Protecting the Places that Make Pittsburgh Home Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Nonprofit Org. 1 Station Square, Suite 450 U. S. Postage Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1134 PAID www.phlf.org Pittsburgh, PA Address Service Requested Permit No. 598 Special Issue PublishedP forH the membersL of the PittsburghF History &N Landmarks Foundationews No. 159 March 2001 The Two-Year Process and the Buildings 20 Pittsburgh Public Schools Designated as City of Pittsburgh Historic Structures Albert M. Tannler One of the discoveries made during the vote not to designate the remaining Allegheny County Historic Site Survey 18. Council chose to do the former, undertaken by the Pittsburgh History & but not the latter. Satisfactory Landmarks Foundation from 1979 “Guidelines” had not yet been pre- through 1984 was the large pared by the HRC and the number of architecturally and School administration for culturally significant public Council review; in addition, school buildings in the City of several members of Council Pittsburgh. In 1986 Landmarks objected to the omission of staff members Lu Donnelly some of the buildings from the and Martin Aurand prepared a list of nominees. National Register of Historic In any event, on December 8, 1999, Places nomination of what was 20 Pittsburgh public school buildings, called the Pittsburgh Public Schools 18 of which are on the National Thematic Group. As a result 49 Register of Historic Places, were desig- public school buildings dating from nated City of Pittsburgh Historic 1850 to 1939 were placed on the Structures. This designation provides National Register in 1986 and 1987. These protection only for the building (Please see the listing on page 2.) These 20 schools facades. Some of the most architec- are City of buildings account for about one third of turally distinguished features are Pittsburgh Historic interior ones, and these have no protec- all Pittsburgh buildings on the Register. Structures. The Historic Not all of the 49 designated buildings Review Commission will tion. The guidelines covering exterior are currently owned by the Board of review and approve any alterations to 16 schools were finally Public Education, nor were they in proposed changes to the exteriors. completed in 2000. Although the guide- 1986. One building (Oakland School) lines are comprehensive, they will be was subsequently demolished and 12 Ultimately, 38 school buildings owned existing building facades and additions beneficial only to the extent that the have been sold to private developers; for by the Board of Public Education were be submitted to and approved by the School Board chooses to follow them; example, the oldest school building, the nominated as City Historic Structures. HRC. The Board initially agreed to the they do not carry the force of law. Bedford School of 1850 on the South Several buildings on the Register, designation of 16 buildings but opposed City-designated schools need not be Side, is now condominiums. Park Place including three owned by the Board of designating the remaining 22. limited to 20. Other public school build- School (1903) in Point Breeze is also Education—South Side, Schenley, and After months of testimony by ings may be nominated in the future, as condominiums, while Morse School Conroy—were not nominated because Landmarks and others, a compromise well as the privately owned buildings (1874) on the South Side houses senior they were located within City Historic was proposed by HRC chairman John that were formerly schools. Two public citizens, and Latimer School (1898) on Districts and presumed to have the DeSantis. According to his proposal, schools in the Hill District may be the North Side is an apartment building. same status as individually designated HRC would recommend to City Council worthy candidates: Miller School, (Please see the illustrations below.) structures. In view of the City Law that 20 buildings become City Historic designed in 1905 by John Blair Elliott In 1998 the Board of Public Department’s intervention in a bed-and- Structures; 12 buildings would be subject and enlarged by M. M. Steen, and Education released a ten-year report breakfast application in Schenley Farms to renovation “Guidelines/Standards” McKelvy School, designed in 1911 by that predicted the possible closing of and the Historic Review Commission approved by HRC and Landmarks; Carlton Strong. numerous school buildings listed on (HRC) vote to un-designate the Market and four of the remaining six buildings ur story continues on the follow- the National Register. In response, Square City Historic District, both in which the Board intended to sell, would Oing pages, with comments about Landmarks initiated a process of nomi- 2000, such presumptions should be be