Bookstore

P a g e 1 6 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

Walter C. Kidney

In the April issue of PHLF News,I wrote of Hornbostel inPittsburgh, now in preparation.For years I have had a compan-ion book in mind, a generalsurvey of Eclectic architecture inthe Pittsburgh area. Here are afew images to give you an idea.

The Eclectics appreciated materials—their colors, textures, potentials forpatterns, historic associations—as theVictorians never did, and more recentarchitects just occasionally. True, steel,reinforced concrete, or hollow tile—thecinder block of the 1920s—mightslumber beneath the gorgeous surface,

whether it be of rubble, brick, terracotta, or stucco.

With Eclecticism, a building wore acostume, often though not always onethat evoked a bygone culture, time, andplace.

By the mid-1920s, American architec-ture was in a state of self-satisfactionlaced with malaise. Looking atEclecticism and sporadic searches forsomething new, the respected academicG. H. Edgell took a tolerant, wait-and-see attitude:

Modern American architectureincludes all the architecture of Americawhich has recently been built, or is beingbuilt today. It includes the conservativeand the radical, the archaeological andthe original. To limit modern architec-ture to that which seems to embodywhat are called modernistic tendencieswould be not only foolish, but arrogant.The architecture which today isregarded as unprogressive, a generation

from now may be in the van, and noman, be he layman, critic, or designer,can pass an infallible judgment, or evenmake a good guess, as to what is to bethe architecture of the future. ModernAmerican architecture is the Americanarchitecture of today.

Talbot Hamlin took a tolerant attitude, too:

Emotional power in architecture cannever be achieved until the largermatters of plan and composition haveentirely absorbed and re-formed thedetails of architectural expression likemoldings, columns, and ornamentalforms which make “style.” It is preciselythese larger matters of planning andcomposition which are most profoundlyaffected by new materials, new technicalprocesses, and new social conditions. As soon, then, as plan and composition,so deeply responsive to the changingmechanizing of modern life, begin tocontrol detail as completely as they

A Mid-Victorian house makes an ignominious departure from Frick Acres around 1927. In the meantime, the Cathedral ofLearning is being clad in its Gothic raiment and the Masonic Temple, across Fifth Avenue, is a little dirty but otherwise doingnicely, thank you. Eclecticism at its peak.

Dressed for the Occasion:

The Eclectics appreciatedmaterials: rubble at theLongue Vue Club.

Terra cotta: the William Penn Hotel.

Stucco: a house on Amberson Avenue.

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Brick: Mount Assisi, RossTownship.

Notice the contrast betweenthe skyscrapers picturedabove and below. The ArrottBuilding of 1902 has busywalls of white terra cotta andbronze-colored brick, hard infinish. Ornamental featuresare applied to it, top andbottom, like costume jewelry...

...while the InvestmentBuilding of 1927, almostidentical in dimensions, has aplain “shaft” of texturedbrown brick with a “base”and “capital” of limestone,simply composed and with itsdetails integrated in the mass.The chamfering of the upperpart that faces the streetshapes the top and creates astrong conclusion thatrequires no heavy cornice.

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 1 7

should, style changes are inevitable, and true style freedom will arrive.

Eclectics, as might be expected, tendedto be reactionary, as was ThomasTallmadge:

The contention for an American styleis the pursuit of a will-o-the-wisp....What is the culture and genius ofAmerica? It is European. We are notaborigines. We are nearly or remotelyEuropeans, and we are not onlyEuropeans, but we are ancients aswell....If, then, it is true that we are co-heirs with our brothers who have notyet emigrated of the glory and thegrandeur that were Greece and Rome; if the same blood that joined thrust tothrust in the dizzy groins of Amiens,that hung the vault of St. Peter’s so littlebelow the firmament, that flecked thestreets of London with the white fingersof Wren’s churches—if this same bloodflows in our veins, why should we giveup this royal heritage? It is ours as muchas it is theirs across the seas.

