The Archives march 2017 Wilkinsburg historical Society newsletter Volume 23, Issue 1 The next meeting of the Wilkinsburg Historical Society will be Monday evening, March 20 at 7:30 PM in South Avenue United Methodist Church, using the left Ross Avenue entrance. The program for the evening will be a discussion of current Historical Society projects and an overview of plans for 2017. The meeting is free to attend, guests are always welcome. Refreshments served following the program. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you to everyone who responded to the Historical Society request for donations toward the Wilkinsburg Train Station restoration. In November 2016 a challenge was initiated to Historical Society members to collectively raise $10,000 toward the Train Station project. At this time, our members have given over $7,000 toward that goal! It is not too late to get on board, as donations can be sent to the WCDC (Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation) 1001 Wood St. Wilkinsburg, PA 15221 Be sure to note that you are contributing to the Train Station Restoration Historical Society Challenge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preservation Pittsburgh is a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to preserving our region s historic, architectural, cultural, and environmental heritage. As their mission states, Its purpose is to assist individuals and organizations in preserving the integrity of the architecture and physical surroundings they value. With this purpose in mind, Preservation Pittsburgh s Religious Heritage team has been working with the Wilkinsburg Historical Society to visit the churches of our town. As the City of Churches there are over twenty-five architecturally significant structures. For now, visits include interviews with the pastors, photographing, discussions of what ways the buildings are being used and maintenance/repair issues facing these congregations. Members of the team have discussed energy audits to assess waste of funds used for utilities and services. The two images above show the visit to South Avenue United Methodist Church. Left to right are: Jack Schmidt, John Burns, Pastor Rita Platt and Susan Brandt. The right image shows the soaring sanctuary of S.A.U.M.C. Preservation Pittsburgh is also working with YPA (Young Preservationists Association) to present Saving Sacred Places - A Preservation Summit, This event is Thursday March 23 from 6 to 8 PM at The Priory, 614 Pressley Street, Pittsburgh 15212 This promises to be an important time to learn about Partners for Sacred Places in Philadelphia and The Steeples Project in Johnstown. The problem of abandoned, neglected churches will be discussed. The panel of experts will describe how other communities have found new purposes for their church buildings. There is a $5 suggested donation.
Wilkinsburg Historical Society has partnerships with other like-minded historical groups who seek to preserve and celebrate local history. One of these is with our neighbor, Edgewood Historical Society. Our members are welcome to attend their programs and lectures, usually held on a Wednesday evening. Next meeting will be May 17 in the Edgewood Club Living Room, 1 Pennwood Avenue, 15218. Memberships are available for just $10.00. Send your name, address, phone, email to Edgewood Historical Society, 2 Race Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 They can be reached at EdgewoodHistory@yahoo.com Their evening program for March explored the life of Henry Herman Westinghouse, youngest brother of famed industrialist George Westinghouse. Born in 1853 in New York, he came to Pittsburgh in 1872 to work with his brother and settled down in the little village of Edgewood. The lively discussion and slide presentation showed Henry Herman Westinghouse as a very accomplished man who was an early Edgewood resident, Councilman, Burgess, Inventor, Business leader and brother of George Westinghouse. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The East Liberty Valley Historical Society has reached out to the Wilkinsburg Historical Society to strengthen our connections. In his welcome letter, the ELVHS President Justin P. Greenawalt stated, We have exciting plans for the East End in 2017, but paramount among those plans is becoming better acquainted with our neighboring organizations. We strongly believe that preserving and promoting our shared historical legacy is a cause we can all support. In the spirit of working together, we would like to offer the Wilkinsburg Historical Society an entirely complimentary one-year membership with the East Liberty Valley Historical Society. We would also like to formally invite you to our upcoming Spring 2017 Lecture Series. The 2017 Speaker Series is held on the first Fridays of Spring. The dates are: March 3, April 7, May 5 and June 2. The March talk Billy Conn: From East Liberty to Hollywood was presented by Paul Kennedy, author of The Pittsburgh Kid. Upcoming talks to put on your calendar: April 7 will be Hear All About It - How Historic and Not-So-Historic Events in Pittsburgh and East Liberty Were Reported In The Newspapers by Len Barcousky, Author, Journalist and retired Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Columnist. The May 5 talk will be George Washington:Here on Business and is presented by Miles S. Richards, PhD, author, retired faculty member of University of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College. The June 2 presentation will be Architect Frederick G. Scheibler, Jr. and his work in the East End, presented by Martin Aurand, Author, Principal Architecture Library/Archivist, Head of University Libraries Arts Library and Special Collections Department, Carnegie Mellon University. These lectures will be held at the East Liberty Presbyterian Church, 116 S. Highland Avenue, 15206 (room location will be posted at the Highland Avenue entrance) Each talk begins at 7:30 PM and is free to the public.
