Preliminary Program
Download the Schedule at a Glance
Day One - Tuesday, July 16th, 2013
8:30am – 4:30pm – Historic Preservation Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit: Making Money the Old Fashioned Way
Rehabilitation of historic buildings is an important element of sustainable development and economic opportunity for communities, property owners and developers. The federal rehabilitation investment tax credit program (RITC) is a key tool in financing many historic rehabilitation projects. Additionally, as of July 1, 2013, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will provide a state rehabilitation tax credit that mirrors the RITC.
To assist design professionals in providing relevant services to clients and to provide crucial information to property owners and developers, this workshop will teach the requirements of the RITC and new state tax credit programs. This course will provide participants with the appropriate state and federal agency contacts, basic program requirements, the process of program application and project design considerations. Workshop participants will learn fundamental aspects of federal and state tax considerations of the RITC as well as how applying the RITC to development projects works in practice.
This workshop is not included in the general conference registration. Tickets are available for $65; conference attendees receive a discounted rate of $15 per person. Pre-registration is required.
The workshop is sponsored by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) and the City of Pittsburgh Planning Department.
1:30pm – 4:30pm – PennDOT Cultural Resources Staff Meeting
5:00pm – 7:15pm – Transit and History Tour
Louise Sturgess (PHLF) and David Wohlwill (Port Authority of Allegheny County) will lead attendees on a tour of Pittsburgh’s historic transit infrastructure. The tour will include a ride on the light rail system and Monongahela Incline and a tour of Station Square to explore the beautifully-restored Grand Concourse and the Fairbanks Transportation Archives, one of Pittsburgh’s hidden archival resource gems. After visiting Station Square, the attendees will walk across the Smithfield Street Bridge for breath-taking views of the Golden Triangle, the Monongahela River, the Station Square complex, Mt. Washington, Three Rivers Heritage Trail and CSX railroad.
Tour participants have the option of staying at Station Square for dinner in the Grand Concourse or other restaurants in Station Square. All tour participants will be provided with a pass which can be used on Port Authority’s system on during and after the tour on Tuesday, July 16.
This tour is limited to fifteen participants. Please do not delay in registering for this exclusive opportunity! 6:00pm – 9:00pm – YPA’s Annual Top Ten Announcement at Wigle Whiskey Distillery
Join the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh (YPA) as they count down the top ten best preservation opportunities in the Pittsburgh area. YPA’s annual Top Ten event highlights endangered historic sites that are ideal opportunities for restoration and reuse. YPA invites conference attendees to celebrate the Top Ten announcement at Wigle Whiskey – this popular new distillery is the first one opened in Pittsburgh since Prohibition. More details to come!
Pictured above: Horse Car on the South Side. Photo courtesy of David Wohlwill.
Day Two- Wednesday, July 17th
8:30am – 12:40pm – Babushkas & Hard Hats: A Tour of Carrie Blast Furnace Complex & the Bulgarian Macedonia National Educational and Cultural Center
The Babushkas & Hard Hats Tour, hosted by the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, will provide attendees with an opportunity to explore the historic Carrie Blast Furnace Complex. Towering 92 feet over the Monongahela River, Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 are extremely rare examples of pre-World War II iron-making technology. Built in 1907, the furnaces produced iron for the Homestead Works from 1907 to 1978. During the 1920s - 1940s, Carrie 6 and 7 consumed approximately four tons of raw materials comprised of iron ore, coke, and limestone for every ton of iron produced. These furnaces reached their peak production in the 1950s and 1960s when they were producing 1000-1250 tons of iron a day. Since the collapse of the region's steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, these are the only non-operative blast furnaces in the Pittsburgh District that remain standing. After exploring the Carrie Blast Furnace Complex, attendees will depart for the Bulgarian Macedonia National Educational and Cultural Center in Homestead to enjoy a presentation about Bulgarian traditions and the immigrant experience in the Mon Valley.
This tour is not included in the general conference registration; tickets are available for $53 per person. This tour includes round-trip transportation, admission to the Carrie Furnace, and lunch. Pre-registration is required. Concurrent Morning Sessions at the William Penn Hotel
8:30am – 12:00pm – Open for Business: A Real-Estate Developer’s Perspective on Successful Revitalization Strategies
From Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, real-estate developers are partnering with preservation organizations to breathe new life into historic buildings. This session will provide the real estate developer’s perspective on the keys to successful downtown revitalization. Experts from around the State will provide case studies on project financing, the importance of public-private partnerships, and strategies to balance project feasibility with historic preservation goals.