So there. But the Modernists, a priori intheir approach to style, full of moraloutrage at all the fake half-timber andso forth, could be pretty shrill inresponse. Thus, Sheldon Cheney:

Eclecticism is the amiable name givento architectural incompetence in theperiod 1870–1920. Pickers andchoosers from older forms of buildings,disputers for this or that style within thelimits of impotency and imitativeness,tasteful roamers, cultured repeaters ofother men’s architectural phrases—Eclectics!...Here in America, in theperiod of McKim and White and theirassociates, we had everything—excepthonesty, courage, and creation.

Or savor the prose of Louis Sullivan:

An imposition upon the people’seyesight, a naked exhibitionism ofcharlantry in the higher feudal anddomineering culture, conjoined withexpert salesmanship in the materials of

decay...incredible vulgarity...a lewdexhibit of drooling imbecility and politi-cal debauchery...impudently thievish.

The Depression came, and the War,and the Modernist polemics continued.Really interesting Eclectic work fadedaway. The Cathedral of Learning, EastLiberty Presbyterian Church, and theMellon Institute were follow-throughsin the 1930s of brave Eclectic projects,but Eclecticism was in a decline.

Eventually, Eclecticism was hotlyopposed, and in retrospect we maywonder—even if, somewhere inside, weare glad—that such a phenomenon ofpicking and choosing, of tasteful roam-ing, could have occurred. What wasgood and what was bad aboutEclecticism?

Eclecticism in Pittsburgh

A mixture of materials: ahouse in Aspinwall.

A Colonial house in Shadyside, full of“Anglo-Saxon home atmosphere.”

Something vaguely Old World inHighland Park, with half-timberingand shingles imitating thatch.

Gaudeamus igitur! an aspiringGothic fantasy for learning: the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.

Bourgeois urban Gothic, 1500-style, for commerce: the UnionTrust Building, downtown.

And now and then, the Eclectics attempted a modern style: seldom completely original, but looking sideways rather thanback. The Greenfield Elementary School is a design of 1916,

derived from modern architecture in Chicago.

An English Gothic church for the Anglicans: CalvaryEpiscopal in Shadyside.

(continued on page 18)

BAD. There is something irritatingabout a building that will not be itself,that pretends to be of another place ortime, or to be composed of materialsand constructional systems not its own;one’s reason is offended, if not one’smorals: a building should graciouslyadmit the facts of its existence—where,when and how, it is built. Bland stuff,too, a lot of the time.

A 60-ton monolithic shaft is hoisted onto its base at the Mellon Institute in 1932.The Ionic colonnade, which had 62 such shafts, did nothing but look dignified.

St. Bernard’s Church in MountLebanon, finished in 1947, was one ofthe last genuine works of Eclecticism inthe Pittsburgh area, at least on thehigh-budget end. Begun in 1933, it islavishly decorated and its roofs arecovered with enameled tiles in a fairy-tale variety of colors.

Dressed for the Occasion(continued from page 17)

C O N T R I B U T Eto the 2002 publication of

Hornbostel in Pittsburghby Walter C. Kidney

In the fall of 2002, Landmarks willpublish a handsomely illustratedsoft-cover book devoted to the workof Henry Hornbostel. The book willinclude an essay on Hornbostel’swork here and elsewhere, followedby a catalogue of works inPittsburgh, from 1904 to 1939, of at least 80 designs.

Please contribute by completing andreturning this form.

Yes, I am (we are) making a contri-bution to Hornbostel in Pittsburghin the amount of $___________. My (our) check is enclosed, payableto the Pittsburgh History &Landmarks Foundation andreferenced “Hornbostel.”

I (we) understand that this con-tribution will be used to support thebook’s publication and does notentitle me (us) to a free copy of thebook upon publication.

I (we) would like my (our) name(s)to be printed in the contributor’s listin the book as follows:

please print your name(s) clearly

All contributors will be invited tothe book release party.

