discover historic opportunities in southwestern pennsylvania ten list 2005.pdfsave america’s...

© 2005 YPA Discover Historic Opportunities in Southwestern Pennsylvania 1

The Top Ten Best Historic Preservation

Opportunities in the Pittsburgh Area 2005

Discover Historic Opportunities in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Y P

AGive life to history.SM

© 2005 YPA

2 Discover Historic Opportunities in Southwestern Pennsylvania © 2005 YPA

Discover Historic Opportunities in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Sponsors of the May 6, 2005, Preservation Month Celebration include the following:

PA House Rep. Bill DeWeese andPA House Rep. Michael Veon

YOUNG PRESERVATIONISTS ASSOCIATIONSM

U.S. Application Serial No. 78/374,684and

GIVE LIFE TO HISTORYSM

U.S. Application Serial No. 78/374,716are registered trademarks of the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh.

All contents of this document, including the photographs, unless otherwise noted, are © 2005 Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh.www.youngpreservationists.org

Release of this report was held in conjunction with National Historic Preservation Month on May 6, 2005, at the Union Project inHighland Park. It was co-presented by the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Urban MagnetProject (PUMP), and the Urban League of Pittsburgh.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks goes to Rachael Kelley, chief event planner for the Preservation Month Celebration; Emily Ford, who designed theevent invitation; Jessica King and Justin Rothshank at the Union Project; and Rachel Steigerwalt, creator of the GIS map on p. 9.

THE TOP TEN BEST HISTORIC PRESERVATION OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA 2005

Anotherpreservationvictory in themaking:The UnionProject inHighland Park,#6 on YPA’slist in 2004.


INTRODUCTION

T he Young Preservationists believe in celebrating the Pittsburgh region’s three main strengths: affordability, unique natural features, and history. By protecting and

investing in these competitive advantages, developers,investors, and local residents can reap the benefits of a morelivable region. Investments in these assets are intended tocreate more jobs and taxes and attract young people.

So, why have so many young people disappeared from the area?

Perhaps one explanation is that spin control has never beenour strength. Pittsburgh is constantly living in its smoky past.As Pittsburgh historian Roy Lubove writes:

Few communities were so frequently compared tohell. A visitor in the 1880’s felt as though he had“reached the outer edge of the infernal regions. . . .One pictures, as he beholds it, the tortured spiritswrithing in agony, their sinewy limbs convulsed, andthe very air oppressive with pain and rage.” AndLincoln Steffens never forgot his first impression ofthe city: “It looked like hell, literally.”

Pittsburgh, like many cities, is also living in the shadow of itsmistakes. Elite-led efforts to revitalize Pittsburgh withRenaissance I did wonders for the city’s gritty image, but ithad devastating effects on the city’s historic buildings and onpoor and minority communities, similar to Robert Moses’wrath upon New York and urban renewal in cities acrossAmerica. Unfortunately, we continue to make mistakes.

Today, sprawl is the new smoke. Investment continues toflow outside of older towns and boroughs as more roads,malls, and housing developments rise on farmland. Investmentin sprawl not only threatens to drain older communities of much-needed capital for preserving their history, it threatens ourrural history as well. The Meason House in Fayette County, oncelocated in a rural area a short drive from downtown Uniontown,is being squeezed by big box retailers on both sides.

Investing in old thingsmay seemcounterintuitive, unlessyou are someone likeJeff DiMaio. Heembodies the region:humble, family-oriented,and committed to hiscommunity. Jeff is alsoa smart businessman:he just opened a newItalian deli on MainStreet in downtownUniontown.

Jeff is tapping into the Pittsburgh region’s key strength: itshistory. You see, Jeff is taking advantage of the exciting revival ofUniontown in the hopes that that people will wander back toUniontown to spend their money in his store, rather than to thesuburban malls that dot the rural landscape outside of town.

Jeff DiMaio: A wise investor inUniontown’s revival.

Time will tell whether Uniontown’s revitalization will hold.But it’s a promising start.

The 1802 Meason House in Fayette County,a National Historic Landmark, is threatened with sprawl.