8:30am – 12:00pm – River Heritage: Archaeology
From the wilds of the upper Allegheny to the gritty riverfront towns of the Lower Monongahela, the great rivers of Western Pennsylvania have profoundly shaped the region’s heritage. This session will focus on the buried and submerged past of the Ohio Valley in Pennsylvania and will feature current research at sites as diverse as Ice Age hunter-gatherer encampments and sunken nineteenth century riverboats.
8:30am – 12:00pm – Preserving 19th and 20th Century Parks with a 21st Century Sensibility
People visit urban parks to explore the landscape, enjoy historic features, and to be refreshed before returning to the hustle and bustle of city life. Efforts to preserve historic urban parks must meet these needs, balancing environmental, preservation, and recreation goals. This session will explore park plans and projects that have aimed to preserve a variety of historic landscape types while incorporating sustainable practices and sometimes introducing new uses. The panel will also address successful community action campaigns to raise funds, often in absence of public funding, to support park projects.
8:30am – 10:00am – Young Voices in Preservation
Faced with seemingly insurmountable hurdles—grim employment prospects, personal and international financial pressures, and global environmental challenges—young people remain refreshingly optimistic about the future. Through preservation of the past, young people see the opportunity to create a better world for us all. Join three Pittsburgh-area young people working to raise awareness of and save historic sites that are integral to both the Pittsburgh story but also the national narrative about the past. Michael Funyak is an undergraduate student at Robert Morris University and is exploring the preservation of the Westinghouse Atom Smasher in Forest Hills, the world’s first industrial Van de Graaf generator, an early generator of atomic power. Presley Oliphant, a 4th grader at Propel Braddock Hills High School, created a website (www.savethesouthparkgamepreserve.com) to save the South Park Game Preserve. Finally, Jonathan Denson launched the “Discovering Historic Pittsburgh” website with interesting observations about endangered and abandoned buildings in the region (www.jonathondenson.com). These three young people will speak about their experiences and the importance of youth involvement in historic preservation.
10:30am – 12:00pm – Pennsylvania's Agricultural History Project
The Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project was developed to provide guidance to support the evaluation of agricultural resources for eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to comprehensive research about the evolution of different farming systems across Pennsylvania, the Project developed a Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF) and a field guide to assist researchers in efforts to identify house, barn and outbuilding architecture as well as landscapes and archeological features associated with historic farming practices. This session will explain how the project was initiated and also explore different ways the context can be used.
Concurrent Afternoon Sessions at the William Penn Hotel
1:30pm – 4:30pm – Cultural Resource Essentials – The Basics
The Cultural Resources Essentials (CRE) series was launched in 2008. The initial intent of the CRE series was to simply bring all preservation partners together and learn from one another. The series grew to four workshops with each building on the previous and progressively more detailed in terms of program implementation and preservation philosophy: The Basics -> Applications -> Best Practices -> Forum. Through participant feedback, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has continually refined the CRE workshops to better serve our partners. Individuals who complete all four workshops in the CRE series will earn a certificate from the PA Historical and Museum Commission and those in private practice will be recognized on the SHPO’s Consultant lists. In 2013, both THE BASICS and FORUM will be offered during the Statewide Conference on Heritage.
THE BASICS
CRE brings together an incredible group of professionals who work in all sectors of the historic preservation field. One goal of THE BASICS is to introduce all of the SHPO’s partners to one another. THE BASICS welcomes consultants, state and federal agency representatives, local and county government staff, HARB and preservation commission members, archaeologists, and non-profit organizations to learn about the fundamentals of historic preservation in Pennsylvania. You will also learn that the SHPO manages a number of state and federal historic preservation programs. Faithfully administering state and federal historic preservation programs requires everyone we work with to provide us with the documentation needed to move respective processes along. From the National Register Program to Project Review under the National Historic Preservation Act and the State History Code – and from the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program to grant programs – we rely on you to submit the information needed. THE BASICS will provide participants with the latest guidance available related to SHPO programs.