Please mail this completed form withyour contribution to:

Louise SturgessPittsburgh History &Landmarks FoundationOne Station Square, Suite 450Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1134

To make a contribution by creditcard call Mary Lu at 412-471-5808ext. 527.

Thank you very much for contr ibut ing!

A copy of the official registration and financial informationof the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation maybe obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State bycalling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999.Registration does not imply endorsement.

Henry Hornbostel (1867–1961)

It would be more discreet, perhaps, not to illustrate the ineffectiveness andilliteracy of just about everything designed within the last 50 years thatcopies or alludes to the past. This recent essay in Welder’s Corinthian (on East Carson Street) is exceptional in its vigor.

Once upon a time—the Hyeholde, inMoon Township!

GOOD. The artistry in the use ofmaterials, the integration of details andmassing. The use of styles to symbolizethe institutions of society. The freshnessof ideas sometimes, even when prece-dent is lurking behind the executedwork. The freedom from the tyranny oftheory, of priggish abstention, that hascharacterized Modernism.

P a g e 1 8 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

170 Seegar RoadUpper St. ClairThe Phillips/Seegar homestead of 1806includes an authentically restored land-mark farmhouse on a 1.8 acre site with acarriage “garage” for two cars.

There are gleaming oak floors through-out the house, and fireplaces in nearlyevery room. The vintage double hung win-dows are recessed in the style of the early19th century.

Modern updates include a remodeledkitchen, a cozy finished gameroom underthe main house, two new baths, and a two-story period log addition featuring afamily room with a log fireplace and anupper den/library.

For further details, call Jane Voigt at

412-561-7400.

P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 P a g e 1 9

• Midas Dekkers, The Way of All Flesh.New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux,1997. 280 pp. $25.00 cloth.

This erudite, wide-ranging, and oftenamusing book is written by a popularwriter-biologist from the Netherlands. His theme is an old one, that all things onthis planet, including the planet itself, willdecay and disappear. He ranges over thewhole of life and much that is inert as well,discussing how the impulse of life is forprocreation rather than prolongation, andthat with the inert objects man creates,whether it be buildings or locomotives, “the aim of restoring something to its for-mer glory is as futile as it is human. A lot ofglory is simply at its best if it’s decaying.Decaying is living.”

He points out that we should be gratefulfor decay. Who would wish to have some ofthe New Brutalism architecture of the1950s and 1960s and the urban planning ofthat period live forever? While many formsof life kill their old or leave them for preda-tors in order to protect the young, or in thecase of human beings deposit them withcaretakers of the elderly, he believes that“the nice thing about venerability is that itincreases with age, it needs time.Venerability is what a City Hall has, but acity often doesn’t. It’s the differencebetween Mother Goose and Donald Duck,Queen Victoria, and The Prince of Wales.”

He recognizes the importance of pre-serving old buildings, but at the same timeletting them take their course through time.

People prefer to see their old pubs, their old rectories, their old gatehouses.They’re proud of them. Proud of piles ofstones. And why? Because, like sponges,they absorb history... .An old city offers the perfect opportunity. Its houses havesurvived wars, watched children grow up,taken people into hiding, witnessed parties,stored tea crates.

But he points out that to restore agingstructures by replacing their parts is tocreate a different structure and one that willdecay after all, much like inserting newplastic and metal parts into human beings:new hips, pacemakers, and the like.

Almost any reader of this book—thoseanticipating a wonderful after-life; thosehoping for a better world for their children;those taking vitamins and eating organi-cally or visiting the gym three times a week;or ardent historic preservationists—willtake pause in reading this book.

• Stephen O’ Shea, The Perfect Heresy.Walker & Co., 2000. 224 pp. 15 b/willustrations. $25.00 hardcover.