In 2003, the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburghfeatured Uniontown on our first list of the “Top Ten BestHistoric Preservation Opportunities in the Pittsburgh Area.”Back then, Main Street Uniontown was our number one pick.Now, with local merchants like Jeff DiMaio reinvesting in thecommunity, hope is returning to Uniontown and all becausesomeone dared to take a chance. Older towns like Uniontownstill have a long way to go, but the revival that is under way isa promising start.

When we featured the Armstrong Cork Factory on the “Top10” list in 2003, people thought we were crazy. After all,there were several failed attempts at restoring this propertyover two decades. But the Young Preservationists had adifferent view. Let’s give this another chance, we thought.Perhaps this time, it’ll work. Provided tenants can be found,the investment may indeed be a winner for us all.

A lot has been going right in Pittsburgh. Across the riverfrom Armstrong Cork, the restored Heinz Lofts just opened.Pittsburgh has become a center for green building design,brownfield redevelopment, and active neighborhood groups.Brownsville (#2 on our 2003 Top Ten list) was given renewedhope by Gov. Ed Rendell, who provided $150,000 in statefunds to help with code enforcement. In Pittsburgh, theformer Nabisco plant will likely be renovated for housing,Lawrenceville is thriving, and the Cultural District is strong.

The Armstrong Cork Factory, #10 on YPA’s “Top Ten List” in 2003.Now, it’s being transformed into luxury apartments.

The Pittsburgh region still has its share of challenges. Young,well educated people continue to leave; land is being consumedat record rates, exacerbating sprawl; vacant propertiesproliferate; Downtown Pittsburgh is dismal; and many AfricanAmerican historic sites continue to be ignored and lost.Preservationists must not back down.

We must continue to advocate for legislative action, push forpedestrian-friendly zoning, urge regional planners to considerhistoric preservation in economic development plans, andhighlight the vast, untapped preservation prospects throughoutthe Pittsburgh region. As you can see, there are a number ofsuccess stories from YPA’s 2003 and 2004 Top Ten lists.YPA hopes that the 2005 list becomes the next set ofhistoric preservation success stories.

Hope for the Hill: In 2004, YPA nominated the New GranadaTheatre (#5 on the 2003 Top Ten List) to be a historic landmark.

In February 2005, YPA helped the Hill CDC prepare aSave America’s Treasures restoration grant for the structure.

Making headway in Brownsville, #2 on YPA’s 2003 Top Ten List:Brownsville Mayor Norma Ryan, a YPA Board Member (center),

poses with PA Governor Ed Rendell in April 2005.


TTTTTHEHEHEHEHE T T T T TOPOPOPOPOP T T T T TENENENENEN

The Young Preservationists look south for four of this year’sTop Ten Best Historic Preservation Opportunities in thePittsburgh Area for 2005. This year’s Top Ten list includesthree Main Streets, a site from the 18th century, an AfricanAmerican church, small town vintage theaters, a structurefrom the industrial age, a home of one of Pittsburgh’s mostfamous citizens, Andy Warhol, and 635 acres of open spacein the city of Pittsburgh.

These ten sites represent unique investment opportunitiesfor developers, investors, and taxpayers, particularly thenumber one site on this year’s list, Braddock. Citizens have aunique opportunity to save Braddock’s Main Street from theravages of the Mon-Fayette Expressway. Or, in the case ofHays Woods, the region has a rare opportunity to preserve635 acres of open space right in the City of Pittsburgh.