Progress continues on the iconic Wilkinsburg Train Station restoration. Some of the progress is quite noticeable to those who pass by the train station. Massive amounts of vegetation had covered much of the front and sides, as seen in the left 2015 image. With the ivy removed in 2016, structural engineers can evaluate and determine what repairs are needed. The architectural firm of MacLachlan Cornelius & Filoni, the firm chosen to restore the Wilkinsburg Train Station, has extensive experience in restoring historic structures. Established in 1889, it is the longest running architectural firm in Pittsburgh. Historical Society members heard an overview of the Train Station project by John Evans, project manager and Chris Pegher, project architect during the Society s annual dinner in November. John Evans (left image above) also gave a slide presentation on February 16 at a public meeting held in the Municipal building. Hosted by the WCDC, Evans discussed the initial sequence that is used in historic restoration including historic research, code assessment, Laser scanning and existing condition assessment. He further explained the detailed investigation would include hazardous materials remediation, selective removals, lifts and access. The design development would include infrastructure restoration and landscaping. Building systems will need to be changed, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire protection. The above right image shows the billboard erected in front of the Train Station showing the history and the proposed future of this building. There are artist drawings of the proposed restoration, along with links to donate to this project. DONATE@WILKSTATION.ORG fb.com/wilkinsburgtrainstation
Longtime member of the Wilkinsburg Historical Society, Edgar Rives Taylor, Jr. has passed away January 31, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Edgar, known to many as Ed, had a lifelong interest in history and had spent countless hours in the Wilkinsburg Public Library identifying and labelling historical documents and news articles. He had provided ideas for various programs to be presented by the Historical Society and had presented several programs himself. One quite memorable presentation was Ed s Raising of the Tracks. He researched and lectured about the 1914-1916 raising of the Wilkinsburg railroad tracks and the lowering of the streets. Ed had served as vicepresident and then president of the Wilkinsburg Historical Society. Ed Taylor was a prolific writer and was one of the authors of Images of America - Wilkinsburg, created by the Wilkinsburg Historical Society in 2007. He was a charter member of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogy Society and a member of the National Society of Genealogists. He wrote several family histories too. Ed was always happy to share his passion for preserving history and for several decades was the Archivist and Historian for St. Stephen s Episcopal Church on Pitt Street in Wilkinsburg. He provided all the information to successfully obtain Historic Landmark status with a PH&LF plaque for St. Stephens 1903 church building. Ed had graduated from Cornell University in 1952 with degrees of Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and then Master of Engineering. He then served in Korea in the Corps of Engineers, attaining the rank of Captain. Ed Taylor had told fascinating stories about his mid 1950s arrival in Pittsburgh to begin a thirty year career at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Needing a place to stay, he had rented space in the old Penn-Lincoln Hotel on Penn Avenue, and spoke of taking the trolley from the Hotel to get to Westinghouse each work day. Soon, he and his wife Guion purchased a home on Old Gate Road in the Blackridge section of Wilkinsburg, where they would reside for over fifty years. It was in the Blackridge home that Ed and Guion raised their two sons, Rives and Gary. Edgar and Guion moved to Houston in October, 2016 to be closer to their adult sons. Guion, married to Ed for sixty-four years, passed away in late October. The Taylors are survived by their sons: Rives Trau Taylor and his wife Lori of Houston, Texas and the Rev. Edgar Garland ( Gary ) Taylor and his wife Karen of New Orleans, Louisiana. There are also three grandchildren, Charles Shipley Taylor, Gwendolyn Guion Taylor, and Theodore Jenot Taylor. A funeral service for both Ed and Guion will take place at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Orleans, LA on Saturday, March 18, 2017. They will be buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Waco, Texas. Ed & Guion - wedding day Ed and son Rev. Edgar Garland Gary Ed with son Rives Trau Taylor A celebration of Ed s and Guion s lives will be held on Saturday, July 29 at 5:00 pm at St. Stephen s Episcopal Church, 600 Pitt Street, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221. The Taylors have suggested that friends consider a memorial donation to St. Stephen s Episcopal Church.
Falconhurst Apartments change from blighted to beautiful! Falconhurst Apartments, located at 724 Kelly Avenue off Rebecca Avenue, were originally built in 1904 by Wilkinsburg builder and lumber mill owner, James A. Wilson. This trio of apartment buildings was occupied for almost a century before it became vacant and deteriorated. Then Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PH&LF) and their real estate development subsidiary Landmarks Development Corporation came to the rescue. Along with partners PA Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), County of Allegheny, PA Department of Community & Economic Development, PNC bank and NDC real estate management this complex was completely restored and ready to become home to eighteen families. The image on the left shows the completely rebuilt porches, while the right image shows the extent of the restoration before the brick was re-laid on the east side of the structure and the old rotted porches were removed and replaced. The historic Falconhurst Apartments have been given this distinctive plaque by the PH&LF showing that it is a complex worthy of special status. The Falconhurst, along with its next door Crescent Apartment building are located in the Hamnett Place neighborhood of Wilkinsburg. Hamnett Place was added in 2010 to the National Register of Historic Places. The Crescent Apartments were completely restored in 2011 by Landmarks Development Corporation. Wilkinsburg residents are thrilled with these spectacular transformations that beautify the Borough and enhance the livability in so many ways.
Wilkinsburg Historical Society has a website! The Wilkinsburg Historical Society has a website to share more information about the history of Wilkinsburg. To visit the site: wilkinsburghistory.wordpress.com Mailing address: Wilkinsburg Historical Society, P.O. Box 17252, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 We meet at 7:30 PM on the third Monday of months March, June, August and November usually at the South Avenue United Methodist Church in Wilkinsburg. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE! The Archives Historical Society newsletter is published monthly, March through November. Wilkinsburg Historical Society yearly dues for the Wilkinsburg Historical Society are: $20.00 INDIVIDUAL Member, $35.00 FAMILY Membership $10.00 STUDENT or ASSOCIATE Members (for out of towners who usually can t attend meetings) Please keep your membership dues up to date. Wilkinsburg Historical Society is involved with preservation projects in the area. Donations are appreciated.please send to: Wilkinsburg Historical Society, P.O. Box 17252, Pittsburgh, PA 15235 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREE E-mail subscription to Wilkinsburg s newsletter, The Wilkinsburg Sun The Wilkinsburg Sun is a community newsletter about the GOOD news in Wilkinsburg. The newsletter is published 10 times a year and the print editions can be found at various locations, including the libraries, the Borough Building and the WCDC. If you want to ensure that you never miss another issue of The Sun, go to eepurl.com/v0ibp and sign up. You ll receive a link to each and every issue via email -just as soon as they hit the street.