“Beware of dissenting, no matter how well-intended,” could well be the lesson tobe learned from the unfortunate Cathars.As the medieval church grew stronger, moreaffluent, more political, and more self-aggrandizing, in the quiet south of Francein an area known as Languedoc, an ideaadvanced with Christians of adaptivesimplicity of life rather than extravagance.In a refutation of the hierarchical structureof the church and its then sumptuous life,the Cathars grew in number as they com-municated their belief that Christianityrequired simplicity of life, habit, custom,dress, food, and self-discipline. The ideatook hold among the rich and the poor, thepolitical and the apolitical. In order toprotect themselves from a militant churchthey built magnificent fortresses atop highand rocky hills in the Pyrenees.

The church created for and directedmuch of the Inquisition against them; andthe political leaders of the north mounted

summer crusades at the behest of severalpopes, eager to take the land of the Catharsand the wealth produced from it.

The hilltop citadels frequently held forweeks and months, but ultimately weresurmounted and the people inside not justdefeated but exterminated. In one village7,000 were massacred and in another20,000: every last man, woman, and child.

The Crusades and the Inquisition,known for ruthlessness in the name of holi-ness, for political expediency in the name ofimproving the territory, are graphicallydescribed in this gripping, but enormouslysad book.

When you try to imagine thousands ofpeople encamped in a high fortress, obvi-ously with limited food and at times nowater, with sanitation conditions one doesn’twant to imagine, and struggling againstfierce cold and wind and heat only finally tobe stoned, mutilated, and frequently burnedalive in the name of the church as an insti-tution, you close the book with a tragicallygraphic understanding of the willingness ofpeople in the name of an institution totorment and subjugate one another. We candraw conclusions about our own time andplace and governments and institutions,here and abroad, in our own day.

• Larry McMurtry, Roads: DrivingAmerica’s Great Highways. New York:Simon & Schuster Trade Paperbacks,2001. 208 pp. $13.00 paper.

I would not have expected anyone to wantto write a book about driving Interstatehighways, let alone produce a book sofascinating that one is almost moved to doit oneself. Roads is not a book aboutEisenhower’s conceiving of the highways orLyndon Johnson’s pushing the buildingprogram in earnest, nor is it about the engi-neering or the construction, both of whichwould be engaging topics. Nor is it aboutdeviating through the small towns or thehistoric sites along the way.

McMurtry writes primarily about thescenery, the local historical scenes, thefamous people of letters, and the not-so-famous local writers as he hurtles along at80 miles an hour covering about 1,100miles in each trip of about two days. In 200 pages, he travels most of the countrywith amazing speed and erudition. He tellsus about Lewis & Clark, General Custer,the Hopi Indians, what he feels is theinadequately operated Hemingway house inKey West, which is an island that he sayscould now have been developed by Disney.In Idaho he reminds us that Hemingwaycommitted suicide, and Ezra Pound wasborn in that state’s town of Hailey.

What is so amazing about this book isthat in a single paragraph McMurtry cangive us these local overviews almost asrapidly as he is covering the territory. Wedo not get details, but we get enough to getthe picture, and now and then we get ahandsome articulation of the scenery:

I only have to be in Montana—about 10 minutes—to re-convince myself that it iseasily the most beautiful American state.Many of its multitude of long, gentle glacialvalleys have rivers running through them inNorman Maclean’s now famous phrase.The mountains are almost always in sight,but mainly as a shadowy blue backdrop tothe beauty of the valleys and plains. Mostof the many small rivers—the Milk, theMaris, the little Blackfoot, the Ruby, theShields, the Sweet Grass—have smalltowns strung along them. The rivers, thevalleys, the mountains, and the big skymanage, as no where else, to combine thegrand vista with the intimate view, such as

one might get along the Shenandoah or theLoire. On a fine day, with the greatthunderheads rafting across the high sky,Montana can hold its own for sheer visualbeauty with any landscape in the world.

McMurtry will send you not so much tothe big highways as he will send you toyour local travel and history writers. Ifound myself picking up our local book onRoute 30, the Lincoln Highway, immedi-ately upon completing this one.