Given enough attention, capital, and political will, these yet-to-be restored properties can become the next gems in thePittsburgh region’s array of jewels. Restored, these sitescome alive with people, businesses, tax revenues, and vitality.This year’s list represents another host of potential preservationtriumphs. Give life to history.SM

How the 2005 Top Ten list was selected

The YPA Board met on April 23rd to evaluate and “score” 15nominations which had been submitted based on the followingcriteria:

1. 50-year threshold (is the site 50 years old or older?);

2. Historical and architectural significance;

3. Threats to the site;

4. Community input; and

5. Feasibility of the solution.

Points were awarded in each of the five categories, plus threebonus categories to ensure the sites have broad regionalrepresentation:

1. Is the site located outside the City of Pittsburgh?

2. Is the site located outside Allegheny County?

3. Is the site located in a low-income or minority neighborhood?

The 2005 Top Ten Best Historic PreservationOpportunities in the Pittsburgh Area

1. Braddock Avenue Historic District (1875-1915),Braddock Borough, Allegheny County

2. John Woods House (1792), Pittsburgh (Hazelwood)

3. Renaissance Place and Murphy Building (c. 1930and 1939), Aliquippa, Beaver County

4. Andy Warhol Residence (1915), Pittsburgh (SouthOakland)

5. Bryce-Mesta Mansion (c. 1880), West Homestead,Allegheny County

6. Murphy Building (1903), Blairsville, Indiana County

7. Small Town Vintage Theaters in Allegheny, Beaver,and Butler counties (1914-1928)

8. John Wesley AME Zion Church (1894-95), Pittsburgh(Hill District)

9. Hays Woods, Pittsburgh (Hays)

10. Otto Milk Plant (c. 1865-1880s), Pittsburgh (StripDistrict)


1 MAIN STREET BRADDOCK

2 JOHN WOODS HOUSE, HAZELWOOD

The historic John Woods House, built in 1792, was home toColonel John George Woods, the surveyor who laid out theCity of Pittsburgh. In the mid-1800s, it was the gatheringplace for the Knights of the Square Table, whose foundingmember was noted composer Stephen Collins Foster. Manyof Foster’s songs were played at the Woods House.

Abandoned for over a decade, new exterior improvementsare needed, along with windows, to prevent further decay.The Hazelwood Initiative have developed plans to restore thesite and turn it into a musical/historical and environmentaleducation field center for students of all ages. Organicfarming is already taking place on an adjacent lot. Organicurban farming will be one of the educational efforts of thefield center, once completed.

The plan to restore and revert the Woods House to aneducational field center is one of the aspects of the overalleconomic plan for the Hazelwood neighborhood. The citizensof the neighborhood are involved in the economic planthrough monthly meetings of the Hazelwood Initiative. The newcenter would blend in well with the residential neighborhoodwhere it is located and help the citizens reestablish communitiesties to the rich history of the area.

The Hazelwood Initiative has received some support for theirproject. However, without additional funding to properlyrestore the badly deteriorated house, its physical conditionwill worsen and become a candidate for demolition.

4604 Monongahela Street, Pittsburgh

800-1200 block, Braddock Borough, Allegheny County

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A gem in the rough best describes Braddock, Pennsylvania,once a thriving steeltown and still home to the Edgar ThompsonWorks, the last remaining steel plant in the Mon Valley. Thetown has several threats, including the removal of Braddock

Avenue’s official NationalRegister designation by thePennsylvania Historical andMuseum Commission last yearwhich cleared the way forhistoric building demolitions. Inaddition, the Mon-FayetteExpressway’s Pittsburgh linkcould, if built, run right throughBraddock. But there’s hope.The town could still become aviable Main Street community,which would complement aredeveloped Carrie Furnace site

in adjacent Rankin Borough. In addition, the Braddock CarnegieLibrary, a restored National Register Historic Landmark, is ablock away. A Mon Valley Economic Development Strategy was

established to focusdevelopment aroundhubs like Braddock toattract new businessesand preserve MainStreet. Also, theTurnpike Commissionestablshed a citizensdesign advisory teamto help integrate thehighway with thecommunity. Now, thetown must showpolitical will to revive itsirreplaceable history.