1:30pm – 4:30pm – Preserving Our Industrial Heritage
The Commonwealth was the beating heart of the Industrial Revolution in America. From small community foundries and factories to the enormous works in Pittsburgh and its environs, American industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries often followed Pennsylvania’s lead. Our industrial and manufacturing history is an important page in America’s history, and an important resource for heritage tourism and community identity. This workshop will feature presentations on the role of National Heritage Areas in preserving industrial history and the landscape of American labor. The workshop will provide critical guidance for communities that want to identify, preserve and interpret their industrial heritage.
1:30pm – 4:30pm – River Heritage: Preservation & Conservation
Pennsylvania’s river towns are combining preservation and conservation efforts to protect natural and historic resources while enhancing the visitors’ experience and maximizing the community’s return on investment. This session will present successful strategies in action along the Schuylkill, Susquehanna, and Mon Valley River Towns and provide attendees with the tools to connect their community with their river.
1:30pm – 4:30pm – Student Sessions
The conference will feature a full three hour session on undergraduate and graduate student research in preservation and archaeology. Topics will focus on the study, preservation, interpretation, and/or management of above-ground (buildings, structures, landscapes, etc.) or below-ground (historic or prehistoric archaeological sites) resources. Following the student papers session, there will be an opportunity for students to meet and network with preservation and CRM professionals, answer questions about their research, and ask questions about career development. Both students and seasoned professionals are encouraged to attend.
4:45pm – 7:00pm – Gateway Clipper Three Rivers Cruise
All attendees are invited to enjoy a private chartered cruise on Pittsburgh’s classic Gateway Clipper. The Gateway Clipper Three Rivers Cruise will feature a presentation on Pittsburgh’s iconic historic bridges by Todd Wilson, PE, creator of www.bridgemapper.com, and provide attendees with the ultimate view of the City at sunset.
Admission to the Gateway Clipper Three Rivers Cruise is included in the General Registration and Single Day Registration options. Additional river cruise tickets may be purchased.
The cruise is generously sponsored by GAI Consultants.
Pictured top: Babushkas & Hard Hats. Photo courtesy of Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. Pictured bottom: Smithfield Street Bridge. Photo courtesy of David Wohlwill.
Day Three - Thursday, July 18th
8:30am – 12:00pm – Pittsburgh Underground: A Walking Tour of Pittsburgh’s Archaeological Past
This half day tour will introduce participants to some of the invisible heritage that lies underfoot in the heart of Pittsburgh’s downtown. Some important projects and discoveries will be discussed, and the tour will include visits to several public exhibits of artifacts and images from some of the City’s most important sites.
The tour will require walking and the use of mass transit. This tour is limited to fifteen participants. Please do not delay in registering for this exclusive opportunity!
Concurrent Morning Sessions at the William Penn Hotel
8:30am – 12:00pm – Historic Bridge Basics
This workshop will present fundamentals of bridge types, designs, components and characteristics. The workshop is intended to provide a basic overview of bridge terminology to facilitate discussions on bridge projects between the historic preservation community and the engineering community.
8:30am – 12:00pm – Trails & Tourism
Trails that connect communities and offer opportunities for hiking, biking, boating or other activities provide many benefits to the communities they pass through. One of those benefits is increased tourism, which contributes to the local economy and community vitality, helping to support community sustainability and improve quality of life. This session will explore the tourism opportunities that exist in trail-side communities and showcase the tools that your community can use to maximize the benefits of and an existing or proposed trail.
8:30am – 12:00pm – Cultural Resource Essentials – FORUM
The format of FORUM has evolved since it was first offered in 2009. Forum has always been the workshop where participants play the role of SHPO staff and tackle submissions similar to what the SHPO office receives. Participants draw from all they’ve learned in the first three workshops to determine how to respond to diverse historic properties, projects, and issues. What’s new this year is that actual SHPO staff will play the role of an agency or interested party and YOU – the NEW SHPO staff – will receive all correspondence to digest and move forward through the review processes. The goal of the workshop is to have participants understand the role of agencies, the SHPO office, and various interested parties with respect to state and federal historic preservation programs. Everyone has an important role to play. Registration for FORUM requires that participants have a general knowledge of the Section 106 process and have taken at least two other CRE workshops.