—APZ

• Andrew Borowiec, Along the Ohio.Baltimore and London: The JohnsHopkins University Press, 2000. In coop-eration with the Center for AmericanPlaces. xviii + 129 pp., 80 full-pagephotographs. $55.00 cloth; $24.95 paper.

For the most part, this book elegantlydepicts bleak places. In these river towns,plant life is tolerated rather than grown,pavement is occasional, and building is inthe vernaculars of various times. Yet theGreek Revival shows up in three places,speaking of old ambitions in towns thatnow often look depressed. In New Albany,Indiana, half the paint on a Doric templefront has fallen away. Another temple front,in Old Shawneetown, Illinois, seems backedonto an 1840-period vernacular buildingthe way a locomotive is backed onto aboxcar. In two pictures the river boatAmerican Queen shows up in all itspseudo-Victoriana: close up at Henderson,Kentucky, far off at Rabbit Hash in thesame state. Pennsylvania scenes appear ninetimes. Blast furnaces and cooling towersstand often in the background.

The reader might not want to live inmost of these places, but the scenes arefinely presented in both composition andpresswork, and photo lovers should con-sider the purchase. This belongs to a seriescalled Creating the North AmericanLandscape.

• Donald Hoffmann, Frank Lloyd Wright’sHouse on Kentuck Knob. Pittsburgh:University of Pittsburgh Press, 2000. 112 pp., 14 color and 52 b/w illustra-tions. $18.95.

Such is the present awe of Frank LloydWright that “Kentuck” is presented as hishouse, not that of I. W. and BernadineHagan, in the title. The owners are hand-somely portrayed within, and the story oftheir slow approach to Wright in 1953—and decision not to hire Deeter & Ritcheyas architects for their home—is carefullytold. About half the book is a tour of thehouse itself. The book ends with 15 pagesof scholarly notes.

• Larry R. Ford, The Spaces betweenBuildings. Baltimore and London: TheJohns Hopkins University Press, 2000. In cooperation with the Center forAmerican Places. xii + 225 pp., 52 illus-trations. $58.00 cloth; $25.95 paper.

The subject is interesting, the treatmentrather wordy, the illustrations illustrative.The argument, over all, favors “gregarious”spaces, “permeable” facades, towns thatreflect optimism about human nature andthat are meant for casual, sociable gather-ings and passings of the citizenry.

—WCK

Books Worth ReadingReviews by Arthur Ziegler and Walter C. Kidney

MembershipSurveyResponsesSeventy-five people completed themembership survey included in thelast issue of PHLF News; 64 ofthose people joined Landmarks tosupport historic preservation. Amajority of people also joinedbecause of the affordable dues,PHLF News, and specific preser-vation concerns. PHLF News is themembership benefit that mattersmost, followed closely by volunteeropportunities, discounts on tours,and free walking tours.

In regard to programs thatLandmarks should be pursuing, sixcategories were checked 34 times ormore: identifying sites of architec-tural/historical significance;providing advice and technicalassistance; offering tours; engagingin advocacy; managing thePreservation Loan Fund; andpublishing PHLF News. The threegreatest preservation concernsamong the members whoresponded are downtown revital-ization, inner-city neighborhoodrevitalization, and urban sprawlprevention. Many members tookthe opportunity to share their ideaswith us: “Plan a tour to PointBreeze”; and “Plan some day-longbus trips to nearby cities.” Othersextended a word of thanks:

I am extremely impressed with thequality of the programs that I haveattended. I look forward to readingPHLF News. You offer the commu-nity so much at a very affordablecost.

—Bernice Schorr

I’m amazed at all PHLF has tooffer. There are so many benefits Iwas not aware of. I have nevervisited your Web site, but will doso. Your preservation programsoffer diversity and a great way tolearn more about the history of our city.

—Carolyn Levy

House Tours

Call for details!• Manchester

August 12Phone:

412-321-7707

• Mexican War StreetsSeptember 16

Phone: 412-323-9030

• LawrencevilleSeptember 23

Phone: 412-682-5435

On March 31,Landmarks presented one partof its two-part ArtDeco publicschool lecture-tour through the University of Pittsburgh’sCenter forLifetime Learning.