3

5 6Name: Bryce-Mesta Mansion (c. 1880)Address: 540 Doyle AvenueMunicipality: West Homestead Borough, Allegheny Co.Theme: Women’s History

Name: Main Street Aliquippa (c. 1930 and 1939)Address: 392 and 464-470 Franklin AvenueMunicipality: City of Aliquippa, Beaver CountyTheme: Main Streets

Name: Murphy Building (1903)Address: East Market and South Stewart StreetMunicipality: Blairsville Borough, Indiana CountyTheme: Main Streets

Name: Andy Warhol Residence (1915)Address: 3252 Dawson StreetMunicipality: City of Pittsburgh (South Oakland)Theme: Homes of Famous Pittsburghers

The name Perle Mesta has come to be synonymous with theexpression “the hostess with the mostess.” She was bornPerle Skirvin in Sturgis, Michigan, in 1889, grew up in OklahomaCity, and spent her youthful years in New York City. In 1917,Perle married George Mesta, a self-made millionaire whostudied engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and made hisfortune by establishing the Mesta Machine Company in WestHomestead. About 1935 she joined the National Woman’sParty and became an effective lobbyist on behalf of the EqualRights Amendment. Perle Mesta served as the Ambassador toLuxembourg from 1949 to 1953, where she became a well-

known socialite,which inspiredIrving Berlin’s hitmusical Call MeMadam. PearlMesta died inOklahoma City in1975. She isburied inPittsburgh’sHomewoodCemetery.

4The Aliquippa Alliance for Unity and Development (AAUD) hasunveiled plans to rehabilitate the 1939 G.C. Murphy Buildingand the c. 1930 former Mellon Bank Building (pictured below)into mixed-use space for retail, community functions, andaffordable housing, along with streetscape improvements.

Aliquippa was once home to a huge Jones & LaughlinSteel Company (later LTV) plant which employed thousands.With the collapse of the steel industry and increasing

suburbanization ofthe population,Aliquippa fell onhard times,particularly alongits main street,Franklin Avenue.AAUD could useadditional supportto attract fundersand communitysupport for thisambitious plan.

Andy Warhol, Pittsburgh’s famous pop artist, lived at thislocation for many years. His father purchased the house in1934, when Warhol was six years old, and Andy lived hereuntil 1949, when he graduated from Carnegie MellonUniversity. The house was witness to Warhol’s formativeyears as an artist. The house now sits in a deteriorated

condition. It has four taxliens against it, and thelisted owners have died.Warhol’s brother, JohnWarhola, along withOakland Planning andDevelopment Corp., andothers have organized topurchase the house andrestore it to its pre-1930scondition and provide livingspace for promising youngartists. Additional publicitywill help OPDC attract thenecessary capital.

The Blairsville Improvement Group has been working with theIndiana County Office of Planning and Development, PennsylvaniaHistorical and Museum Commission, and a local consultant tolink investors with the restoration and reuse of the MurphyBuilding for first-floor retail and housing on the second and thirdfloors. Listed on the National Register, the Murphy Building wasconstructed in 1903 as the home of the First National Bank ofBlairsville. It later housed the G.C. Murphy Company. It wasonce the anchor property for a thriving downtown Blairsville.Saving this building and returning it to a useful state would help

jumpstart acommunityrevitalizationofBlairsville’sMain Street.Many fearthat if itsdeteriorationcontinues,it will haveto bedemolished.

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9 10Name: Hays WoodsAddress: 635 acres bordered by Glass Run

Road, Beck’s Run Road, Carson Street,and Baldwin Borough

Municipality: City of Pittsburgh (Hays)Theme: Scenic Landscapes

Name: Small Town Vintage Theaters (1914-1928)Address: Various sitesMunicipality: Allegheny, Beaver, and Butler countiesTheme: Historic American Theaters

Name: Otto Milk Plant (1865-1880s)Address: 24th & Smallman StreetsMunicipality: City of Pittsburgh (Strip District)Theme: Pittsburgh’s Industrial Legacy

Name: John Wesley A.M.E. Zion Church (1894-95)Address: 594 Herron AvenueMunicipality: City of Pittsburgh (Hill District)Theme: African American Historic Churches

Small town theaters throughout the Pittsburgh area arethreatened with extinction. Some people, however, arefighting back to save these important community assets.YPA highlights five in particular which could use some positivepublicity. Preservation of the Granada Theater (built 1928-1932) in Beaver Falls, Beaver County, and the Strand

Theater (pictured below,built 1914) in Zelienople,Butler County, areintegral to Main Streetrevitalization efforts.Three additional theaters—Cinema 4 and the Hollywoodin Dormont and the DenisTheater in Mt. Lebanon—have sat empty for years.Only the Strand has anorganized Strand TheaterInitiative that is seekingto raise enough funds tocomplete restoration oftheir theater.