offered to Landmarks first in order each public school building now desig- nating school buildings, including some reviewed. to find an appropriate buyer; the other nated as a City Historic Structure. The in private hands, as City of Pittsburgh In 1986, the Board of Public two would be cut adrift. Otherwise, the information is derived in large part from Historic Structures, hoping thereby to Education did not object to the designa- Board of Education would oppose the the National Register and City Historic increase the level of protection available tion of school buildings it owned as designation of all of the school buildings, Structure nomination forms written by to these historic buildings. An additional National Register buildings. In 1999, requiring a City Council majority of six Lu Donnelly, Martin Aurand, Walter five schools, either overlooked in 1986 however, there was ambivalence regard- of nine votes in favor of designation. Kidney, Barry Hannegan, and myself. or too new to qualify, were added to the ing City Historic Structure status, which In due course City Council was asked The schools are described in chronologi- cal order, so the progression of design is list of nominees. would require that proposed changes to to vote to designate 20 buildings and evident. Privately-owned former school buildings: Latimer is a City Historic Structure and the others may be nominated in the future. Bedford School (1850) on the South Park Place School (1903) in Point Morse School (1874) on the South Side Latimer School (1898) on the North Side now houses condominiums. Breeze is also condominiums. is home to senior citizens. Side is an apartment building. Page 2 PHLF News • March 2001 Pittsburgh Public School Buildings Placed on the National Register of Historic Places September 30, 1986 and February 3, 1987 Eighteen city-designated structures (noted by asteriks) are among 49 Pittsburgh public school buildings entered on the National Register of Woolslair, Fortieth Street and Historic Places. Buildings currently owned by the Board of Education are Liberty Avenue, Bloomfield. shown in boldface. Samuel T. McClarren, 1897 * 1. Allegheny 33. Morrow * 2. Arsenal 34. Morse 3. Baxter-Brushton 35. Oakland (demolished) 4. Bayard * 36. Oliver 5. Bedford (located in the East 37. Park Place Carson Street Historic District) * 38. Perry 6. Beechwood 39. Prospect * 7. Beltzhoover 40. Schenley (located in the Oakland 8. Birmingham Civic Center City of Pittsburgh 9. Boggs Avenue Historic District) * 10. Colfax * 41. Schiller 11. Connelley 42. South Side (located in the East Carson Street Historic District) 12. Conroy (located in the Manchester City Historic District) 43. Springfield * 13. Dilworth * 44. Sterrett 14. Fifth Avenue 45. Taylor Allderdice 15. Fort Pitt 46. Washington 16. Foster * 47. Westinghouse WOOLSLAIR School is design vocabulary of Longfellow, 17. Frick 48. Wightman a warm golden brick building in a Alden & Harlow. * 18. Friendship * 49. Woolslair Romanesque-style modified by Classical Samuel Thornburg McClarren’s 19. Fulton details: oval oculus and Palladian win- (b. 1862) primary known contributions * 20. Greenfield Public school buildings omitted or dows and Renaissance balconies are to regional architecture include two too new to meet National Register 21. Knoxville placed over Romanesque-arched Pittsburgh public schools (and an criteria in 1986 and subsequently * 22. Langley entrances or at the center of rows of addition to the Thornburg School); nominated by Landmarks for City Romanesque arched windows. several churches; the Husler Building 23. Larimer Historic Structure status: Woolslair resembles Samuel T. in Carnegie, now the Historical Society 24. Latimer 1. Concord (M.M. Steen, 1939) 25. Lawrence McClarren’s other Pittsburgh school of Carnegie, PA; and preeminently the 2. Rogers (Janssen & Abbott, commission, the National Register houses he designed c. 1900–1912 * 26. Lemington 1914) 27. Letsche John Morrow School in Brighton in suburban Thornburg for his cousin, 3. South Hills (Alden & Harlow, Heights, and both buildings evoke the Frank Thornburg. * 28. Lincoln 1916–24) 29. Linden 4. Stevens (M.M. Steen, 1940) * 30. Madison 5. Weil (M.M. Steen, 1942) 31. McCleary Only Concord and Stevens were * 32. Mifflin designated City Historic Structures. None of the public school buildings on the National Register of Historic Places will be affected by Pittsburgh Public School Superintendent John Thompson’s recent statement recommending that 11 schools be closed. Pittsburgh is most fortunate in having such a handsome collection of public school buildings, many recognized nationally, and some now designated as city landmarks. We encourage the School Board and its Facilities Department to continue to maintain these buildings in ways appropriate