The Marchevent visitedLincoln School(1931), one of thecity’s earliest Art

Deco schools, designed by ThomasPringle and Oliver J. Robling, and threeamazing buildings—Moderne, Mayan,and Expressionist—by Edward J. Weber(1877–1968): Mifflin (1932),Lemington (1937), and Schiller (1939).The latter two buildings were executedin association with Marion M. Steen,Board of Public Education Architectfrom 1935 to 1954.

Tour participants included Pittsburgharchitects John A. Martine and David J.Vater, and Edward Weber’s son-in-law,Charles Floyd. (Mr. Floyd and his latewife Agnes donated scrapbooks belong-ing to Edward Weber to the HeinzArchitectural Center of the CarnegieMuseum of Art, which documented,among other things, Weber’s schooldesign activities.)

The elegance of Lincoln School’sexterior brickwork and Schiller School’sinterior geometric metalwork wasappreciated. At Lemington School, John Martine noted the authenticity of various Central American designelements.

At Mifflin School—the earliest publicschool Weber designed, but the lastschool building visited—David Vatersaid enthusiastically: “This is so fresh!There is an originality in Weber’sdetailing: decorative stone carvings and brick details are not stock items orused in a standard way. He created new forms distinct to each school hedesigned, despite similar layouts, mass-ing, and materials. Each school building Weber designed has a very individuallook and identifiable personality.”

On September 15, Landmarks andPitt’s Center for Lifetime Learning willpresent a tour of seven Art Deco publicschool buildings designed between 1931 and 1942 by Marion M. Steen(1886–1966). Among several wonderfulinterior spaces is the original 1931auditorium of Prospect School, called“one of Pittsburgh’s most fully realizedArt Deco interiors” (National Registerof Historic Places Nomination Form).Some of Pittsburgh’s finest Art Decosculpture will also be seen.

David Vater’s comment at the conclu-sion of the March tour applies equallyto September: “Many of these buildingsare familiar to us from the outside, butin this day and age of schools as highsecurity places, the public does not oftenhave an opportunity to see the interiorsof these buildings. It was a real pleasureto have Landmarks obtain access so thatour group could enter and see the inte-rior hallways, stairs, and auditoriums ofthese unique public buildings.”

If you would like to attend theSeptember 15 Art Deco School Tour,call the University of Pittsburgh at 412-648-2560.

P a g e 2 0 P H L F N e w s • S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1

J O I NLANDMARKSSupport the PittsburghHistory & LandmarksFoundation in its work to:

• Identify, document, and work to save architectural landmarks,historic neighborhoods, andhistoric designed landscapes inAllegheny County;

• Provide loans and technicalassistance to community-basedorganizations that propose feasibleplans for historic properties;

• Participate in urban planningissues as an advocate for historicpreservation;

• Create educational programs for schools, community groups,members, and friends;

• Continue a well-managed,responsive, and creativemembership organization withthe ability to implement thesegoals on a long-range basis.

Membership Categories■■ Individual $25 or more■■ Family $30 or more■■ Couple $30 or more■■ Senior citizen

or student $15 or more■■ Schools and

Non-profits $35 or more■■ School Districts $50 or more■■ Ambassadors $100 or more■■ Corporate $250 or more■■ Life Benefactor $5,000

(a one-time gift)

The portion of your dues exceeding $15is tax-deductible.

Call Mary Lu Denny at 412-471-5808 ext. 527 for detailson a multiple-year membership plan at a reduced rate, and for a listing of our membership benefits.

Yes! Enroll me as a member of thePittsburgh History & LandmarksFoundation. I have enclosed acontribution in the amount of____________.

Name______________________________

Address____________________________

City _______________________________

State _____________ Zip _____________

Telephone (day)_____________________(area code)

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Method of Payment■■ Check enclosed (payable to PHLF)

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■■ I have already included Landmarks inmy will or estate plan.