Originally built in 1894-95 as the Herron Avenue PresbyterianChurch, the Pittsburgh Presbytery sold the church in 1945 tothe John Wesley AME Zion congregation. Organized in1836, the John Wesley AME Zion congregation is the secondoldest black congregation in the Pittsburgh area (only BethelAME, organized in 1822, is older). The John Wesley AME Zion

Church became a CityHistoric Landmark in 1993and is only one of threeAfrican American historiclandmarks in the city. Fundsfrom the PA Department ofEnvironmental Protectionhelped solve acid minedrainage problems in thechurch’s basement. Butadditional funds areneeded to complete a fullexterior and interiorrestoration so thecongregation can use themain sactuary once more.

One of the few undeveloped parcels of land left in the City ofPittsburgh that is not parkland, “Hays Woods” has attractedthe attention of Beaver County developer Charles Betters,

who wants to construct ahorse race track, casino,hotel, commerical, retail,and residential units onthe 635-acre site.Several problems existfor developers, includingextremely steep slopes,former mine shafts,wetlands, and streamvalleys. The developmentproposal has attracted aconsiderable amount ofopposition to the plan,and a community charetterecommended the site beleft undeveloped.

A prominent Strip District landmark, the Otto Milk Companywas built by Joseph Spencer around 1865 as the PhoenixBrewing Company, and served as a brewery for severaldecades before it was sold and used by the Otto Milk Company

as a processing andstorage facility. Thebuilding is for sale byBenyon & Co. for $1.2million and inclues severaladditional connectedbuildings. The propertycomprises 15,750 squarefeet and lends itself toretail, office, and lofthousing uses. Thebuilding’s proximity to theStrip’s shopping district,Downtown, andArmstrong Cork makes itan attractive deal.To

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GIS maps by Rachel Steigerwalt.

Downtown Uniontown

Downtown Brownsville

Peter Colley TavernTally Hollow Farm

Creative Arts Center, Downtown Greensburg

Murphy Building, Blairsville

Watts Mill BridgeAmbridge Historic District

Renaissance Place and Murphy Building, Aliquippa

Granada Theater, Beaver Falls

Strand Theater, Zelienople

Pullman Park, Butler

The Young Preservationistscover the nine-county Pittsburghregion. In the past three years,nominations to the YPA’s TopTen List have come from everycounty in the region but two.The Top Ten List includes adiverse array of sites andthemes, from rural farms toinner-city churches.

Legend

(See inset map for details)

The Top Ten Best Historic Preservation Opportunitiesin the Pittsburgh Area, 2003-2005

Top Ten Sites in Allegheny County, 2003-2005

John Wesley AME Zion Church, Hill District

Braddock Avenue, BraddockCinema 4 Theater &Hollywood Theater, Dormont

Denis Theater, Mt. Lebanon

Hays Woods,Hays (Pittsburgh) Bryce-Mesta House,

West Homestead

Eighth Avenue HistoricDistrict, Homestead

John Woods House, Hazelwood

Hazelwood Carnegie Library

Andy Warhol House, Oakland

Penn Station,Wilkinsburg

National Negro Opera CompanyHouse, Homewood

Union Project, Highland Park

B’Nai IsraelSynagogue,Garfield

Allegheny County HealthDept., Lawrenceville

Armstrong CorkFactory, Strip District

Otto Milk Plant, Strip District

New Granada Theater,Hill District

August WilsonBirthplace,Hill District

South HillsHigh School,Mt. Washington

TheManchesterPlan,Manchester


Structure Name Municipality County Theme1. Tally Hollow Farm Waynesburg Greene Family FarmsBuilt in the 1850s, Tally Hollow Farm is home to a ten-year sustainable agricultural and forestry demonstration project aimed atdispelling the myths concerning the economic capability of traditional Greene County sustainable industries. The vision for TallyHollow Farm centers on establishing the farm as an important location for environmental education, economic development, andfarm-based recreation. This is the only project within Greene County dedicated to restoration and reuse of a typical smallsouthwestern Pennsylvania farm.