8:30am – 10:00am – Down But Not Out – Historic Brownsville Seeks To Recapture its Vibrancy
Once a Mon River Mecca of the Coal and Coke era, a hot bed for National Road travelers, and said to be the city that would make Pittsburgh nothing but a small town, Brownsville was the epitome of the Industrial Revolution – from boat building and banking to coal mining and steel making. Now, it is a shadow of its former self, with a story of demise fit for a Hollywood movie. The challenges are familiar, and the opportunities are thought-provoking and perhaps synergistic. Most of the historic district is now publicly owned; PA has a historic tax credit program; the gas drilling industry is growing here; and increasing numbers of heritage, cultural and recreational visitors are flocking to the region. In this session, hear the tale and learn about the effort. Your ideas, stories of successes and failures can bring to light solutions to reignite Brownsville’s economy.
10:30 – 12:00pm – Bridging the Funding Gap
As public and private funding resources decline, savvy preservationists are reaching out to new partners to bridge the funding gap. Case studies of joint efforts and advocacy between the preservation and conservation communities will be shared to shed light on cutting-edge and creative fundraising strategies to save historic resources and preserve open space.
1:30pm – 4:00pm – Plenary Session
The Plenary Session will feature keynote presentations by Arthur Ziegler, President of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and Michael Sriprasert, President of the Landmarks Community Capital Corporation and Landmarks Development Corporation in Pittsburgh, and Matthew Christopher, founder of Abandoned America (www.abandonedamerica.us).
4:00pm – 5:00pm – Advocacy in Action
Join forces with colleagues who are interested in advocating for funding and policies to support historic preservation, alternative transportation, conservation, recreation and parks. A gathering will be held after the plenary session to help build a powerful partnership to take our message to state and federal officials and legislators.
5:00pm – 7:30pm – Reception at the Senator John Heinz History Center
Join attendees, speakers, and sponsors for a private reception at the historic Senator John Heinz History Center, the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the Heinz History Center while enjoying a hors d'oeuvre and cocktail reception in the Great Hall. Attendees will be welcomed by the Venue Sponsor Andrew Masich, President & CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center and Chairman of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and the Reception Sponsor John Martine, Principal at Strada and Vice Chairman of the Preservation Pennsylvania Board of Directors.
Admission to the Reception is included in the General Registration and Single Day Registration options. Additional Reception tickets may be purchased.
The reception is sponsored by Strada.
Pictured: End of the Line by Matthew Christopher.
Day Four - Friday, July 19, 2013
8:30am – 12:00pm – Mobile Workshop - Transportation Project Scoping for Cultural Resources
All archaeological and preservation efforts undertaken by PennDOT begin with an initial scoping of a proposed transportation project by teams of PennDOT’s Cultural Resource Professionals (CRP’s). This workshop, limited to 30 people, will provide attendees with a CRP’s view of a real (and very complex) project in downtown Pittsburgh: the South Highland Avenue Bridge. Attendees will be provided with the background information and data used by the CRP’s and asked to fill out their own checklists as they try to identify and evaluate the many issues that have to be considered in the implementation of a new project. They’ll be given a chance to propose their own solutions to the challenges raised by the project, and they’ll be given feedback on their evaluations and suggestions.
Instructor: David Anthony, Architectural Historian and CRP, PennDOT Districts 11-0, 1-0 and 12-0, with assistance by other regional CRP’s.
Please note that this workshop will require walking and the use of mass transit. This tour is limited to thirty participants. Please do not delay in registering for this exclusive opportunity!
8:30am – 11:30am – Mobile Workshop – Pittsburgh: Crucible of Modernism
Pittsburgh was a crucible for building design and engineering innovations in glass, steel, aluminum and many other technologies that were catalysts for the Post-War Modern Design movement. Only in the past several years has the immense challenge of evaluating and conserving cultural resources from the mid-twentieth century become apparent.
For more than half a century, from the rise of the Beaux Arts and Colonial Revival styles at the turn of the twentieth century until the late 1960s, Victorian architecture was considered at worst vulgar and at best functionally and aesthetically obsolete. Those earlier judgments of tastes have been reevaluated since the 1960’s. A similar process of neglect and loss is now occurring with regard to once fashionable “Mad Men” buildings of the post-World War II period.