Thank you for completing this form.Please detach and fax or mail to:MembershipPittsburgh History &Landmarks FoundationOne Station Square, Suite 450Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1134

412-471-5808, ext. 527Fax 412-471-1633www.phlf.org

in the morning, and the pilgrimage ofmiddle European Catholics to theFranciscan Friary in the afternoon.Wearing mostly black, they came bystreetcar from all over Pittsburgh toattend services and to pray in theGrotto.

I had five Pittsburgh Press customersat the Friary, two at the front office and three in the rear residence area. I remember the quiet beauty of theGrotto and its cool darkness in thesummer.

I left South Home Avenue when Imarried in the summer of 1954. Twoyears later, my father was called to a

church in New York and suddenly, theWaldrons were gone from the street. I have returned a half-dozen times,mostly to marvel at the high-rise apartments, admire the old (and new)churches and quietly salute the single-family homes that have courageouslystood their ground...still clean andfussed-over, and, as you pointed out so deftly, still independently proud.

Best wishes,

John F. Waldron

Art Deco Schools TourAlbert M. Tannler

More on Avalon (continued from page 6)

A Moderne-Mannerist doorway at MifflinSchool; Edward J.Weber, architect.

Neill LogHouse Landmarks UnderwritesStudyThirty-three years ago, thanks to a grantfrom the Richard King MellonFoundation, Landmarks restored theNeill Log House in Schenley Park. Itwas one of three eighteenth-centurybuildings remaining in Pittsburgh.Charles Morse Stotz was the architectfor the restoration and Ralph Griswoldwas the landscape architect. The Cityagreed to maintain the property if werestored it. Unfortunately, the City didnot maintain the property; now thehouse is suffering from disrepair and israrely open to the public.

At the request of the Pittsburgh ParksConservancy, Landmarks recentlyunderwrote the cost of a study to deter-mine what repair work was needed.Landmarks Design Associates completedthe study and estimates that totalrestoration costs will range between$40,000 and $50,000. Landmarks isnow working with the Conservancy todetermine how to make interim repairsuntil sufficient funds can be raised forthe complete restoration.

1,361 People Visit Neill Log HouseThanks to Landmarks’ member DwightFong, the Neill Log House was open forpublic tours during the PittsburghVintage Grand Prix on July 21 and 22.For several years now, Dwight hasworked with the City of Pittsburgh tosee that the log house is open to visitorsduring the Grand Prix.

PHLF News usually is published four times each year for the members of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, a non-profit historicpreservation organization serving Allegheny County. Special issues, devoted to a particular theme or program area, are published on occasion.Landmarks is committed to neighborhood restoration and historic property preservation; public advocacy; historic landscape preservation; andeducation and membership programs.

© 2001 Pittsburgh History & Landmarks FoundationDesigned by Pytlik Design Associates, Photographs by William Rydberg, PHOTON, and Landmarks, unless otherwise noted.

Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PresidentLouise Sturgess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor/Executive DirectorElisa J. Cavalier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . General CounselLaura Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education AssistantTom Croyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ComptrollerMary Lu Denny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Membership ServicesMary Ann Eubanks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education CoordinatorBarry Hannegan . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Historic Design ProgramsJean Hardy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryPhipps Hoffstot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chief Financial OfficerThomas Keffer . . . . . . . . . . . Superintendent of Property Maintenance

Walter C. Kidney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Architectural HistorianStanley A. Lowe. . . . . . . . . . . . Vice President, Preservation ProgramsCathy McCollom . . . . . . . . . . Director of Operations and MarketingJack Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Gift PlanningLinda Mitry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Staff AccountantFrank Stroker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Archivist/Sales ManagerAlbert M. Tannler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Historical Collections DirectorSarah Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryMarilyn Whitelock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryGregory C. Yochum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HorticulturistRonald C. Yochum, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chief Information Officer

The Neill Log House before restoration in 1968,and during a school tour in the 1980s.