(Tie) 2, 3. The Manchester Plan Pittsburgh (Manchester) Allegheny African American NeighborhoodsThe Manchester Citizens Corporation has developed the “Manchester Neighborhood Transformation Initiative,” an attempt tosolve the problem of the most blighted properties and vacant lots in Manchester. The end product will be an economically,architecturally, and socially diverse neighborhood that is pedestrian-friendly and progressively designed.

(Tie) 2, 3. Pullman Park Butler Butler Recreation SpotsThis project is part of a $50 million effort to revitalize and develop the West End and Island neighborhoods, renovate part of theMain Street corridor, and rehabilitate the 1934 Pullman Park baseball stadium.

4. Carnegie Library, Hazelwood Branch Pittsburgh (Hazelwood) Allegheny Civic ArchitectureThe Hazelwood Initiative has identified the redevelopment of this property, built in 1900, as a top priority and is committed tohaving community input during the planning phases for the building’s reuse.

5. South Hills High School Pittsburgh (Knoxville) Allegheny Educational InstitutionsDesigned by Alden and Harlow in 1915, with a major addition added in 1923, the Mount Washington Community DevelopmentCorporation continues to work with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Pittsburgh Public Schools, and other communitystakeholders, including the YPA, to develop a reuse plan for the former school to serve the neighborhood.

6. Union Project Pittsburgh (Highland Park) Allegheny Religious PropertiesThe Union Project is a nonprofit organization with the goal to restore the former Second United Presbyterian Church (built in1903), which sits at a prominent corner bordering East Liberty and Highland Park.

7. Watts Mill Bridge Beaver Beaver Transportation InfrastructureBuilt by the West Penn Bridge Company of New Brighton, Pa., in 1878, the Watts Mill Bridge is a 116-foot-long, pin-connectedPratt pony truss bridge and the only bridge in Beaver County listed on the National Register. Currently, the bridge is threatenedby impending removal by PennDOT. The Beaver County Historical Research and Landmarks Foundation has been in contact withPennDOT over the bridge’s future.

8. Creative Arts Center Greensburg Westmoreland ArtsSeton Hill University has embarked on a unique effort to revitalize downtown Greensburg’s Cultural District by constructing an$11.3 million, 50,300-square-foot Center for the Arts, which includes renovation of existing structures.

9. Penn Station Wilkinsburg Allegheny Transportation InfrastructureBuilt in 1916 but vacant since the 1970s, Wilkinsburg’s Pennsylvania Station anchors the business corridor of Wilkinsburg andcan serve as a catalyst for revitalization in the downtown area. If restored, the property would be best suited as a building thatthe public could use and enjoy, such as a library, museum, art gallery, or limited office space. The Borough of Wilkinsburg andthe Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University have partnered to study the feasibility of rehabilitating the Wilkinsburg TrainStation

10. Allegheny County Health Department Pittsburgh (Lawrenceville) Allegheny Civic ArchitectureBuilt as a hospital for the U.S. Marines around 1900, this seven-building complex on 6.5 acres of urban land may lend itself to anew housing development. Whether this means renovation or demolition of the historic properties remains to be seen.

THE 2004 TOP TEN LIST


THE 2003 TOP TEN LIST

Structure Name Municipality County Theme1. Main Street Uniontown Fayette Small Town Main StreetsUniontown’s downtown National Register Historic District (c. 1880s-1920s) has beengiven a multimillion dollar facelift by Fayette CountyCommissioner and 84 Lumber owner, Joe Hardy (pictured atright). The energy is infectious, and is beginning to spread toother cities like Brownsville.

Left, a revitalized Main Street Uniontown.