The tour will explore Mellon Square, now being restored by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and anchored by two 1950s skyscrapers designed by Harrison & Abramovitz; Gateway Center; the former IBM Building and Hilton Hotel; and the tour will end the tour at Point State Park’s Portal Bridge.
Walking tour guides:
Rob Pfaffmann, AIA, AICP
Jeff Slack, AICP
Louise Sturgess, PHLF
Please note that this workshop will require walking. This tour is limited to thirty participants. Please do not delay in registering for this exclusive opportunity!
Concurrent Morning Sessions at the William Penn Hotel
8:30am – 12:00pm – Economics of Heritage Tourism
Experts will present an in-depth discussion of the economic impact of heritage tourism. Presenters will review the process and findings of the 2013 Economic Impact of National Heritage Areas report developed through a protocol comprised of interviews, IMPLAN analysis, and existing data sources. Panelists will then discuss a how-to of historic and cultural tourism product & package development. The session will finish with an overview of business planning around cultural and heritage resources.
8:30am – 12:00pm – Respecting Those Who Came Before Us: Consideration, Treatment, and Avoidance of Human Remains in the Transportation Industry
This session concerns the identification, consideration and treatment of human remains in the planning, development, and construction of transportation projects. The applicable state and federal laws and regulations concerning human remains will be reviewed. The roles and responsibilities of the various parties in the Section 106 review process will be discussed. Specific, relevant examples of projects involving the issue of human remains include the Vine Street Expressway and the Sister Cities Park projects in Philadelphia, the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge in Lebanon, the Browns Creek SR 18, Section X10 project in Greene County, and other examples. Given the highly personal and sensitive nature of this topic, the objective of this session is to provide some examples of the best consultative practices for projects involving potential impacts to human remains.
8:30am – 12:00pm – Good, the Bad & the Uncertain: The Marcellus Gas Play and Pennsylvania Communities
The rapid development of the natural gas industry over the last five years has wrought enormous changes to the heritage, infrastructure and economies of Pennsylvania communities large and small. Those changes have brought new prosperity and new problems to one of America’s most historic landscapes. This landmark session will highlight those changes and will also consider what future changes the boom might bring.
8:30am – 10:00am – Iron City, Steel State: Preserving a Cultural Legacy of Metal Truss Bridges in the Transportation System
Historic Metal Truss Bridges have endured on the landscape for the last one hundred and fifty years and continue to serve as vestiges of Pennsylvania’s iron and steel history. Yet, these vestiges of the industrial age need to be able to function in a modern transportation network if they are to survive as part of it. This session highlights efforts to date of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Federal Highway Administration, to manage this population of historic bridges to ensure the long-term survival of at least some of these bridges.
10:30am – 12:00pm – All Aboard! Strategies to Preserve Pennsylvania’s Tourist Rail Lines
Pennsylvania’s many historic tourist rail lines and museums provide visitors an opportunity to learn about Pennsylvania’s rich railroad and rail transit heritage and, in many locations, experience a ride on an historic rail line. However, these tourist rail lines and museums face the challenges attracting sufficient numbers of visitors in difficult economic conditions and developing financing from other sources. Restoration and maintenance of vintage rail equipment is also a major challenge. Representatives from three of Pennsylvania’s tourist rail lines will discuss fundraising strategies and current efforts to preserve and operate historic rail resources.
12:00pm – 3:00pm – Preservation Pennsylvania’s Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon
Join Preservation Pennsylvania’s Board of Directors and staff for the organization’s Annual Meeting and Luncheon. The Luncheon will feature a presentation by Rob Pfaffmann entitled “From Mad Men to Mies: Managing the Future of the Recent Past.”
A lunch with refreshments and dessert will be served. The Luncheon is not included in the general conference registration; tickets are available for $50 per person. Pre-registration is required.
Conference Conclusion
Pictured top: Plans for Downtown Renaissance. Photo courtesy of University of Pittsburgh -Paul Slantis Photograph Collection (1946-1956). Pictured bottom: EBT 15 on the line A/ Photo courtesy of David Wohlwill.