2. Downtown Brownsville Brownsville Borough Fayette Small Town Main StreetsDowntown Brownsville’s National Register commercial district received a $150,000 grant from Gov. Ed Rendell in April 2005for code enforcement, which was matched by Joe Hardy. There have been some losses, but some restoration has begun.

3. Eighth Avenue National Register District Homestead Allegheny Small Town Main StreetsSeveral new stores and restaurants have opened along Homestead’s Eighth Avenue National Register Historic District (c.1890s to 1940s). There are still many vacancies, and Chiodo’s Tavern, a landmark, will succumb to a Walgreen’s.

4. National Negro Opera Company House Pittsburgh (Homewood) Allegheny African American HistoryLarge Victorian (built 1908) home of Mary Cardwell Dawson (1894-1962), who founded the first permanent black operacompany in the U.S., now sits vacant, neglected, and in need of restoration funds by its current owner who wants to restore theproperty as a community arts center.

5. New Granada Theater Pittsburgh (Hill District) Allegheny African American HistoryDesigned by the African American architect Louis Bellinger, this acclaimed and storied Art Deco theater (built 1927) inPittsburgh’s Hill District has become the city’s newest historic landmark, thanks to the YPA, which nominated it for historicdesignation in 2004. In February 2005, YPA submitted a “Save America’s Treasures” grant to stabilize the building.

6. Ambridge National Register District Ambridge Beaver Small Town Main StreetsVacant, neglected, and absentee-owned properties (built 1825-1905) that are part of the Old Economy National RegisterHistoric District are in need of restoration and reuse by responsible owners.

7. Peter Colley Tavern Brier Hill-Redstone Twp. Fayette Eighteenth Century ExperienceThe oldest tavern still in existence (built 1818) that sits along the National Road National Heritage Corridor (current U.S. Route40), is vacant, deteriorating, but would be an ideal location for a tourist center.

8. August Wilson Birthplace & Home Pittsburgh (Hill District) Allegheny African American HistoryBirthplace and home of the Pulitzer-prize winning author August Wilson (born 1945), whose plays Fences, Jitney, and SevenGuitars, are legendary, this c. 1895 structure is in dire need of repair and proper attention.

9. B’Nai Israel Synagogue Sanctuary Pittsburgh (Garfield) Allegheny Religious Structures(Urban League Charter School)Highly-praised architect Henry Hornbostel designed B’Nai Israel’s grand synagogue in 1923-24, but it has since fallen prey to theelements and the roof is in need of repair by the Urban League Charter School, which wants to convert the unused space into alocation for community meetings and concerts.

10. Armstrong Cork Factory Pittsburgh (Strip District)Allegheny Industrial LegacyIf all goes as planned, this masterpiece of the industrial age (designed by Pittsburgh architect Frederick Osterling in 1901-02),the Armstrong Cork Factory could, within 18 months, have 297 loft apartments, a 450-car parking garage, and first-floor retailshops. Work is already underway. After two decades of failed plans, it seems that Armstrong Cork will be given a new life.


Actually, we’re not that crazy. Incorporated in 2002, YPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit comprised of dynamic preservation leadersthroughout the region organized to ignite a new historic preservation movement in southwestern Pennsylvania. The YPA is builton a business model that is regional, youth-focused, and proactive.

Mission & ValuesThe mission of Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh is the active participation of young people in the preservation ofhistoric resources. Everyone who supports the next generation is a young preservationist. YPA believes that historic preservation isan effective tool for economic development and regional revitalization.

VisionYPA is a primary catalyst, a coalition builder, and central resource for historic preservation in southwestern Pennsylvania. Weencourage young people to take an active role in the preservation of historic resources in their communities. We encourage allpeople to work together toward a common agenda to create more robust communities by using historic preservation as a toolfor economic and community development.Give life to history.SM

YPA MissionThe active participation of young

people in the preservation ofhistoric resources.

Young PreservationistsAssociation of Pittsburgh

PO Box 2669Pittsburgh, PA 15230-2669

[email protected]

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